Interwoven
by ijustkeepswimming
Summary: A CJ Experiment... Charlie and Joey grow up together, with their families being age-old friends. The story begins with the girls being children.
1. Chapter 1

_Okay, so this is kind of an experiment, so please bear with me... We're following Charlie and Joey, literally from really early childhood into adulthood and the narrative will change accordingly as they mature. It is very hard to write! I'm getting in touch with my inner child, later I will be rediscovering my former teenage self and wondering if gosh, did I ever really grow up! We'll see. I'll only continue if people want me to. If not, I'll delete the fic and no more of it shall be spoken! I've written several chapters ahead and personally, I'll admit to quite liking exploring teenage Charlie and Joey (and I've thrown in a few other characters as well) so I hope you like it too. It's really just an experiment to see how we go but the premise is that the Buckton and the Collins families are age old friends and Charlie and Joey grow up together from the year dot. Here goes..._

**Chapter One**

**January 1985**

Charlie Buckton was happy with her life. Her Mummy was kind and gave the best hugs in the world. Auntie Clara was funny and she had a new baby in her tummy who was going to be Charlie's new playmate. They were going to grow up and be best friends like Mummy and Auntie Clara were. For now, Charlie played with Brett, which was fun but he was a smelly boy who always came home dirty. Daddy never seemed to come home hardly at all.

**

* * *

**

June 1988

Charlie felt like a very adult five year-old. Since Joey had been born, she'd taken it upon herself to take care of her and ensure her safety. Now Joey was almost three and followed Charlie round wherever she went. The girls were inseparable and their mothers never stopped commenting on how cute it was.

One typical Friday evening, the Buckton and Collins family prepared to share a meal together. Ross was of course still at the station and Paul Collins was due home from a day at work on his fishing trawler any minute now. Brett, Charlie and Joey were watching children's television in the Buckton's living room. Brett laughed at Scooby Doo's unfortunate accident. Charlie giggled lightly and continued brushing Joey's hair. All three children turned when they heard male voices in the kitchen. Both fathers were back. Brett leapt up and so did Charlie, taking Joey by the hand and leading her to the adults.

Seated round the table, everyone enjoyed the dinner that Elsie and Clara had prepared together in the Bucktons' large kitchen. Elsie and Clara had been friends since high school. It had been natural progression for them, when they'd got married to Ross and Paul, to get houses close by to each other. Even though Ross and Paul came from very different worlds, they got along well enough and Ross was grateful to have a professional fisherman as a friend. Paul took him out on the water at weekends. It was nice to get away and relax.

"So, how was your day, Ross?" Elsie asked.

"We're working on a horrible murder case right now," Ross replied conversationally.

Charlie looked alarmed. Brett looked intrigued.

"Ross!" Elsie scolded.

"Well don't ask then!"

Charlie gathered her sensibilities.

"I want to be a police officer when I'm older," she suddenly declared.

Brett stared at her, wondering where that little gem had come from. She had never mentioned it before. Elsie eyed her daughter suspiciously. Ross looked impressed. She beamed at him.

"Really, Charlie?" he asked.

"Yes!" she nodded. "I want to be just like you!"

Ross smiled, feeling honoured.

Joey looked from Charlie to Ross and then back to Charlie before she started playing with her food again.

* * *

One week later, Charlie launched into a full blown tantrum. She didn't want to go to playschool. She didn't want to spend time with other boys and girls. She didn't want to be a big girl. She didn't want things to change. All she wanted was to stay home with Joey. Elsie sighed and persisted with her plan, dreading the day Charlie had to go full time at proper school.

Joey felt sad when Charlie started going to playschool for part of the day but she reluctantly got used to it. She supposed it wasn't that bad really. Life wasn't so awful. She spent the mornings with Mummy and usually Aunt Elsie was around and in the afternoons, they would go and collect Charlie who would whisk Joey away to play with her and tell her about everything she had done that day. Later that day, Brett would come home from school and join them. The three of them would have a nice time playing. They would often go outside as long as they promised to stay confined to the garden. Brett always wanted to climb trees but Charlie always said no because Joey was too small to join in and she said it wasn't fair. The only thing Joey longed for was more cuddles from her Daddy. Mostly he would walk past her instead of towards her but then, she got enough hugs from everyone else so perhaps she was just being greedy.

**

* * *

**

May 1993

"Do you think the new baby will replace me?" Charlie asked.

At ten years old she lay stretched out on Joey's bed, looking up at the ceiling. Nearly eight year-old Joey sat cross-legged at the head of the bed on the pillows, twisting her fingers.

"Of course the baby won't replace you, Charlie," she said kindly.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure! And anyway, this baby will be the luckiest baby in the world to have you as a sister," Joey added. "I still remember you looking after me when I was little."

Charlie smiled, recalling how she had carried Joey round with her wherever she went when they had been younger. She would like to do that with the new baby. It would be nice to have another infant around the place and now that she was that little bit older, Charlie was sure she could do an ever better job than before. She sat up and spun around to face Joey and smiled.

"I can help take care of the baby," she decided.

"Yes, you can," Joey agreed.

"It won't replace me," Charlie added.

"Well, duh!" Joey laughed.

Charlie giggled and pulled her friend into a hug.

"Dinner!" Clara called up the stairs.

* * *

Charlie and Joey sat giggling round the dinner table, ignoring the warning looks they kept receiving from Clara. Every time Brett spoke, his voice sounded strange and the girls found it highly entertaining.

"Would you just quit it?" Brett squeaked.

Charlie and Joey erupted into peals of laughter.

"Joey! Charlie!" Paul warned in a voice that silenced them.

They dared not look at each other for fear of cracking. Brett cleared his throat.

"Could you pass the salt please?" Brett asked, his voice suddenly deep.

Joey snorted with laughter. Charlie lost control.

"Can I eat upstairs please, Mum?" Brett asked desperately.

"Yes, Brett," Clara sighed.

Brett escaped upstairs. Charlie and Joey continued to laugh. They stopped when they realised that Paul was glaring at them.

"You're going to be so sorry when you reach his age and you start going through changes of your own," he warned.

Charlie and Joey glanced at each other nervously before bursting out laughing again.

* * *

When Charlie got home that evening, she told Elsie all about Brett's voice and how funny it had been. Elsie decided that perhaps it would soon be time to tell Charlie about the birds and the bees, although it wasn't a talk that she was looking forward to. Charlie had already been asking questions about exactly how the new baby had come into existence. She decided to discuss it with Clara first. If she was going to talk about it with Charlie, then she figured they would both have to discuss with Charlie _and_ Joey. The girls told each other everything. They had to make sure the time was right for both of them.

Several days later, Charlie and Joey were holed up in Charlie's bedroom feeling like their heads were spinning. Elsie and Clara had explained 'the facts of life' to them and they felt like their heads were going to explode. There had even been diagrams! Joey leant forward and peered at _The Body Book_ they had used to illustrate the point they had been trying to make.

"That really happens?" she asked for the millionth time, although Charlie had heard it all for the first time too, as she had.

Charlie stood up and walked to her full length mirror and looked at herself. She lifted her t-shirt.

"These are really going to grow?" she asked, pulling a face.

She pulled the t-shirt back down and flung herself back onto the bed.

"And I'm going to bleed?"

She shuddered in alarm.

"What if I don't want to?" she asked. "I _don't _want to!"

"Is this punishment for laughing at Brett?" Joey wondered. "Because I take it back."

"I don't want to grow up," Charlie complained.

"Me neither."

"I'm going to go downstairs and convince them to reward us with some chocolate," Charlie said, climbing off the bed. "I'll be right back."

* * *

Downstairs, Clara and Elsie were still talking at the kitchen table. Charlie hovered out of sight, not wanting to interrupt, feeling guilty for listening to their conversation.

"Hey, do you remember the first time your parents ever told you about this kind of thing?" Clara asked.

"My parents?" Elsie asked. "They didn't tell me anything!"

"Nothing?"

"I didn't even know what a period was! Let alone sex!"

Elsie gently reached a hand across the table and touched Clara's fingers.

"Do you ever think there'll come a day when parents educate their kids on anything but heterosexual sex?" she asked.

"I hope so," Clara said.

Charlie furrowed her brow in confusion. What other kind was there? Elsie drew her hand away.

"Do you want another cup of tea before you take Joey home?" she asked.

Charlie took the movement as an indication that it was okay to enter the room.

"Mum, can we have some chocolate after our trauma?" she asked, batting her eyelashes.


	2. Chapter 2

_Thank you so much everybody for reading and reviewing this new fanfic. I was ever so nervous about posting it! But here is the next part as our girls get a little older... I hope you enjoy it! IJKS xx_

**Chapter Two**

**December 1996**

Music blared from Charlie's CD player as she got ready for a night out with her friends. Wearing a little black dress that enhanced the ever growing cleavage she had once been afraid of appearing, she was finally satisfied with her outfit, although she wasn't sure who she wanted to impress. She had been on a few dates here and there but there weren't really any boys that she liked right now and she had yet to experience her first proper kiss. There had been touches of lips here and there but none of those heart-stopping, special, romantic with tongues, type kisses. She was waiting for that to be with someone special. The only boy she knew that liked her was Brett and she really didn't like him. He was nice enough but she didn't find him physically appealing and he had been her playmate since she was born. It didn't make sense in her head. No, Brett was definitely not on the cards. Finally satisfied with her appearance, she shut her music down and trotted downstairs.

"See you later, Mum!" she called.

"Is Joey going with you tonight?" Elsie asked.

"No, it's an over thirteen's thing," Charlie explained.

It was true. It was an end of year party arranged by a well off girl in her year at school. She only invited her year group and a few people, mostly boys from the years above.

"You don't seem to see her very much anymore, Charlie," her mother said sadly.

Charlie shrugged.

"I see her enough."

That was also true. Once upon a time, Charlie and Joey had been inseparable but these days, they went far too long without spending any time with each other. There were only two years between them but they were two significant years. Joey was thinking about toys while Charlie was thinking about boys and the gulf between them had got a little too large for the girls to handle. They had different interests and different goals now. Charlie was hoping to head straight from school to the police force and Joey wanted to spend her life working with boats like her father, although if they stopped to think about it, their reasoning was the same – they were both chasing their chosen careers to please their fathers.

* * *

At the party Charlie caught up with Leah, Rachel and Martha who were huddled in the corner, spying on the boys and wondering if any of them were going to end up with anyone tonight.

"Charlie!" Leah greeted.

"Hey, guys!" Charlie said.

"Have you guys seen how cute Jack looks tonight?" Martha asked.

Charlie rolled her eyes. She didn't see why Martha didn't just ask the guy out if she liked him so much.

"Hi!"

She turned to see Brett ambling up to her. She sighed. Why couldn't Joey have been the older one? Charlie would much have preferred Joey to have been at the party instead of her brother. Brett was a good guy but he had become terribly clingy lately. And Joey was the sweetest person in the world. Charlie missed her. She decided that she was going to spend more time with her.

* * *

"Dad, I'm going for a walk," Joey called.

She received nothing but a grunt in response. She was surprised to receive even that. Her mother had gone over to Aunt Elsie's for their regular evening chat. Brett and Charlie had gone to some party that she of course wasn't invited to and she felt extremely lonely. Sighing, she headed towards the beach barefoot, enjoying the feel of the cool sand between her toes as the sun died and the moon came out to play. She headed straight down to the water and allowed the surf to caress her feet. Gazing out at the horizon, she spotted a figure to her left. The young boy looked as lonely as she did so she headed over.

"Hi," she called.

The blonde boy looked up.

"Hi," he said.

Joey extended her hand.

"I'm Joey."

"Aden."

"Are you new here?" she asked.

He nodded.

"Do you want to hang out?"

"Oh, you don't have to," he said. "You've probably got better things to do."

"I really don't," she told him.

He laughed lightly.

"Then I would love to hang out," he said.

* * *

Charlie had enjoyed a nice evening. She had danced until her feet hurt and been pleased when Jack and Martha had finally decided to go out on a proper date the next day. It had been a long time coming. Waking early the next day, as usual, the first thing she did was look in on her baby sister, Ruby. Her sibling was three years-old and Charlie had been besotted with her since before she was born. She had been quick to learn to feed her, change her, play with her and do everything a big sister should and so had Joey. Charlie had been present when she had learnt to walk and a variation of the word 'Charlie' had been Ruby's first word. That had meant the world to the older girl. Ruby was awake and playing in her cot when Charlie entered the room. She scooped her up and took her downstairs into the living room to get her ready for the day, making her breakfast in order to give her parents a lie-in. Her plan was to go and see Joey later that morning to try and make a plan to spend more time together. She missed her too much to let her go.

* * *

Joey was up and out early that morning. She met Aden at the same spot on the beach and they took off for a game of football on the sand. After an hour of hard playing, Joey collapsed, exhausted and laughing. Aden fell next to her, breathing heavily. Joey didn't think she had had so much fun in a long time, not since she had last hung out regularly with Charlie, which hadn't been for a while now. Lying side by side, Joey turned her head to face her new friend. He was very handsome. He turned to face her also. Suddenly he looked flushed.

"Would you…" he stammered. "Would you um… would you, maybe… would you like to be my girlfriend?"

She was taken aback and almost looked round to check that he was talking to her. She didn't think that she was very pretty, hardly girlfriend material.

"I'd love to be your girlfriend," she said.

He leant over and kissed her chastely on the lips, startling them both.

* * *

Charlie appeared at Joey's back door, knocking and entering as she always did. Clara was doing the breakfast dishes.

"Hey, Aunt Clara. Is Joey home?"

"Um, no, she was up and out early," Clara replied. "She said she was meeting a friend."

Charlie tried not feel put out. _She's allowed to have other friends_, she reminded herself. _You have other friends_.

"I don't think she'll be very long if you want to wait," Clara said. "Brett's playing video games in the lounge."

"Okay, I'll wait," Charlie said.

She really wanted to see Joey.

"Can I get you some juice?" Clara offered.

"Oh, yeah, that'd be great. Thanks!" Charlie said, heading into the living room.

Brett was playing in a boxing match and losing badly.

"Loser," Charlie commented.

"Hey!" Brett protested. "I'm on the highest level!"

"Yeah, right," Charlie teased, heaving herself onto the couch.

Brett ignored her and continued playing.

"So, who's Joey out with?" Charlie asked.

Brett shrugged.

"Do you think I care?" he asked. "Why? Are you jealous that she's stopped following you around like a little puppy dog?"

Charlie hurled a pillow at him. He lost the fight completely, dropped the controller and threw the pillow right back at her.

"Truth hurts, does it?" he asked.

"I just miss her, that's all," Charlie snapped.

"Shouldn't have dropped her then, should you?" Brett challenged.

"I didn't!" Charlie insisted. "I was just busy."

"With your other friends, yeah, I know. She's been really hurting."

Charlie frowned.

* * *

Aden walked Joey home and stopped at her gate. He kissed her lightly on the cheek. They smiled shyly at each other and said goodbye. Aden headed home and Joey pushed her back door open.

"Hi, Mum," she greeted.

"Hey, sweetie," Clara said. "Charlie's waiting for you."

"Charlie?" Joey said, surprised.

She walked through the kitchen into the living room and found Charlie on the sofa and Brett on the floor.

"Hey, stranger," Joey said.

Charlie looked at her, obviously feeling shy and awkward. She stood up.

"Hey."

Brett stood and disappeared.

"What are you doing here?"

"I missed you," Charlie said sincerely.

"About time!" Joey commented.

"I'm sorry I haven't been around."

"Me too."

"Joey, please don't be like this," Charlie said.

"Like what?"

"Cold."

"I'm not cold. I'm… warm. I'm practically boiling."

Charlie frowned at her.

"Look, I just… I feel like we're going to end up in a pattern of being picked up and put down again and I don't want that."

"We won't!" Charlie insisted.

"Maybe… maybe we've outgrown each other," Joey suggested.

"We haven't! I haven't outgrown you anyway. Have you outgrown me?"

Joey gazed into Charlie's fearful eyes and she knew she could never leave her. Charlie was her best friend in the whole world. She loved her more than anything. She had known her for her entire life. She could never outgrow her.

"Of course not," she grinned.

The girls hugged each other.

"So we're okay?" Charlie asked.

"We're great," Joey assured her. "Do you want to go upstairs and listen to some CD's?"

"Sure!"

* * *

Upstairs, Charlie found her familiar position stretched out lengthways on Joey's bed.

"So where were you today?" she asked.

Joey blushed.

"I um… I've kind of met someone," she admitted.

Charlie sat bolt upright in excitement.

"Okay, you have to tell me everything!"

Joey grinned. The girls moved closer together on the bed and Joey took a breath as she prepared to tell Charlie all about the guy she had met.

"Well, his name's Aden, he's eleven and he's just moved here with his father. He's got blonde hair, he loves football and he likes boats almost as much as I do!"

"Wow, he sounds like your perfect guy!" Charlie laughed.

"I know!"

Joey was as enthusiastic as she could possibly be. She ignored the nagging doubt in the back of her mind that there was no such thing as her perfect guy. There was a small voice inside that told her that she might be different to other people, that she might not see men and women in the way that she ought to and she hated it. She chose to ignore it and hope that it would go away. And besides, Aden really was lovely. He made her laugh if nothing else.

That afternoon, the girls reluctantly parted. Paul had announced that he was taking the boat out and Joey had jumped at the chance to go with him. The only time the two of them ever managed to bond was when they were out on the water. Joey didn't think she knew much but she knew boats and how to handle herself on deck and it impressed her father. She took every opportunity she could to show him what she could do in order to make him happy. She was desperate to make him love her.

Once Charlie had left Joey, feeling satisfied that things had been healed between them, she headed home. As soon as she got back, she felt sad again. Opening the door, she saw her Dad crawling round on the floor with Ruby. Although she was glad for her sister, pleased that she had that bond with their father, she felt sad for herself. She and her Dad had never had that bond. He had never made time for her. Even now, work always came first. Work was the priority, then came Ruby, then came Charlie and Ruby's mother and then came Charlie. At least, that's how it felt. Charlie never ever felt like the most important thing in his life. Just like Joey when she talked to her Dad about boats, the only time Charlie was important to her father was when they were planning her future career in the police force.

**

* * *

**

October 1997

"Hey, Charlie!" Brett called.

Charlie looked up and saw Brett sauntering through the school corridor with his arm draped round the shoulders of a blonde girl. She returned to her conversation with Joey, Martha, Rachel, Leah and Aden. Brett frowned and stormed off, dragging the blonde girl with him.

That evening, Charlie and Joey were sitting in the living room watching television when Brett entered with the same girl from earlier.

"Hi, girls!" he said loudly.

They turned and waved. He was clutching her hand.

"We're going up to my room," he said, obviously waiting for a reaction.

"Okay, have fun," Joey said.

"Make sure you don't drown out the TV!" Charlie added.

"If you're doing this for her benefit then I'm _not _doing this," the blonde girl snapped, storming back out of the house.

Brett looked distraught. The girls burst out laughing.

* * *

It was a warm Saturday afternoon and Charlie and Joey had offered to baby-sit four year-old Ruby, who was delighted to have 'both her sisters' look after her. They all sat on the sofa watching _The Lion King_ on video. Ruby was concentrating hard while Charlie and Joey talked softly over her head.

"So, how are things going with Aden?" Charlie asked.

Joey nodded. Things were going fine. To an outsider, it probably didn't look like it was going anywhere, but Joey and Aden were happy enough. They were close friends more than anything else. Neither of them particularly enjoyed being physically affectionate. Aden had confessed six months into their relationship that his grandfather had hurt him when he was younger. At first, Joey had wanted to tell her mother and Charlie but he had begged her to keep it a secret, explaining that his Dad had removed him from the situation so it wasn't a problem anymore and he just wanted to move on. But it meant that he wasn't yet comfortable with kisses and cuddles and things like that. It suited Joey just fine. She was becoming increasingly, albeit secretly aware that her physical attractions were to women and largely to Charlie. It freaked her out and she hated it. She tried to ignore it and she still hoped that it would pass, that it was a phase. In their individual situations, she and Aden muddled along quite happily.

"We're still pretty happy," Joey said.

Charlie smiled, happy for her friend, although she couldn't help but feel a little jealous that a girl two years younger than herself was further along in her love life than she was.

"So, like, how much have you done?" Charlie asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Like just kissing and stuff?"

"Oh, well, we've kissed on the lips and stuff but not properly," Joey said. "I'm still waiting for my first kiss."

"How come?"

"We're not ready," Joey said, hoping Charlie wouldn't press the issue.

Charlie knew her well enough not to continue the conversation. Joey smiled gratefully.

"So, is Brett still hassling you for a date?" Joey asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah," Charlie sighed.

"You've got to hand it to him for perseverance," Joey laughed.

Charlie chuckled.

"Hey, if you got married, we'd be sisters-in-law!"

"Don't even joke!"

"Do you think we'll be friends in years to come?" Joey asked.

"We're going to be friends forever," Charlie said seriously. "We're going to be like our Mums."

Joey smiled happily and reached out to hold Charlie's hand. She felt a jolt go through her and pulled away quickly. This was not like their mothers. Both girls turned to concentrate on the film. Charlie centred herself but couldn't help glancing at Joey out of the corner of her eye several times, noting how beautiful she was becoming. Adolescence was surprisingly becoming on her. Joey's hair was shiny and her skin was glowing. Without thinking, she reached out and held Joey's hand again as they continued to watch the movie.

* * *

The following morning, Charlie awoke from a confusing dream about Joey. She stormed down to breakfast and snapped at her mother for no good reason and then felt terribly guilty. Opting to go for a run, she bumped into Brett who asked her out for dinner and a movie. The dream about Joey flashed into her mind, confusing her again. She sighed.

"Yeah, fine, I will," she agreed.

"Really?" Brett said, surprised.

"Yeah, one date," Charlie said.

Brett punched the air triumphantly. Charlie wondered if it was too late to back out.

"Dinner and a movie, tomorrow night? I'll come by yours tomorrow at seven?"

"That sounds great," Charlie said uncertainly.

* * *

Brett raced home feeling extremely pleased with himself. He found his father watching television and hovered by the side of the sofa.

"Dad, can I ask you a question?" the sixteen year-old lad asked.

"What's up, mate?" Paul asked.

"I have a date tomorrow night."

"Oh?"

Paul switched off the TV.

"It's with Charlie."

* * *

Joey paused mid-step on the stairs, having heard Brett speaking to her Dad. She could hardly believe that Charlie had agreed to go out on a date with Brett. It was only yesterday that Charlie had insisted that it would never happen. Joey also didn't want to deal with how jealous she felt. If any member of the family was going to take Charlie out on a date, she wanted it to be her. Sighing, she sank down on the stairs and listened to her father's pearls of wisdom about how her brother could get her best friend into bed.

* * *

"You constantly compliment her," Paul told Brett. "And you don't make your move until you're in the cinema."

"Cinema, check," Brett said seriously.

"You can do anything in the cinema," Paul said confidently. "Girls are up for all kinds of things in there. Sit beside her, slip your arm around her and while she's concentrating on the film… or at least while it looks like she's concentrating on the film… let your hand fall down to her tit and away you go."

"Really?" Brett asked.

Paul nodded.

* * *

On the stairs Joey pulled a face. Her Dad was making Charlie sound so cheap. She wasn't like that. She hadn't even been kissed before! There was no way she was going to want to be groped, least of all by Brett. This was a horrible idea.

* * *

"So, tit, kiss and then let the good times roll, right?" Brett checked.

"There's some contraception in my top drawer," Paul said. "Better to be safe than sorry."

"Thanks Dad!" Brett said.

Paul turned the television on, pleased to have been of help to his son. Brett headed for the stairs. Hearing him, Joey leapt to her feet and scampered away, officially in a terrible mood.

"Oh, and buy her flowers!" Paul yelled.

* * *

On Monday night, Charlie was far from looking forward to her date with Brett. She didn't know why she had even agreed. Reacting to that stupid dream seemed like such a ridiculous reason, especially as she couldn't even tell anyone about it. Her friends wouldn't understand, especially Joey who had not reacted well to the prospect of Charlie going out with her brother. She had been sullen about it and everything else all day and had opted to talk to Aden and Aden only at school. Leah, Martha and Rachel had teased Charlie mercilessly about the whole thing so they hadn't been any help at all and Charlie felt too guilty about cancelling to do that. Brett had been asking her out almost on a daily basis for over a year. It wasn't as if he was a bad guy. He had been her playmate since they were kids. She liked him lots, just not in that way. Sighing, Charlie finished her make up and waited for the doorbell to ring.

* * *

Joey and Aden sat in Joey's bedroom with her door open. Paul was out on the boat until late, having already worked all day. Aunt Elsie was over with Ruby and she and Joey's mother were having coffee in the living room. The rule was that Aden was allowed over and in her room so long as the bedroom door was open. And her mother did spot checks and she, like Joey and Brett, knew all the creaky floorboards on the stairs. So far, she had never caught them doing anything. So far, they had never done anything worth catching and Joey didn't think they ever would. Aden was too broken and Joey was too gay. Mostly when they were together, they listened to music, played football and talked. Affection-wise, they held hands, sometimes kissed on the lips and held each other. Generally they just made each other laugh.

"I still can't believe Charlie's letting Brett take her out," Joey complained. "She could be letting him grope her boobs right now!"

She growled. Aden chuckled.

"You love her, don't you?"

Joey was taken aback by the question. She stared at him.

"Of course I do," she said quickly. "She's my best friend."

"I mean you're in love with her."

Joey's mouth hung open. She rolled off the bed and began to fiddle with her CD player, attempting to change the disc.

"Hey, don't freak out," Aden said gently, sitting up.

She turned back to face him, her eyes wide.

"How can I not freak out?" she asked, her voice shrill.

Swinging his legs off the edge of the bed, the twelve year-old reached out for Joey's hands.

"Relax," he said. "I only know because I know you so well. It's not obvious or anything like that."

"Do you think Charlie knows?" Joey asked.

He shook his head.

"I don't know if it's love. It could be a phase; a twelve year phase."

"It could be," Aden conceded. "Are you attracted to other women?"

Joey nodded.

"Men?"

Joey shrugged.

"I don't think it's a phase."

"I'm sorry," Joey apologised.

"I don't mind. To be honest, I don't think I'm ready for anything… anyway."

Joey nodded. She sat down on the edge of the bed and stroked his face, noticing that he had started to shave. She grinned at him and he blushed.

"I do love you, Aden."

"I love you too, Joey."

They hugged.

"So, we still get to hang out, right?" Joey asked.

"Of course!" Aden said. "Nothing really needs to change."

* * *

Dinner had been nice. Brett had even shown up with flowers and was wearing smart trousers and a shirt. He almost looked shy. Now he seemed to be anxiously trying to figure out how to put his arm around her. She focussed on the film, a romantic comedy. She raised an eyebrow in the darkness as she felt his arm snake around her shoulders. Fine. That was fine. She didn't want to reciprocate but he was allowed to be moderately affectionate for one night. It was kind of sweet actually. Suddenly she jumped. His palm was on her left breast. As she jumped, her popcorn flew everywhere and she shrieked. Brett jumped too.

"What the hell are you doing?" she yelled, not caring that other people were looking.

"Taking things to the next level!" Brett said.

"Well, take them back!" she snapped.

She awkwardly pushed past him and stormed out of the cinema. There was no way in hell that she was going to be some piece of meat to be touched up in a movie theatre. Charlie stormed out through the lobby. Brett chased after her.

"Charlie, wait!"

"I'm calling my mother!"

"I've got my Dad's car here. I may as well drive you home," Brett said.

"I don't want anything from you! Creep!" Charlie snapped. "I'm calling my mother!"

"Don't be an idiot, Charlie. Just get in the damn car."

Charlie finally relented.

"Don't you dare touch me," she warned.

* * *

Aden had gone home and Joey was lying in bed waiting for Brett to get in. Her mother had gone over to Aunt Elsie's when Ruby's bed time had come round. Her father was still out. She was alone in the house. Her parents were playing with the concept of leaving her alone for an hour at a time here and there, giving her nuggets of responsibility now that she was older. Hearing a key in the lock, her ears pricked up. Listening to the heavy footsteps and the click of a beer can, she deduced that it was her Dad getting in and settling himself in front of the television.

* * *

Elsie and Clara were curled up side by side, a little too close than they should have been, watching a film when Charlie stormed through the door. They sprang apart, alarmed.

"Charlie, are you alright?" Elsie asked.

"He…" Charlie began.

She spotted Clara.

"Your son!" she accused. "He groped me!"

"What?" Clara said.

"He groped me!" Charlie yelled. "I was watching the movie, eating my popcorn and he grabbed my boob!"

Elsie and Clara exchanged awkward glances. Charlie was obviously horrified.

"Charlie, I'm really sorry," Clara said. "I'll have a talk with him in the morning."

"Well, you'd better!" Charlie said, still shouting indignantly. "How dare he?"

She stomped up the stairs, slamming her door behind her, not caring, for the first time in her life, if she woke Ruby.

* * *

Brett arrived home and found his father watching television.

"Good advice, Dad," he accused.

"Did you get some?" Paul asked hopefully.

Brett's face suggested that this wasn't the case.

"Do I look like I got some?" Brett said. "She yelled at me and stormed out!"

* * *

Upstairs in bed, Joey smiled to herself. _Nice one, Charlie_, she thought. _Nice one_.

* * *

The following morning, Charlie and Joey walked to school without Brett to make a point. He was already in a foul mood, having been lectured by his mother about not touching young women inappropriately without permission.

"So, you're definitely not interested in Brett then?" Joey asked, catching hold of Charlie's hand.

"Are you kidding?" Charlie laughed.

"Well, why did you accept the date?" Joey wanted to know.

"I don't really know," Charlie said. "I guess I felt sorry for him. But trust me, it was a big mistake."

"Well, I'm glad it's over because I was getting really worried about losing you to him."

Charlie stopped and caught Joey's other hand.

"That will never, ever happen," she promised. "We're friends forever, remember?"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

**September 1998**

As a belated birthday celebration for Joey, the Bucktons' and the Collins' had decided to hire a small boat that they could sail for a small trip away together. Joey had been beside herself with excitement, largely because she was keen to show her father exactly what she could do. Also, the opportunity to spend quality time with Charlie was hardly something to be missed. It felt like a wonderful way to celebrate turning thirteen. The only downside was the fact that her seventeen year-old brother was around. Once upon a time, the two of them had got along so well but he irritated her now. They didn't get on badly, she supposed, but their sibling relationship hardly mirrored the love between Charlie and Ruby. Maybe it was the age gap. Brett was practically a man now. He was hairy, obnoxious, had a deep voice and a string of girlfriends. Apparently he had moved on swiftly and smoothly from his mishap with Charlie the year before. At school he had become quite the stud, although Joey suspected it wasn't quite as genuine as he made out. She still couldn't stand his best friend, Robbo. She never had been able to.

"Are you excited?" Joey asked, joining Charlie on deck.

Charlie nodded a little nervously, looking out to sea.

"Just getting my sea legs," she said.

Joey slipped an arm around her waist. Charlie smiled and rested her head on Joey shoulder, feeling comforted.

"This trip is going to be fantastic!" Joey enthused.

"It really is!" Charlie said. "Think of all the mischief we can get up to under our parents noses!"

Joey laughed conspiratorially.

"Let's go and unpack," she suggested.

* * *

That evening, having set sail, the two families, ate dinner in the moonlight. Paul and Ross mostly discussed the running of the boat. Ross was interested in how it worked. He wanted to use the trip to learn. Joey attempted to join in several times and then gave up, turning her attention to the rest of the table. Ruby was five and couldn't stop talking now that she had grasped language. She didn't much care what she was saying, so long as she was saying something. Elsie and Clara were talking to everyone and placating Ruby with wild hand gestures. Brett was showing off about losing his virginity at every opportunity. He didn't seem to care that his mother was present, despite how unimpressed she was. He seemed to want to show off to Charlie and make her realise that she had missed out on an opportunity with him. So far, he had failed. Charlie and Joey busied themselves with planning what they wanted to do with their trip together. It was the first time they had been on holiday with each other and they were really excited.

* * *

That night, Joey was tucked into bed, waiting for Charlie who was brushing her teeth and getting ready to join her. They were sharing a double room due to space. Brett spotted Charlie coming out of the bathroom and seized his opportunity. He looked her up and down in her pyjamas.

"Hey, Charlie," he said.

"Hi, Brett," she said pleasantly. "Goodnight."

"I was thinking, you know, we're going to be spending a lot of time together this week."

"I guess so," she said uncertainly.

He stroked her arm. She didn't like it.

"Maybe we could spend some more intimate time together."

His voice was low, as if he was attempting to be seductive. He licked his lips.

"I don't think that's such a good idea, Brett."

"I think it's a great idea."

He leant in to kiss her but she pulled away.

"I _really_ don't think it's a good idea," Charlie said firmly.

"Oh, come on," Brett urged.

She felt a certain part of his anatomy press against her. Disgusted she pushed him away.

"Brett, I'd like to point out to you that my Dad's a cop and if you did anything to me, he'd either arrest you or beat the crap out of you, or both!" she snapped.

She stormed away back to Joey.

* * *

Joey jumped a little when Charlie arrived back in the bedroom and threw herself under the duvet.

"Are you okay?" Joey asked.

"I'm fine," Charlie lied.

She didn't want to talk about it. Instead, she snuggled up into Joey's arms, settling there and closing her eyes. The two of them fell asleep quickly.

* * *

The days passed leisurely as Joey worked with her father to help run the boat. It made her feel good to be useful and gain attention from her Dad. She also included Charlie and showed her how things worked. Charlie was touched to be involved, especially when she knew how much it meant to Joey to be noticed by her father. Brett made himself useful but failed to keep his smarmy comments to himself. Ross also helped with the running of the boat and every time they anchored, he and Paul fished while Brett, Charlie and Joey dived. Charlie wrestled with her jealousy over Ross's affection for Ruby but never in her life did she let it get in the way of her own affection for her sister. She took her turn, along with her parents in looking after her. She and Joey enjoyed playing Mum.

* * *

One evening, midway through their break, Charlie and Joey stayed up late into the night in their cabin.

"It's nice to see you working with your Dad," Charlie commented.

Joey allowed herself a big smile. She nodded.

"It's been really nice. The only time he really notices that I'm alive is when we're on the water. I know it sounds pathetic but I'll take what I can get from him."

"It's not pathetic. I know what you mean," Charlie said.

"It's the same with your Dad, hey?"

Charlie nodded.

"If I didn't want to be a cop, I'd never have anything to talk to him about," she admitted.

"Do you think my Dad will ever love me for who I am?" Joey asked.

"I'm sure he just can't express himself," Charlie said. "Do you think my Dad will?"

"I'm sure he does," Joey said. "I mean, who wouldn't love you?"

* * *

Out on deck, Elsie and Clara had put their husbands and children to bed and come out to talk, as they had done most nights.

"If you could go back and do it all again, would you do anything differently?" Elsie asked.

Clara sighed.

"Part of me would say that I would never have married Paul," she admitted. "But then I wouldn't have Joey or Brett so I guess I wouldn't really. What about you?"

Elsie shrugged.

"I don't know. I love Ross. Of course I do. He's a good man. And Charlie and Ruby. I couldn't live without them but I hate the fact that I've lived a life where I'm wondering what if."

"What if what?" Clara asked, looking into Elsie's eyes.

"You know what."

Clara held Elsie's gaze. Their hearts beat a little too fast. Before either of them knew what was happening, they had closed the gap between them and met in a gentle kiss. Elsie pulled away quickly.

"We shouldn't have done that," she said.

"I know."

"I'm married. You're married!"

"I know!"

"We should go to bed. Alone! I mean with our husbands! To sleep!"

She hurried away. Clara sighed and went to her own cabin.

* * *

At breakfast the following morning, Charlie and Joey were the only ones not so self-absorbed enough to noticed that something had changed.

"Are you alright, Mum?" Charlie asked.

"Yes, I'm fine," Elsie replied. "I just didn't sleep well."

"If you want to go back for a nap, Joey and I could look after Ruby for you."

Elsie glanced at Clara.

"That would be lovely. Thank you, Charlie."

* * *

Charlie and Joey spent most of the day playing with Ruby and throwing themselves around the deck in an overly dramatic fashion in order to make her laugh. They succeeded on multiple occasions.

Night drew on and as a reward for being so good and helpful all day, Elsie and Clara allowed Charlie and Joey to stay up late and out on deck for as long as they wanted to. Joey leant against the railing of the boat, smiling into the breeze. She was happy to be where she was but sad that they were nearly home. She wanted this trip to last forever. She felt Charlie standing behind her so she turned. Their bodies were so close they were almost touching. Joey's breath caught in her throat.

"This has been the best trip ever," Charlie said.

"Definitely," Joey agreed.

"You seem so happy out here on the water," Charlie continued.

Joey nodded, still so aware of how close Charlie was to her. She was disappointed when Charlie moved next to her to lean against the railing to look out onto the ocean. Charlie drew in her breath, tasting the salt on her tongue.

"I think our families should make this an annual thing."

"Me too!" Joey said enthusiastically. "Except we should leave Brett at home."

"Oh, he was okay after the first day," Charlie laughed.

Joey turned to face Charlie, overwhelmed by how striking she was in the moonlight. Charlie looked back at Joey, thinking the same thing about her. They leaned closer to each other, tenderly pressing their lips together. After a few moments, the kiss naturally developed, just for a short while, before they realised what they were doing and jerked away. Joey looked happy. Charlie looked alarmed.

"What? Um… What?" Charlie managed.

"Sorry," Joey said, distraught for overstepping the line.

"That shouldn't have happened!" Charlie said.

She was panicked, almost shouting. Her eyes were wide.

* * *

Charlie hurried to the bedroom and got changed as quickly as possible, hoping that Joey wouldn't catch her. Thinking that felt so strange. They had got changed in front of each other so many times before. And now Charlie was hiding away. Once she was under the covers, Joey shyly entered the room.

"Charlie," she ventured.

"I don't want to talk about it," Charlie said. "Just go to sleep."

Joey sighed, feeling like her heart was breaking as she quietly got changed and climbed under the blankets, making sure she never touched Charlie. As soon as her head hit the pillow, Charlie turned off the light.


	4. Chapter 4

_Okay, I beg your forgiveness... and the third sentence in, you'll know why. On the plus side, thanks to your helpful reviews – I am continuing _Third Time's a Charm_ and there won't be any of this kind of thing in there!_

**Chapter Four**

**December 1998**

Nearly three months later, as they approached Christmas, the rift between Charlie and Joey still hadn't healed, although they both wanted it to. Charlie felt completely unable to get the kiss out of her head, although she had gone to great lengths to force it. She had even gone as far as dating Brett, which had upset Joey greatly and made the situation even more awkward. It was too late to back out now though and their parents all seemed pleased enough that there was yet another bond between the families. Behind closed doors, Charlie felt depressed. She was fairly certain that Brett saw her as a trophy girlfriend and he refused to stop pressuring her for sex. She was fifteen. She wasn't ready for that kind of thing. It had only been three months previously that she had had her first kiss. There was no way she was ready for anything more. Also, her first kiss had been with a girl. It had been with Joey. And Joey was Brett's sister. She closed her eyes and continued making out with Brett in her bedroom, trying to focus. She was not enjoying herself. They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Joey stood there unhappily.

"What do you want?" Brett snapped at his sister.

"Mum says dinner's ready," Joey said glumly.

The teenagers got off the bed. Charlie cast her eyes to the floor when she walked past her former best friend and headed down the stairs. She hated this. She wanted them to be friends again. Why did life have to turn out this way?

* * *

That evening, Joey jogged round to Aden's house. As usual, after seeing Charlie, she was desperately unhappy.

"She hates me, Aden! Why the hell did I kiss her?"

"If I remember it rightly, it was more of a joint effort," Aden pointed out.

Joey closed her eyes and lay back on Aden's bed. He watched her, hating that she was so sad. Charlie was the most important thing in Joey's world. She missed her so much and he thought Charlie was being really unfair.

"It doesn't matter," Joey said. "It doesn't change anything. She still hates me. And she's still dating my stupid, ugly brother."

"Joey, you just need to have it out with her," Aden said.

Joey sat up.

"Excuse me?" she said, mishearing him.

"You need to talk to her," he told her slowly.

"Oh."

She lay back down.

"Talk to her," Joey said, mulling the idea over in her mind.

* * *

Charlie lay in bed, wide awake. She could still feel Brett's kisses on her mouth and his hands on her body. They made her uncomfortable. The best kiss she had ever had was still Joey's, back at the end of September. It was nearly the end of the December now. That made her equally uncomfortable. Surely she shouldn't be enjoying kissing girls? That wasn't right. It wasn't normal. When her mother and Aunt Clara had explained the facts of life to them all those years ago, they hadn't mentioned anything like that. She sat up when she heard a gentle tapping on her window. Immediately alert, she leapt out of bed and crept over, grabbing her hard-back Enid Blyton book as a weapon, just in case. Pulling back the blind with the book raised, she stopped when she saw Joey perched on the porch roof.

"Joey!" Charlie gasped.

"I need to talk to you!" Joey said urgently.

Charlie was torn. She both wanted and didn't want to talk to her former best friend. Finally she relented and pulled the window up. Joey climbed inside.

"Enid Blyton? Really?"

"Don't underestimate how much damage I can inflict," Charlie said.

"I don't! Do you think I've forgotten the time we re-enacted professional wrestling and you dropkicked me into the wall?"

Charlie laughed. Their parents had considered taking Joey to the hospital for fear of internal injury. They'd been using Charlie's parent's bed as a wrestling ring because it was a double. Joey had slid down the wall like a cartoon character. Joey giggled too and watched Charlie get back into bed. She gestured for Joey to perch on the edge of it.

"I'm sorry for what happened on the boat," Joey began. "I don't know why it happened. I guess we got carried away. If you want me to take responsibility, I will but I just want to be friends again, Charlie. I can't handle not having you in my life."

"It wasn't just your fault," Charlie said after a few moments. "And I do want to forget it because I miss you too."

"Thank goodness!"

They both broke into smiles, relief flooding them.

"So, we're okay?" Joey checked.

"We're fine," Charlie confirmed.

"Good."

"Good."

Charlie reached out her arms and Joey clambered into them. They held each other for a few moments, finally feeling safe.

"I guess it's almost funny," Charlie said into Joey's shoulder.

"Funny?" Joey asked.

"To have our first kiss with each other."

"I guess," Joey said, glad that Charlie could see it that way.

She never thought she would be able to.

"Not that anyone will ever know that," Charlie added.

"No, everyone will think that your first was my brother," Joey grumbled.

"Uh, everything thinks I've kissed a tonne of guys," Charlie pointed out.

"Oh yeah," Joey said.

Charlie hated the fact that she had been such a late bloomer.

"You don't really mind about Brett, do you?" Charlie asked.

Joey moved to lie against the pillows.

"Would it make a difference?" she asked.

"He can be sweet."

"Except that I never get to hang out with you," Joey complained.

"Well, that was just because of all the... stuff."

"Brett will _never_ let me hang out with you guys."

"I'm the boss," Charlie said. "From now on, you're hanging out with me as much as he does."

"Really?"

"Really."

* * *

Charlie, Joey, Brett, Aden, Robbo, Tanya, Martha, Jack, Rachel and Leah headed out to the New Year house party, happy to welcome 1999 in together. It would be the year that Charlie turned sixteen and it would be the first significant midnight hour that she would have a boyfriend. It wasn't a relationship she saw lasting but it would do for now. Everybody thought that Joey and Aden were still together, although they had never really been in a genuine relationship. They bumbled along nicely as innocent best friends – nothing more, nothing less. They lacked pressure and they liked it that way.

* * *

Once they reached the party, the boys split off to talk to some of their other friends.

"We need to find some boys," Leah declared.

"You do?" Joey asked. "Why?"

"It's alright for you," Rachel complained. "You, Charlie and Martha have people to kiss at midnight. Leah and I are singletons."

"Being single isn't that bad," Charlie said.

"It is on New Year's Eve!" Leah insisted.

"Fair point," Charlie agreed.

She may not be that happy with Brett but she was glad not to be alone tonight. She didn't really want to be at this party anyway though. She longed for the days when she spent 31st December just hanging out with Joey. The kiss suddenly made an unwelcome appearance in her mind. She hurriedly brushed it away and tried to picture Brett's face. It didn't make her any happier.

* * *

Aden and Jack sat down together, distancing themselves from Brett and Robbo. Brett was a good guy but neither of them were keen on Robbo. There was something distinctly unpleasant about him. He always got into fights at school, was always on hand with a nasty comment or three and Aden had hated the way he looked at Joey from the first moment they'd met.

"So, how are things going with Martha?" Aden asked.

Jack sipped his drink. He'd been besotted with Martha from the first moment he had arrived in town. On his first day of school, the beautiful brunette had caught his eye but he had been far too shy too approach her. Even if he had plucked up the courage, she was so popular that he would never have managed to catch her alone. She was always with Leah, Rachel, Charlie or Joey and one or other of their boyfriends, whoever they happened to be dating at the time. Little had Jack known, since his first appearance at school, Martha had been checking him out too and then finally, one day, they had managed to admit their feelings and never looking back.

"Everything's great!" he enthused. "My Dad keeps warning me that we're still only young and I do know that but I can't help skipping ahead and dreaming about the future and stuff. I'm sure she's 'the one'. How about you and Joey?"

"Well, we're even younger so…"

"You don't sound that into her," Jack said, surprised.

Aden and Joey always seemed to click. Every time he saw them together, they were always laughing and having a good time. Everything seemed natural and easy between them.

"Joey's amazing," Aden said. "But we're best friends more than anything."

"Does she know that?"

"She knows. We've been totally straight with each other about who we are and what we want," Aden said. "There won't be any surprises."

* * *

Outside in the fresh air, Robbo lit a cigarette. Brett paused, wanting to join in so that he looked cool but not really wanting to smoke either. He wondered if he should just go and see Charlie. His theory was that the more time he spent with her, the closer he would get to her. As if reading his mind, Robbo piped up.

"So, have you got anywhere with your girl yet?" he asked.

Brett coloured.

"I've gone plenty of places with her," he said.

"Liar!" Robbo laughed.

"Charlie's cool, okay?" Brett said.

"She's as frigid as your sister!"

"Leave my sister alone!" Brett said, his voice raised a little protectively.

Robbo held his hands up in mock defence, realising that he had pressed a button.

"I was only joking," he said.

* * *

As the clock struck twelve, Rachel and Leah decided to hug each other instead, as the party had proved void of eligible bachelors. Jack and Martha fell into each other's arms; Robbo and Tanya excused themselves and headed into a nearby bedroom. Brett lowered his head to passionately press his lips against Charlie's, developing it as quickly as possible. Aden and Joey smiled at each other, embracing and kissing each other gently. Over the shoulders of their boyfriends, Charlie and Joey caught each other's gaze.


	5. Chapter 5

_This is for Sugar Puffle! It's a long one so hopefully it'll keep you satisfied for a while... (she hopes!)_

**Chapter Five**

**March 1999**

"Oh would you just get over yourself?" Joey yelled when Brett threw the television remote across the room because the batteries were dead.

"Or more specifically, would you get over Charlie?"

Brett got to his feet and raised a hand, looking like he was about to slap his little sister. He resisted and stomped up to his room, slamming the door behind him. Joey snorted in amusement. Charlie had dumped Brett on her sixteenth birthday after he had made an impassioned speech about how now that she was legal, there was no reason why she shouldn't sleep with him and that he had been patient for long enough. Joey had almost cried with joy to learn that her best friend had ditched her brother and was single again and since Brett, Charlie hadn't gone near anyone else. And more importantly, she had spent almost every waking moment with Joey. The girls had become inseparable once more, like they always had been before that kiss on the boat five months before. It felt amazing and Joey hoped that it would continue forever.

* * *

Charlie and Joey walked to school together via Joey's Dad's boat. Since leaving school, Brett had started working for his father and that morning, Clara had been horrified to discover that he had forgotten his sandwiches so she had sent the girls off to bring them to him, knowing that they would be bringing their first catch in just at the right time. Neither Joey nor Charlie particularly wanted to but neither wanted to disappoint Clara either. It was a simple enough job, they supposed.

"Brett!" Joey hollered when they got near.

Her brother peeked up over the side of the boat.

"What?" he yelled back.

He caught sight of Charlie and held his breath, certain that she got more and more beautiful as each day passed. It wasn't fair. He could kick himself now for letting her get away and he blamed Robbo entirely for convincing him to pressure her to get physical. She was a nice girl and he should have known to take things at the pace that she wanted to take them. Maybe if he had then they would still be together. Instead, there was this horrible sense of awkwardness every time they were around each other, which was a lot, considering various members of their families were inseparable. Their mothers never spent a day apart, their fathers went fishing together nearly every weekend and Charlie was permanently attached to Joey. Ruby was always with either her mother or her sister. It felt like it was only Brett who was left out. He was sure his life was going nowhere. This time a few months back, he was studying for his exams, considering University and dating the best looking girl in town. Now he had passed not quite as well as he'd assumed he would, University was off the cards, he worked on his father's fishing boat and he was alone. He hated his life, especially as Robbo couldn't keep his hands off Tanya whenever the three of them spent time together.

"You forgot your lunch and Mum made us come and bring it to you," Joey said, not sounding amused.

"Now, that's good service," Robbo drawled, appearing next to him.

Robbo and Brett had been best friends throughout high school. Joey had never liked him but had been forced to put up with him hanging around the house. While for the sake of Charlie being allowed round at all hours, she was glad of her mother's open door policy; when it came to Robbo, she wished she'd be a little stricter.

"What have you got for me?" Robbo asked.

Brett jumped over the side and grabbed the bag Joey was holding.

"Nothing," Charlie snapped at Robbo.

She grabbed Joey's arm and headed in the direction of school.

**

* * *

**

April 1999

"Okay, so after we finish high school, we're going to go sailing for an entire year, right?" Joey said.

She rubbed sun cream into Charlie's shoulders while Charlie lifted her hair up. Charlie, Joey, Clara, Elsie and Ruby were on the beach for the day.

"Right!" Charlie agreed. "We can sail to far off lands and stop wherever we want and sample loads of different cultures."

"And party!"

"And party!"

They giggled.

"I don't actually have to do any of the sailing, do I?" Charlie checked.

"Like I'd give you a turn!" Joey giggled.

She focussed on the feel of Charlie's skin, wishing every day could be like this. _Maybe one day it will be,_ she thought to herself. _Maybe one day, when we're off sailing and they'll be no boys to distract her, she'll realise that she loves me. After all, it was a boat that brought us to that kiss in the first place._

"You know if you just want to continue doing that as a massage, that's okay," Charlie said, enjoying how relaxing Joey's movements were.

Joey resisted the urge to agree. She patted Charlie on back and slunk onto her towel, enjoying the sun's rays.

"Sorry, that's all you're getting from me," she said.

Charlie pouted and lay beside her. She chuckled, observing her little sister playing in the sand with her bucket and spade.

* * *

Elsie and Clara lay side by side in their deckchairs. At thirty-six they had decided their time for lying directly on the sand was behind them. Dignity could be found in deckchairs. Sand was for the kids.

"When the hell did my ankles get so fat?" Clara suddenly blurted out.

Elsie just stared at her. Clara wiggled her feet around, scrunching up her nose in distaste.

"What are you twittering about?" Elsie finally asked.

"My ankles," Clara complained. "Ugh! I'm getting chubby. When did this happen?"

"You're not chubby."

Clara frowned.

"You're not chubby," Elsie repeated.

"Are you sure?" Clara asked, smiling at her friend and enjoying the attention.

"I'm very, very sure."

They let their smiles linger until their attention was caught up by Charlie and Joey shrieking and taking off down the beach. Charlie had stolen Ruby's bucket and filled it with water, tipping it over Joey who was now dripping wet and declaring revenge, sweeping Ruby up in her arms in order to get her on side. The toddler was thoroughly enjoying herself and Charlie was laughing and running for her life.

"They remind me of us," Elsie said fondly.

"Me too," said Clara.

"Sometimes..." Elsie began.

She stopped quickly.

"What?"

"Well, no, it doesn't matter."

"Yes it does."

"Do you ever think they might feel about each other the way that we feel about each other?"  
"Yes," Clara said quickly.

The two women looked each other and then looked back at their daughters, unsure of how they felt about that.

"Do you think they know?" Elsie asked.

"About us or them?"

"Either."

"Neither."

"Then why differentiate?" Elise laughed.

"I don't know!" Clara chuckled.

She quickly became a little breathless.

"Are you alright?" Elsie asked, concerned.

"Yeah," Clara said dismissively. "A little too much sun. It's hard on a fat-ankled girl."

Elsie rolled her eyes, wondering how long her friend was going to milk this one.

**

* * *

**

July 1999

Charlie, Joey, Martha, Leah and Rachel were drinking fruit juices at The Jukebox, their local haunt. They were eyeing up the pool table, although only Joey could play. She had been on a mission to teach Charlie for years. More specifically today, Leah and Rachel were eyeing up two of the guys that were already playing. One of them turned and smiled at the girls. Leah giggled. Rachel attempted to wave and ended up almost spilling her drink. The guys finished their game and looked like they were about to head over but Brett and Robbo entered and beat them to it.

"Hey girls," Robbo said. "Fancy a game of pool?"

"We don't know how to play," Leah said without thinking.

"That's fine," Brett said. "We can teach you."

Joey rolled her eyes.

"Don't you have anything better to do than hassle high school kids?"

"Well, you can get lost if you like," he snapped at his sister.

"Ah, you know if I go then the girl you can never have will go with me," Joey shot back.

"I don't know who's more obsessed with her, you or me!"

Charlie watched the tennis match between the siblings. So did the others.

"The answer to that question is always you, big brother," Joey said, never missing a beat.

She turned to Charlie.

"Shall we?"

Charlie linked arms with her and they left, aware that Brett was watching. Leah, Rachel and Martha followed suit.

**

* * *

**

September 1999

It was Joey's fourteenth birthday and she had settled on a sit down meal with her parents, brother, Charlie, Aunt Elsie, Uncle Ross, Ruby and Aden. She had been offered a party with Leah and the rest of her friends coming round and if she was being really honest with herself, she had desperately wanted that, but her mother hadn't been feeling very well lately, although she refused to admit it, and Joey hadn't wanted to put that extra pressure on her. Joey had struck a deal with her Mum by saying that they could just have a normal get together like they did once a month where both matriarchs cooked for everyone but this time Aden would be invited, if, in return, Clara would go and see a Doctor. Her mother had at first said she'd prefer Joey invited the whole school round to the house but Joey hadn't budged and the deal was struck. The promise was that the day after Joey's birthday, Clara had an appointment booked to explain that she was constantly tired and frequently breathless and dizzy with palpitations.

Elsie poked her head around the corner of the living room to check that Ruby was alright. She was concentrating hard on her Lego, building a tower that was taller than she was. Elsie then returned to the large meal that she and Clara were cooking for Joey's birthday party.

"Your apron's slipping," she said, reaching to tie Clara back up.

"Oh, thanks," the other woman said.

Elsie indulged in letting her hands rest on Clara's hips for a moment longer than necessary. Impulsively, Clara leant back and kissed Elsie's cheek. Elise closed her eyes, wishing not for the first time that life could have allowed there to be more between them. But that was not how it was to be, she supposed. She smiled and moved back to the vegetables she had been in the middle of chopping before her regular check on Ruby.

* * *

That evening, everyone sat around the table, enjoying each other's company in their own way. Ross had had a long day at work. It felt nice to celebrate his daughter's friend's birthday and forget about violence and crime and dishonesty for a night. He was aware that he didn't connect with his family as willingly or as often as his should but it was nights like these that reminded him that he ought to.

"So, Joey, how does it feel to be fourteen?" he asked.

"It feels like I'm frustratingly not grown up enough yet," Joey said playfully.

She smiled and he smiled back. Charlie looked wistfully at her father. He had been on a stakeout on her fourteenth birthday. The plan had been that her parents would take her and Joey to a show but he'd had to cancel at the last minute. Clara had gone in his place. She supposed that when she worked her way up to the top and ended up in his position at work, she would understand. But she hoped that she would never blow her kids out. She hoped that she would always take care of them and never let them down or make them feel unloved.

"I bet you're proud of your girl, Paul," Ross said to his friend.

Paul nodded. He looked at his daughter. She was growing up so fast that he'd hardly really noticed. He admitted privately that he'd been disappointed when she hadn't been another son. All his life he'd wanted two boys and when he'd got a daughter he had lost interest. He had never shown her much affection. But even he had to admit privately that she was developing into a beautiful young lady. Joey glanced at her Dad, surprised that he had even nodded. She had learnt not to expect much from him.

"Well, I for one am very proud of her," Clara said, making up for the pathetic nod.

"And so am I," Elsie added, smiling.

Joey blushed and Charlie beamed. She was proud of Joey too. Brett continued to eat his food and Aden watched the family interactions silently. At home, it was just him and his Dad. The Buckton and Collins families were complicated but dynamic and loving in their own way and he much preferred being here than there. Plus none of them were alcoholics. Even Joey didn't know about his constant job of picking his father out of the gutter.

* * *

After dinner, cake and presents, Brett had made himself useful and driven Aden home before going out to see Robbo and Tanya; Ross and Paul were out on the porch, undoubtedly planning their next fishing weekend; Elsie and Clara were clearing up the kitchen because nobody else would do it; Ruby was sound asleep in Clara and Paul's room and Charlie and Joey had escaped upstairs to listen to the new CD Charlie had bought Joey with her pocket money. The two girls sat opposite each other on the bed, singing along to the music, grinning at the each other during the instrumental bits.

"Thank you so much for this," Joey said.

"I'm glad you like it," Charlie said. "I saw you eyeing it in the store the other day."

Joey nodded.

"I really appreciate it. It's my favourite gift."

"Oh wow!"

Without thinking, Joey leant forward and kissed Charlie's cheek. Charlie felt Joey's lips on her cheek and slowly turned her head, finding her lips. They kissed tenderly, slowly drawing away and gazing into each other's eyes, neither sure of what to say or do next. After a few moments, Charlie found her voice.

"I… I should go," she said.

Joey's heart sank but she didn't have the strength the protest. She just stared as Charlie got to her feet and hurried to the door.

"Happy birthday, Joey," she said, exiting.

"Thanks," Joey said to nobody.

* * *

That night, Joey lay in bed, trying to decipher what on earth had occurred in her room earlier. They had kissed. And it hadn't been a peck. And what was more, it had been the second kiss during their friendship. This time last year, they had shared their first kiss with each other, their first kiss with anybody. Closing her eyes, Joey was engulfed with confusion and despair. She was well aware that she liked girls; that she liked Charlie but she had no idea where Charlie stood. Charlie talked about boys all the time. She had posters of boy bands and male actors plastered all over her bedroom walls. Her mother complained about blu-tac constantly. So, why was Charlie kissing _her_? The first one had been a joint effort but this second one had definitely been initiated by Charlie. There was no doubt about it.

In the house across the street, Charlie was also enduring a sleepless night. Why had she kissed Joey? What had possessed her? They had struggled through all this last year, almost to the day. It had nearly wrecked their friendship. They were back on track now. Why did she have to go and blow it all again when things were so perfect? And what did it mean anyway? Did Charlie like kissing girls? Did she like kissing Joey? Did Joey like kissing her back? What did that mean? It was hardly normal, was it? Charlie rolled over and growled into her pillow. One thing was for sure, she was not going to handle it as badly as she did last time. Tomorrow she would talk about it properly with Joey, see how she felt about it and they would move on maturely. Yes, that was the answer. She closed her eyes. Sleep still would not come.

* * *

The following morning, Elsie crouched down and handed Ruby some toys in the play area of the Doctor's surgery and then returned to sit beside Clara who was wringing her hands. She had been ignoring the fact that she felt poorly for almost a year but now that it came to it, she felt nervous. It was only this morning that alongside the breathlessness, weakness, tiredness and increased heart rate, that she'd admitted she'd been having chest pains and had fainted several times. Elsie reached out to hold Clara's hand.

"Do you want me to come in with you?" she asked.

Clara gazed at her friend.

"Yes please," she said.

* * *

During their walk to school, Charlie and Joey had been shy and nervous around each other. The walk was too short to really discuss anything in depth but they'd arranged to have lunch privately, away from the school grounds and discuss the night before. Both girls had found it hard to concentrate on their lessons and were grateful not to be in the same classes. Finally the bell rang for lunch. They excused themselves from Martha, Leah, Rachel, Jack and Aden and disappeared to the beach.

"So," they both began at the same time when they were seated on the sand.

They both laughed nervously.

"I don't know what happened yesterday," Charlie said. "I got carried away with the lovely time we were having. I don't understand why I thought it was a good idea. I'm not gay. I'm not attracted to you. I'm sorry."

Joey's heart sank. Even though she knew it wasn't going to happen, the tiniest part of her had hoped that maybe Charlie would declare her undying love for her and say they could be together.

"Let's just put it behind us as one of those things," Joey suggested.

"Yeah," Charlie rationalised. "I mean, with friends as close as we are, I guess these kinds of things are going to happen sometimes."

"Yeah. It doesn't have to mean anything."

"Are you… are you going to tell Aden?"

Joe was confused for a moment. Sometimes she forgot that people still thought of her and Aden as a couple, even Charlie. She shrugged.

"Charlie, Aden and I aren't really together," she said. "I mean, we kind of are but we're kind of not."

"I don't really understand you two," Charlie admitted.

"Well, we're best friends but we're… I don't know. We call each other boyfriend and girlfriend but we don't do anything with each other. We don't kiss each other really. We hold hands and we hang out more than friends do. We love each other but we're not in love."

Charlie shook her head. She still didn't understand but she accepted it as the way Joey and Aden chose to function. At least Joey had someone to be that way with. Charlie had nobody. Her most successful relationship was with Brett and she'd rather die than call that a success. She'd kissed him and let him grope her over her clothes. He'd also convinced her to touch him a couple of times towards the end of their relationship. Sometimes it had been exciting but mostly for the thrill of doing something new, not because it was him.

"So, everything is okay between us?" Charlie asked.

"Everything's great," Joey confirmed, although she was still as confused as ever.

They hugged and then got to their feet, ready to head back to school.

* * *

Clara and Elsie did not break apart from their embrace when they heard Joey arrive home with Charlie.

"Hey, Mum!" Joey called cheerfully. "Did you go to the doc…?"

She trailed off when she saw her mother in Aunt Elsie's arms. Both women's eyes were red rimmed. Everything seemed to move in slow motion. She reached for Charlie's hand and found it immediately.

"What's wrong?" Joey asked.

"Sit down," Clara said gently.

"Do you want me to go?" Charlie asked.

Clara shook her head.

"No, you sit down too, honey."

She sat up herself and the girls came to perch on the opposite sofa, never breaking hands and never taking their eyes away from their parents.

"I went to see the Doctor today and got an urgent referral to the hospital," Clara began.

Joey's grip on Charlie's hand tightened. Charlie began to run her thumb along the back of Joey's hand.

"They ran a lot of tests and I have an advanced case of cardiomyopathy."

Elsie looked away from the group. She focussed on Ruby who was playing on the floor, oblivious to the world that was falling apart around her. She wiped her eyes. She felt like she had been crying all day and she felt guilty about it. It wasn't helpful to Clara.

"What's that?" Joey asked.

Her voice sounded hollow, like it wasn't really coming from her.

"Cardio…" Charlie said, testing the word. "That's the heart, isn't it?"

Clara nodded. Elsie turned back to the group.

"It's a heart condition," Clara said.

"How do they fix it?"

"They can try a few things," Clara explained. "They can give me some tablets. And they can hope for a transplant."

"That's it?" Joey asked. "But…"

"It's been going on for too long untreated," Clara said, the words tasting like poison. "If we'd have caught it before it developed…"

"Well, why didn't we?" Joey asked, failing to fight her emotions.

"I thought it was nothing," Clara said. "Joey, I'm so sorry."

She swallowed the lump in her throat as she witnessed her daughter's sorrow.

"Well, what happens now?"

"I live as long and as well as I can."

Joey visibly slumped against Charlie who fully supported her weight, stunned and staring at her mother and her mother's best friend, wondering how on earth this was even possible. Clara and Elsie held hands and the foursome sat in silence for a long while. Eventually Joey found her voice again.

"Do Dad and Brett know?" she asked.

"No. Just us. I'll talk to them when they get home from work."

Joey sunk to her knees and onto the floor. She crawled across the small space and rested her head in her mother's lap. Clara tenderly stroked her daughter's hair and they both cried silently.

_

* * *

_

Please don't throw things at me! Also, I'm writing Clara's illness based on Internet research alone so I apologise if I get stuff wrong. I am trying to make it as real as possible though.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter Six**

**October 1999**

It had been a month since Clara's diagnosis and she seemed to be getting progressively worse instead of better. She had tried to draw together with Paul but during their nineteen years of marriage, they had never been close so she supposed it was too much to ask for now. He seemed to be working even longer hours these days and he couldn't talk about what was happening. She clung onto the hope that he wouldn't communicate because he couldn't, because he cared so much that he couldn't bring himself to open up. Brett had been a diamond. He'd actually broken down, surprising everybody when she'd explained the situation to him. He'd held her for hours and between him, Joey, Charlie and Elsie, she didn't have to lift a finger these days. Every morning before work and school, Brett and Joey brought her breakfast and tea between them and ensured she had taken her medication. They even kept their sibling squabbling to a minimum for her sake. If she didn't know how this was going to turn out, that she wasn't going to see her babies, the babies that were fourteen and eighteen years old, grow up into adults with babies of their own one day, she'd be pleased about the way they were pulling together. Nobody talked about the prognosis. They lived in a fantasy world where she would miraculously recover and all would be well but Clara knew it wouldn't happen. Perhaps it would be years but eventually there would come a day when she wouldn't wake up. At least, she hoped that's how it would happen. She hoped it wouldn't be painful.

* * *

"Miss Collins? Miss Collins!"

Joey snapped her attention back to the teacher. Mr Bartlett had never been the friendliest of teachers and while most other members of staff had cut her some slack since her mother's diagnosis, this one, who had started teaching at the school the year before, had done no such thing. She apologised and asked him to repeat the question.

"We were doing the equation on the board, Miss Collins," he said.

Joey stared at it.

"How can you add up letters?" she asked dumbly.

"It's algebra, Miss Collins," he said, as if she were an idiot.

She coloured. Everyone in the class tittered around her, except Aden.

"Maybe if you paid attention in class, you'd realise that."

"Maybe if someone you loved was dying, you'd realise that algebra is a pile of crap," she snapped back. "Oh, that's right, the person you love is your wife and she left you!"

She regretted it the moment it came out of her mouth but she knew she couldn't take it back. Mr Bartlett glowered.

"Stand up and go straight to the Principal's office right this minute, Joanna," he said darkly.

She did as she was told.

"My name's Joey," she added, as she walked past.

* * *

Paul, Brett and Robbo were at sea, working hard in the blistering heat.

"What are you up to tonight?" Robbo asked.

"Just looking after Mum," Brett replied.

"Dude, you never go out anymore," Robbo complained.

Brett stopped what he was doing and turned to face his friend.

"I've got priorities now."

"Surely you can go out for one beer?"

Brett sighed, torn between wanting his freedom and wanting to be a good son. He told Robbo to wait a minute and headed over to his Dad on the other side of the boat.

"Dad, will you be home tonight?" he asked.

"Probably," Paul replied.

"If I go out with Robbo for a quick beer, will you make sure Mum's okay?"

"Joey will be home."

"Yeah, I know but it's better if two people are around."

"Elsie will probably be round too."

"Dad, don't you think you should be there for Mum?" Brett asked desperately. "You've hardly spoken to her since she was diagnosed."

Paul whirled round, facing his son and looking him directly in the eye.

"Don't you tell me how I should behave with your mother," he warned.

Brett held his hands up and walked back to Robbo.

"One beer," he said.

"Excellent!"

* * *

Joey felt small sitting in the oversized chair in front of the Principle's desk. Roz Weston was a medium built, pretty, red headed woman.

"Joey, I know you're going through a lot but you really can't talk to staff the way you did today," Ms Weston said.

She trusted Joey to have told her the truth. Secretly, she thought the girl was pretty witty and she didn't get along with Martin Bartlett at all but she was forced to do her job and reprimand her. Joey nodded.

"I know. I'm sorry. I lost control."

"I'll have to call your parents."

"No!" Joey protested. "I'll take whatever punishment you have to dish out, Ms Weston. I will. I'll do detention, I'll write lines, I'll… I'll clean the toilets! I don't care but if you tell my parents, it'll upset them and my Mum can't take it. It's not about getting in trouble with them; it's about not stressing them out."

Roz sighed and nodded.

"Okay," she relented. "Lunch time detention all week and then we can forget all about it."

"Thank you, Ms Weston. I'm really grateful."

"Back to class."

Joey smiled, thanked her and left.

* * *

"I so wish I had been there to hear you say that to Bartlett!" Martha said to Joey.

She slipped her arm through Jack's as they walked home with Charlie, Aden, Leah and Rachel. Joey blushed and looked down.

"It was pretty funny," Aden said.

He slung his arm around Joey's shoulders proudly.

"I really deserved more than a week's lunch time detention," Joey said. "I was really rude to him."

"It was classic!" Aden laughed. "You've totally gone up on the cool scale, Jo!"

"I don't think I was ever on it," Joey said, looking puzzled.

"Oh, you've always been on it," Charlie said affectionately. "You're good looking, you're funny, you've got older friends and now you've just put Bartlett in his place. You've totally got it made."

Joey tried extremely hard not to focus on the fact that Charlie had referred to her as good looking. She smiled at her friend and concentrated on Aden's arm around her. They had been getting closer recently. He had told her that he thought perhaps he was ready to experience more than a platonic relationship one day soon and leave his past behind him, although neither of them were sure what that meant for them as a couple.

"So, Weston's really not going to tell your parents?" Rachel asked.

"She was really good about it," Joey said. "I just don't want Mum to get stressed out."

Rachel nodded.

"It's probably important that she stays calm and relaxed," she said. "That she doesn't put her heart under any more pressure."

"That's what I thought."

Rachel was planning on being a Doctor. She had taken it upon herself to research cardiomyopathy for Joey and had found a tonne of leaflets that she thought would help her and her family. Joey was constantly grateful for the bedside manner she had already developed without any training.

* * *

As usual, Elsie had spent most of the day with Clara who behaved like normal. Both women were determined to enjoy each day as it came. There were moments during the day when Clara was obviously poorly but she overcame them and everything became normal again. The most painful moments were really all the things left unspoken between them. Elsie knew there were a lot of things on her mind and she knew a lot of things on Clara's mind too. Finally, she'd had enough.

"Listen," Elsie said, taking Clara by the hand. "We probably need to talk."

"Elsie…" Clara began awkwardly.

"Clara!" Paul called, entering the house.

Both women were surprised that he was home early. Elsie let go of Clara's hand. Paul appeared in the living room.

"We probably need to talk," he said. "Brett's gone for a beer with Robbo and we can send Joey out with Charlie when she gets in. Elsie, do you mind?"

"No, no, of course I don't," Elsie said, flustered.

She jumped to her feet, fumbling to get herself and Ruby together.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Clara said.

* * *

Sitting in the moderately busy bar, Brett finally allowed himself to relax with a beer. He knew Robbo could be lewd and crude sometimes but he was a good mate and he had been supportive since he'd told him about his mother being ill. Robbo wasn't the kind of guy you could pour your heart out to, but he was the kind of guy who could off distractions and make you laugh.

"Are things any better at home?" Robbo asked.

Brett shrugged.

"Not really. Nobody talks."

Robbo nodded. He felt bad for his friend. He didn't care about much in the world but he cared about his Mum and his sister and he would hate for anything to happen to either of them. He imagined Brett felt the same.

"So, any girls on the horizon?" he asked, changing the subject.

Brett laughed and sipped his beer. All Robbo ever thought about was girls. He was surprised Tanya had never caught him cheating. He did it often enough.

* * *

Charlie and Joey sat in Charlie's bedroom. When Joey had arrived home, her parent's had sent her out, saying they needed to talk. For one heart-stopping moment, she'd thought the school had changed their minds and contacted them about what had happened but she'd shaken the thought away, trusting that Ms Weston wouldn't have done that to her or her mother.

"Come on, Joey," Charlie coaxed, trying to raise a smile from her friend's lips. "Let's do something fun."

"Like what?" Joey asked.

All she could think about these days was her mother.

"You could fail to teach me to play pool again?" Charlie suggested.

Joey toyed with the idea of peering down Charlie's top while she took her shots and pressing herself up against her as she guided her to push to ball into the pocket but even that wasn't enough. She shook her head.

"We could go and see a movie?"

"Maybe," she said, considering it.

Losing herself in the realm of fiction was appealing. She wanted to forget about the world.

"I'll take a maybe!" Charlie said brightly, jumping to her feet, taking Joey's hand and dragging her out of the bedroom.

* * *

Downstairs, Elsie sat in front of the television alone. Ruby was in bed and Ross was working late. She wondered what was going on between Paul and Clara across the road. She sighed. This time last year, she had been so happy, although it was never easy to be in love with two people. She had known Clara since she was eleven years old. The girls had clicked and hardly ever spent a day apart since then. Elsie had realised by the time they were eighteen that she was in love with her best friend. But it was too late then. Clara had met Paul and been swept away in a whirlwind romance, falling pregnant with Brett. Back then, once pregnant, the automatic response was to get married. Elsie had been the obvious choice for bridesmaid and Godmother to their first child and then second child and during that time, she'd met Ross and genuinely fallen for him. She'd tried to forget her feelings for Clara and she'd at least managed to put them on the backburner as the two couples settled into a life of marriage and children. Elsie and Ross had been delighted with the birth of Charlie and then two years after that, Joey had been born to Paul and Clara. The cracks in their marriages had long since started to show, however and the more they did, the more the women began to cling to one another. And the more they clung, the more Elsie's feelings began to resurface and the more she realised that they weren't one-sided. Now, nearly thirty years later, they were still dancing round the issue. Now, nearly thirty years later, it felt like they had been wasting their time.

"Mum, Joey and I are going to the movies," Charlie called.

"Okay," Elsie said, barely looking up. "Don't be too late."

"We won't."

* * *

Aden sighed heavily as he cleared up his father's vomit. He'd come home from school to find his Dad passed out from yet another drinking binge. He felt angry and disappointed. They had moved here to get away from everything, to start a new life and they were failing miserably. He was tired of always having to be the adult. He wanted to be fourteen, not forty. He wanted to play football and hang out with his mates. He wanted to be able to experiment with girls, preferably Joey, although there were more obstacles to that than just his own issues. He wanted to be normal.

* * *

"So, I'm sorry I haven't been very forthcoming," Paul concluded anxiously. "I just… it's not easy for me to get my head around all this."

"I know," Clara said softly.

"But I do want to support you," he said, "get you through this."

She smiled. He didn't seem to understand that she wasn't going to get through this.

"Thank you, Paul."

He nodded and got to his feet.

"Well, I'm glad we talked," he said.

He smiled.

"Maybe I could order us a takeaway tonight?" he suggested. "You know, as we've got the place to ourselves?"

"That would be nice," Clara said, touched by the gesture.

**

* * *

**

January 2000

Charlie wasn't terribly excited about her seventeenth birthday. With Clara becoming increasingly unwell as each day passed, she didn't really want to celebrate at all but Clara had taken her to one side and begged her at least to do something. She didn't want to be responsible for Charlie missing her own birthday. She'd settled on going for a picnic with Joey in the countryside. Her father had even dropped them off and agreed to pick them up again when they were ready. When they arrived at the large park, Joey set out the blanket and sat down while Charlie began to unpack the sandwiches and snacks they'd brought with them.

"Well, happy birthday, Charlie," Joey said, smiling at her friend.

"Thank you."

"How come you didn't want a big party?"

Charlie shrugged.

"It just didn't seem appropriate."

"Because of Mum?"

"Well…"

"It's okay."

Charlie nodded.

"Anyway, I like just hanging out with you," Charlie added.

"So cute!" Joey teased.

* * *

After lunch, Joey delved into her bag, searching for the gift she'd bought Charlie for her birthday.

"Okay, I know this is a bit lame but…"

"Joey, you always say that every time you give me a lovely present," Charlie pointed out.

Joey blushed and handed over the neatly wrapped parcel. Charlie delicately unwrapped it and looked at photo album that Joey had obviously decorated herself. She smiled. Joey moved to sit next to her.

"Open it up," she said.

Charlie obeyed and her smile widened when the first photograph was of her and Joey when Charlie was a toddler and Joey was a tiny baby. She glanced at Joey and then back at the album. She flipped to the next page, revealing a picture of them slightly older. As the album continued, the girls got older. There were photos of them at school and home, on their boat trip and at various birthdays and then the final page was blank. Joey pulled out a Polaroid camera she had 'borrowed' from her Dad.

"This one's for now," she said.

Charlie giggled as the two girls put their heads together to pose. Joey pressed the button and the picture came through. They waited impatiently to see whether it was a good enough photo. It was. Charlie happily pressed it into the final space in the book.

"This was such a lovely gift, Joey," she said, hugging her tightly, careful that their lips didn't complicate matters like they had twice before.

"I'm glad," Joey said. "I was nervous."

"You shouldn't have been. I love it. I'm going to treasure it forever."

Joey beamed and hugged her again.

* * *

Elsie knocked and entered Clara's house, freezing momentarily when she saw her friend leaning breathlessly against the counter with her head bowed. She suddenly leapt into action.

"Clara!" she yelped.

"I'm fine," Clara wheezed. "Just… exhausted myself. That's all."

"Sit down," Elsie said, guiding her into a chair.

"I wanted a cup of tea," Clara protested.

"I'll make it," Elsie said gently. "Don't you worry about a thing."

Clara regulated her breathing and waited for her head to stop spinning. She watched Elsie fuss around her.

"Where's Ruby?" she asked.

"Ross has the day off," Elsie explained. "He wants to do some father-daughter bonding. Shame he never bothered to do that with Charlie. Although, to be fair, he did drive her and Joey out today and he is going to pick them up again."

She wondered if she or her daughter would ever stop resenting him for his neglect. Finishing making the drinks, she presented the cups and asked Clara if she wanted to stay in the kitchen or move to the lounge.

"The lounge is more comfortable," Clara decided.

"Wait here," Elsie said.

She disappeared with the mugs, setting them down in the living room and then returned for her friend, guiding her onto the sofa.

"Is there any point asking how you're feeling?" Elsie asked.

"Just wheezy," Clara said dismissively.

Elsie tried not to feel frustrated. Clara always did this. She was almost as bad as both their husbands when it came to talking about the emotional stuff.

"I mean inside."

Clara sighed.

"I'm afraid of dying, if that's what you mean," she said.

Elsie looked down. Maybe she didn't want to talk about this after all.

"I'm afraid of never seeing you again. I'm afraid that this is a punishment for having never truly loved my husband and for only ever having loved you."

Elsie just stared at her. She'd hoped for honesty. She'd expected several things. But she hadn't expected that.

"Clara…"

"Too much? If I can't be honest now, when can I be?"

"I love you too," Elsie admitted. "I've always loved you."

"Where did we go wrong, Elsie?"

"I don't know. But this… what's happening to you, it isn't a punishment. I know it's not."

"But I've been cheating on my husband for eighteen years!"

"We haven't… we haven't done anything," Elsie said. "We never…"

"We have in thought. I have anyway."

"So have I but…"

"And we kissed on the boat."

"One kiss. It's hardly the affair of the Century!"

"Doesn't it mean anything to you?" Clara asked, suddenly feeling wounded.

"What?" Elsie asked. "Of course it does!"

She reached out to hold her.

"Clara, you mean the world to me. You mean everything."

She kissed her. At first Clara pulled away, fearing what may come in whatever afterlife she may meet but the feeling of Elsie's mouth was too gentle and inviting; her arms were too safe. Paul had cheated on her more than once and while she knew that two wrongs didn't make a right, she didn't care. She kissed her back tenderly. Eventually, they ceased.

"I love you," Clara whispered.

"I love you too," Elsie said.

"I wish there could have been another way. But I'm glad we could be honest and I'm glad I can go in peace thinking that I'm not being punished and that maybe one day we'll see each other again."

"We will see each other again," Elsie said. "And it'll be a different world. It'll be a world where we can be together like we always wanted to be."

Clara nodded and snuggled into Elsie's shoulder.

**

* * *

**

May 2000

Aden and Joey were in Joey's bedroom. Nobody much cared for the open-door rule anymore. Clara was confined to her room now. Joey, Brett, Charlie, Elsie, Paul and a nurse took it in turns to take care of her.

"Joey, I was thinking," Aden said. "This probably isn't the right time but I was wondering… you know what we talked about a while ago…"

"Turning more serious?" Joey said.

"Yeah. Do you want to try?"

Joey shrugged. They were lying on the bed side by side. She studied his face, thinking that she had never seen a boy more handsome than he was. If she was ever going to like a boy, it was going to be him. She leant forward and pressed her lips against his. He put his arm around her, letting his hands tangle in her hair, opening his mouth. They kissed more passionately, letting their bodies draw closer.

* * *

Paul sat by Clara's bedside, feeling sick at how weak she was. He had never expected to feel so sad about this. They had never been close. When they'd first met, he'd expected her to be a fling. She was a pretty girl that he'd wanted to sleep with. He knew that if she hadn't got pregnant, they never would have stayed together. He wasn't the marrying kind. And he'd had plenty of affairs. She knew that and he was aware that she hadn't cared enough to mind. Still, he sat by her side and held her hand, waiting for the end to come.

* * *

Aden rolled on top of Joey, letting his hands wander but not too far. He fought panic as her hands touched his backside but he was also aware that her whole body was tense. She kissed him passionately enough but it was clear that her heart wasn't in it. He sighed and stopped, propping himself up on his elbows, gazing into her eyes.

"You're not into this, are you?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," she whimpered. "I wish I could be."

"I know," he said, rolling to one side.

He turned his head to face her and reached out to hold her hand. She sighed heavily.

"You're the perfect boy, you know," she said sadly.

"I know," he grinned. "And you're the perfect girl."

"True."

They giggled together and hugged.

"I think we might need to break up," Aden said. "Officially."

"I think we might," Joey agreed. "And then we need to get you a girlfriend."

Aden blanched.

"But what if I can't be with anyone else? I mean, you're my… my safety."

"Aden, you've come so far from everything that happened to you," Joey said sincerely. "You've got so much courage and so much strength. You can do this."

He nodded.

"Maybe we can find you a girlfriend while we're finding me one," he suggested.

"Yeah, right, I don't think so!" Joey protested with a fake laugh.

**

* * *

**

July 2000

Charlie and Joey were in the Buckton living room playing with Ruby while Elsie headed over to see Clara, who had been living a half-life for two months. Both families had put their own lives on hold to look after her. Charlie hated to see the burden Joey was shouldering. She was so sad all the time, although she tried to hide it. She got up, took care of her mother, went to school, came back to have lunch and take care of her mother, went back to school and then spent her evenings and weekends taking care of her mother. And not once did she complain. It was a group effort of course. Everyone pitched in to do their bit. It was hard on everybody.

"What are you thinking?" Charlie asked, noticing that Joey's mind had wandered.

Joey brought her mind back to the room. She idly began to run her fingers through Ruby's hair. Ruby was nearly seven now. She thought of Joey as her second sister. Looking up at her, Ruby smiled and then scampered away. Moments later, she was back with her hairbrush and sitting in front of her. Joey chuckled and began gently brushing Ruby's hair in much the same way Charlie had done for her when she was a child. Charlie's question hung in the air.

"I was wondering if this is going to be the day," Joey admitted. "The same as I wonder every day."

Charlie nodded, her heart heavy with the same feeling. Every day they wondered.

* * *

"Clara, it's me," Elsie said, sitting beside her friend in the dark.

"Would you open the curtains?" Clara asked.

Elsie was surprised. Clara had wanted to only be in the dark for weeks now. It was like she had given up already. She nodded and drew open the curtains, letting in the sun.

"It's a nice day," Clara said.

"It is."

"Is it a Saturday?" she asked.

"Yes. It's a Saturday."

"What's everyone doing today?"

"Well, Paul is out back doing something… boaty. He's using a hammer."

Clara giggled gently, finishing with a cough.

"And Brett's downstairs on the computer. Joey's at my place with Charlie. They're looking after Ruby. Ross is at work."

Clara smiled.

"Everything's normal," she said. "Everything's happy."

Elsie sat back on the chair beside the bed and held Clara's hand, stroking the surface of her skin.

"Everything you'll need when the time comes…"

"Clara…" Elsie protested.

"Everything you'll need is in my drawer," Clara said firmly. "The top one of the bedside table."

"Okay," Elsie said unhappily.

She held onto Clara a little tighter.

"Would you come lie with me?" Clara asked.

Elsie was surprised by the question but agreed. She crept onto the bed beside her lifelong companion, gently wrapping her arms around her, listening to her ragged breathing, in and out, in and out, painfully slowly.

"I truly do love you," Clara said, "with all my broken heart."

"You make my life complete," Elsie whispered, kissing Clara's cheek.

They lay there. Elsie returned to listening to Clara's breath. In and out, in and out. Finally, it stopped.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter Seven**

**July 2000**

Joey felt numb as she watched her mother's body being taken away. She was vaguely aware of Charlie's arms around her shoulders, physically holding her up. Brett stood nearby, barely moving. Her father spoke to the officials. Elsie perched on the sofa, not knowing what to do with herself. Ruby was abnormally quiet, picking up on the mood and realising it was time to be good and still. When Paul had shut the door, he stared at everyone around him. Nobody knew what to do.

"Shall I make some tea?" Brett asked.

"No," Paul said.

He turned to Elsie.

"This is family time now," he said. "You need to go."

Everyone looked stunned. Elsie had supported Clara through her illness even more than Paul had.

"Dad…" Brett ventured.

"This is a private time of mourning," Paul said firmly.

Silently, Elsie got to her feet. She gathered Ruby to her and gestured for Charlie to follow. Charlie guided Joey into a chair first and then followed her mother out of the house. Paul closed the door behind them and then locked it. It was the first time the door had been locked in years.

"Dad, they _are_ family," Brett said.

"Not anymore," Paul said.

"Yes, they are!" Joey suddenly shrieked. "Mum would hate it if she knew you'd just thrown them out!"

"Well your Mum's not here, is she?" Paul yelled.

He glared at his daughter, who looked far too similar to his wife. They had the same hair and eyes. When she grew up, she was going to be the image of her. Father and daughter were never going to bond. Joey dissolved into tears and ran up to her bedroom.

* * *

The following day, Elsie dared to go back round to the house. She knocked politely and Paul opened up. He looked like he had been drinking. He was unwashed and unshaven.

"I'm just here to say that Clara told me there are things we need to see in the top drawer of her beside table," she said.

He nodded and she turned to go.

"You were closer to her than I was," he said.

She turned back to him.

"You need to help me organise the funeral and everything. She deserves a better send off."

She tried to smile. He let her inside.

* * *

Joey still felt numb. She'd escaped the confines of her room as early as she could and knocked for Charlie who had convinced her Dad to let her take her for a drive. Still wandering aimlessly in the car, the girls listened to the stereo, comforted by each other's presence.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Charlie asked.

"I don't know what to say," Joey admitted.

Charlie reached her hand out to cover Joey's. Joey accepted the touch and closed her eyes, glad to have Charlie's friendship.

* * *

Brett sat on the beach with Robbo. They'd hit the bottle shop first thing and bought a couple of six packs. Now they had nearly finished them and Brett was happily forgetting about the world. He lay back on the sand and dripped the last of his bottle into his mouth.

"We need more beer!" he declared, slurring his word.

"I'm on it," Robbo said, struggling to his feet. "Do not go anywhere!"

He wobbled off.

* * *

Elsie and Paul sat on the sofa and rifled through the envelopes that Clara had left. There seemed to be one for everyone – Paul, Elsie, Joey, Brett, Charlie, Ruby and Ross. There were also some instructions for certain things she wanted to happen at her funeral, including the fact that nobody was allowed to wear black. Elsie chuckled.

"That sounds about right," she said.

"Yeah," Paul agreed.

They both clutched their letters tightly, wanting to open them in private.

"I'll give the kids their letters when they get home," Paul said.

"Yeah, I'll take Ross, Charlie and Ruby's home with me. I can read Ruby's to her. I doubt she'll understand really but she can keep it and read it when she's older. I never want her to forget who Clara was," Elsie told him.

He sighed and shook his head.

"I'd better go. I'll start with the flowers and everything," Elsie said.

"Yeah, I'll speak to the priest."

"Yeah."

Elsie saw herself out. Heaving himself back against the couch cushions, Paul twirled his letter around his fingers, wondering what parting words his wife had for him. It felt strange that she had left him something really. They had never had much to say to each other in life. Sitting forward again, he opened it up.

_Dear Paul,_

_If you're reading this letter then the time has come for me to say goodbye. I know that you and I didn't talk much. I know we didn't have the wildest romance but in our own way, I know we cared for each other. You were my first and my only and I'm proud to say that we brought two amazing kids into the world. I feel so sad that we won't be spending longer bringing them up together and I ask you now to take good care of them, especially Joey. She pretends that she doesn't need anyone but she's so young and so vulnerable and she needs you more than she admits. Take care of her and Brett and please take care of yourself, Paul. You're a good man and I thank you for everything._

_All my love,_

_Clara xxx_

Paul sighed, unsure about how he felt about the letter. Aside from how she had sighed off, Clara had not mentioned loving him even once. Had she loved him? She'd cared about him; he knew that. But had it been love? Had he even loved her? They had existed together harmoniously enough. He worked, she looked after the house, they raised the kids in an equal partnership and their love making was pleasant enough. He'd looked elsewhere often but she hadn't really minded. He didn't recall a single argument between them. There had never been enough heat for that. Their relationship had been peaceful. Nothing more, nothing less.

* * *

When Elsie got in, she fell into Ross's arms. For a man usually so distant, he had been a tower of strength throughout Clara's illness. Before she could stop herself, she broke down, heaving sobs wracking her body. Ross held her tightly, letting her use his body for support. Ruby stared at her parents from the armchair. Ross slowly guided Elsie to a seat. She lay the envelopes on her lap.

"She left letters for everyone," Elsie sniffed, handing one to Ross.

He accepted it, touched that there was one for him. She turned to Ruby, putting the others aside and crawling over to her daughter. Ross stood and headed out into the back garden to read his letter and give his wife and daughter some space.

"Ruby," Elsie said.

Ruby gave her mother her undivided attention.

"You know that Auntie Clara has gone to Heaven now?" Elsie ventured.

Ruby nodded. She was still grappling with the concept but she thought she understood.

"Well, before she went there, she wrote you a little letter. Would you like me to read it to you?"

Ruby nodded again. Elise opened the letter and took a deep breath.

_Dearest Baby Ruby,_

_You are the sweetest little girl in the world and I love you so much. I have enjoyed spending every day with you but I have to go to Heaven now. One day, I will get to see you again and I'm really looking forward to that but until then, I know that you're going to grow up into a beautiful, young woman and you're going to make your Mummy and Daddy so proud. And I'm going to be so proud of you too. You're already so beautiful, Ruby. You're so beautiful and funny and bright. You're going to have such a wonderful life and you're going to fulfil all of your dreams. This letter probably won't mean much to you now but I hope that you will keep it in a safe place and when you're older you might find it again and remember me as someone who helped raise you and who loved you so very much._

_All my love forever,_

_Auntie Clara xxx_

Elsie was tearful by the time she finished the letter. Ruby stared at her, as if transfixed. She didn't really understand the letter but she knew it was somehow important, and she knew everyone was sad at the moment. She opened up her arms to cuddle her mother.

"Is Auntie Clara happy in Heaven?" she asked.

"Yes," Elsie said certainly. "She is."

Ruby clung on.

* * *

Outside, Ross took in the cool breeze of the day. He opened his letter. It was short and simple.

_Dear Ross,_

_Thank you for being part of my life and for making my best friend so happy. Please continue to take care of your family and in death, please may I take the liberty of asking you to spend more time with Charlie? She's craving your attention. I know how much you love her. She needs to know it too. Thank you again for everything you've always done for me and my family. You really are such a kind and generous man. I feel blessed to have known you and to have had you in my life._

_Love Clara xxx_

He sighed and stared at the world around him. Did Charlie really feel unloved? If Clara cared enough to have mentioned it in her goodbye note then she must do. Nodding to himself, he decided that he was going to spend more time with his eldest daughter from now on. She had to know that he loved her. Maybe he hadn't devoted the time to her that he should have. And he definitely devoted more time to Ruby than Charlie. But all of that was going to change.

"Thank you, Clara," he said aloud.

* * *

After far too many beers, Brett threw up and passed out. Robbo's new mobile phone rang.

He was one of the first young people in town to get one.

"Tanya?" he slurred into it. "Sure I'll come over!"

He got up and left Brett on the beach.

* * *

Charlie and Joey arrived back. Climbing out of the car, they hugged each other goodbye.

"Are you going to be alright?" Charlie asked.

Joey nodded.

"Call me if you need me, okay?"

"I will," Joey promised.

They parted ways. Charlie headed into her own house, still looking over her shoulder at Joey as she did so. Not looking where she was going, she walked straight into her father.

"Oh! Sorry, Dad!"

He hugged her. Stunned, she just stared at him.

"I do love you, Charlie. You know that, right?"

"I love you too," she said, still a little shocked.

She smiled at him. He hugged her again and then sent her into the living room to her mother.

"Mum?" Charlie said softly.

Elsie looked up. She had obviously been crying. Ruby was curled up asleep in the armchair.

"Hey, sweetheart," Elsie said. "How was your day?"

"It was alright," Charlie said. "She's hurting. We just drove around."

Elsie nodded.

"Clara left everyone a goodbye letter," she said. "Here's yours."

She handed Charlie a white envelope.

"Do you mind if I read it upstairs?" Charlie asked.

"Read it wherever you like, sweetheart," Elsie told her daughter.

Charlie accepted the envelope and disappeared.

* * *

When Joey got home, her father was attempting to cook. He didn't know one end of the kitchen from the other so had located the freezer and was pulling out a handful of frozen meals that Elsie had left for him to defrost during the many months that Clara had been ill. For the last couple of months or so, they had been surviving on a vague system of Joey or Elsie cooking, Paul making his one signature dish, take away or Elsie's emergency food. Tonight was obviously the latter.

"Hi, Dad," she said quietly.

"Hey. Did you have fun?"

It seemed like a ridiculous question to both of them, hanging in the air, creating a gulf. Of course she didn't have fun. Her mother was dead. She felt like she would never have fun again.

"Charlie took me for a drive," she said.

He nodded.

"Where's Brett?"

"Haven't seen him all day," Paul shrugged. "There's a letter for you on the table in the lounge."

Joey headed towards it curiously. There wasn't any mail on Sundays. She stopped in her tracks when she recognised her mother's handwriting. It was typical of her father not to warn her who the letter was from. He'd made it sound like it was junk mail or something. She quietly took the envelope and headed to her bedroom, closing the door behind her.

* * *

On the beach, Brett rolled over, fast asleep, blotting out a world full of pain and sadness and the loss of the only woman who had ever loved him.

* * *

Charlie sat at her desk chair and looked out of her window, wondering if Joey had opened her letter yet. She hoped her friend was alright. She looked down at the piece of paper lying on top of the desk, trying to read in between the lines and decipher if there was anything there.

_Dearest Charlie,_

_I've known you since before you were even born. I was there when you kicked for the first time inside your mother's womb. She was so excited. You kicked at five minute intervals after that while we were at lunch and every single time, your Mum grabbed my hand and made me feel you. It took me an hour to eat my salad. You always felt like my little girl too in a way, because I've been around for so much of your life. I hope that's okay with you. It's been such a blessing you watch you transform into the beautiful young woman you've become. I've always been so looking forward to watching you get older, seeing you become the police officer you declared you were going to be that evening at dinner, surprising us all. I know you'll get there, Charlie. You can do anything you put your mind to._

_One of the most special things I've witnessed in you is your heart and that is never stronger than when I see you with my darling daughter, Joey. From the moment I told you she was going to arrive in the world, you loved her. I remember you being fascinated when I was pregnant. You used to rest your head against my tummy and talk to her and you were so good with her when she was a tiny baby, even though you were so small yourself. It was like you and she were destined to be friends, just like your mother and I. I've watched you together, Charlie and I know how much you love each other. It's uplifting to see the connection between you. Joey is never happier than when she is around you. She deserves that. You both do. If I can give you any parting wisdom from my life, Charlie, it's to always be honest about who you are and how you feel._

_I love you as if you were my own. You have brought joy to my life and I thank you so much for that. All I ask of you now is that you take care of my Joey. Keep her safe for me, Charlie, now that I'm not around to do that. Be a listening ear for her, protect her, keep her out of trouble and make sure she isn't lonely. Love her and cherish her and remind her every day just how special she is._

_All my love forever,_

_Aunt Clara xxx_

The letter was something Charlie would cherish and in it were instructions she wanted to follow to the letter. She would cherish Joey and she would let her know just how special she was. Charlie desperately wanted to keep her safe. She continued to gaze out of the window.

* * *

In her bedroom, Joey continued to look at the envelope. It remained unopened. She put it away in her drawer.

Later that night, Brett woke up feeling stiff and sore. He cried out in pain. He had a headache and his skin felt tight. Stumbling to his feet, he just about managed to get home. Bursting through the front door, his knocked a chair over and fell to the floor. His whole body hurt.

* * *

Upstairs, Joey bolted awake and leapt out of bed. Before she could reason herself out of it, she was creeping down the stairs. She poked her head round the kitchen door and flipped the light on. Brett was in a heap on the floor.

"Brett!" she cried. "What the hell are you doing?"

He looked up at her. His face was bright red with sunburn.

"I fell asleep on the beach," he muttered.

She sighed, not sure how to feel about the complete state he was in.

"Go up to bed," she finally said. "Pray that you only woke me and not Dad and I'll try and find you some aftersun or something."

He slowly got to his feet and headed out of the room, wincing the entire time. She turned the light off and followed.

* * *

The next morning, Brett looked even more blotchy, red and sore than he had when Joey had seen him the night before. He was also severely hungover. She felt sorry for him. On a normal day, she would have found the whole thing hilarious and teased him mercilessly. But this wasn't a normal day. This was two days after their mother, the glue that kept the family together, had slipped away from them, never to return. Joey had directed her brother to the letter their mother had left for him in a far more sensitive manner than her father had directed her to hers. He sat down heavily at the table and opened it there and then. Joey was surprised. She left him in peace and headed over to see Charlie.

"Hi, Aunt Elsie," she said, trying to sound cheerful.

Elsie didn't look like she was fairing any better than Joey was.

"Hi, sweetheart," she said.

"How are you?"

"How are you?" Elsie asked, without answering the same question.

Joey just smiled weakly.

"Charlie's in her room."

Joey headed on up. She found Charlie lying on her bed reading. She peered over her book when she caught Joey hovering in the doorway. Putting it down, she opened her arms. Joey crawled onto the bed and lay with her head resting on Charlie's shoulder. She sighed heavily, finally feeling safe again, having been away from her since the day before.

* * *

Brett sat at the table, reading the letter from his mother.

_Dearest Brett,_

_My boy. My first born son. Words cannot express how much you mean to me. I know it stopped being 'cool' a long time ago to express love to your mother but you never really cared and for that it always made me feel special. The way that you have devoted your time and energy to looking after me since I was diagnosed has gone above and beyond the call of duty. It shows a depth a love, care and compassion that would make any mother proud._

_You were always such a funny, entertaining boy. You never failed to make me laugh, make me happy. The moment I looked into your baby blue eyes at the hospital, I knew having you was the best decision I could ever have made. And now you've grown up into a wonderful man. You're handsome and strong and capable, you have a good work ethic and I know you're going to make a good husband one day to a wonderful woman._

_Look out for your Dad and your sister now that I'm gone. I know your Dad is 'the man of the house' but you're better at communication and you need to keep the three of you together. Don't let Joey wander off on a tangent. Keep her close and keep her safe. And please don't let our family lose connection with Elsie and her clan. I know your Dad will want to distance himself. Don't let him. Keep close. Stay connected. Elsie, Ross, Charlie and Ruby are as much a part of your family as your blood kin. It's just a different kind of connection._

_I trust you and I love you so much._

_Mum xxx_

* * *

"Did you get a letter?" Joey asked.

She was still curled into Charlie's embrace, looking up at the glow in the dark stars that she and Charlie had painstakingly spent hours designing into constellations on her ceiling.

"Yeah, I did."

"Did you read it yet?"

"Yes, I read it last night."

It seemed like a strange question. Why wouldn't she have read it?

"I put mine in my drawer," Joey said. "I can't open it."

"Why not?" Charlie asked.

"If I read it, it means she's really gone."

Charlie sighed and held her friend a little closer, stroking her arm.

"Maybe I'll try after the… the thing?" Joey said, more to herself than Charlie.

"Maybe that'll help," Charlie agreed.

"Would you sit next to me at the… the place?" Joey asked.

"If you want me to," Charlie said. "If I'm allowed."

Joey felt unwelcome tears begin to fall. They landed on Charlie's neck. Charlie didn't care about getting wet; she just wished she could heal her friend's hurt.

* * *

The night before the funeral, Elsie finally opened her letter. Like Joey, she had been struggling with her final goodbye, the final words from her soul mate.

_Elsie,_

_This is one of the three hardest letters I have had to write. What do I say to the woman who means so much to me? We have lived, laughed, loved, cried, sighed and now died together. I know I'm going to die in your arms. I don't know how I know this but I do. I'm risking looking foolish by writing that, I hope you know. I just feel it in my heart that this is how it's going to happen._

_We never really talked in detail about how we really felt and when we felt it, did we? I guess I'll never know about you but I'd like to tell you my feelings now, while you can't answer back. The first time I met you, when we were just eleven years old, I thought you were the most beautiful girl in the whole wide world. I wondered if we could even be friends because I assumed I'd be jealous of you. But then you were so nice as well that I could help but be drawn to you. All the while we were growing up, I found you intoxicating but I never consciously registered why. The first time I really understood the nature of how I felt about you was on my hen night. We were at the club and I saw you out of the corner of my eye. You were laughing, sipping your drink from a straw and brushing your hair out of your eyes. It was the simplest thing but suddenly everything clicked into place. I knew I loved you._

_You noticed how strange I was for the rest of the night because you kept commenting on it. You thought it was just nerves and yes, I was nervous about marrying Paul but only because I suddenly realised that I was doing the wrong thing. I didn't want to marry him. I wanted to run off with you! I hadn't really wanted to marry him in the first place. I married him because I was pregnant. That was no secret. I knew I loved you but it was already too late. We've already talked about not regretting our marriages because to regret them would be to regret our children. Brett, Joey, Charlie and Ruby… well, they're our worlds and neither of us could ever have lived without them. But I've felt grief every day that I've never known you the way I've wanted to. The two kisses we've shared have meant more to me than I could ever tell you. It felt like we were fusing our souls._

_Elsie, you to me are the most beautiful woman that has ever graced this earth. I may not have been allowed to share my life with you in the traditional sense. I may not have been able to love you like I wanted to. Loving you like I did in my heart, soul and mind may even have been wrong but I can't feel like it is. That you loved me at all, means everything to me. It makes me feel honoured._

_I have loved you since I met you and I will love you beyond my last breath._

_Clara xxx_

Elsie cried herself to sleep that night, curled away from Ross, with the letter tucked under her pillow. How could she have lost her best friend? How could Clara have slipped away like that, right there in her arms? Clara had known she was going to die that day. It made sense now. That was why she had asked her to open the curtains. She hadn't wanted to fall asleep in the dark. It was why she had invited Elsie to curl up beside her on the bed.

* * *

The funeral had been small, respectful and meaningful. Charlie had sought permission from Paul and sat beside Joey at the church. She'd held the younger girl's hand throughout the service, comforting her as she's cried. At the reception, the family had reminded each other of amusing times in Clara's life. It felt like the right way to say goodbye. While the guests were still downstairs, Joey asked Charlie to go upstairs.

"I can't read it," she said, handing Charlie the letter. "Would you read it to me?"

"Are you sure?" Charlie asked uncertainly. "I don't want to intrude on something between you and your Mum."

"There's very little I wouldn't share with you," Joey said.

Charlie nodded and carefully opened the envelope. She began to read.

_My Darling Joey,_

_It doesn't matter how old you get, you will always be my baby girl. And when you have children of your own, you'll understand exactly what I mean. Joey, I need you to know how proud I am of you for how brave you are and how well you have coped with what has happened. You have been so good to me, and to your Dad and your brother, looking after everyone and keeping us sane. I say you're my baby but sometimes I forget that you're only fourteen. Sometimes you seem so grown up by the way you behave and the way you think about things. I think you have a lot more wisdom than you should. I'm not sure where you inherited that from!_

_You were such a beautiful baby and such a happy one too. You were always smiling and laughing. You never fussed and always went with the flow. So easy to please and happy to get along with people. From that, you've flourished into a lovely girl. You're beautiful, Joey, inside and outside. And I know that's only going to grow. I'm so sorry that I can't be around to see you grow up anymore but Elsie has promised that she will be around for any questions or advice or support you may need later on in life. Please don't think you don't have a female figure in life to look up to anymore. You still have her and she loves you so much. Her involvement in your life won't change._

_I love you so much, Joey. I know that you're going to go on and make a success of whatever you choose to do with your life. I wish I could have been around to see it. I hope that whatever is waiting for me, I will have an opportunity to know from there, what you choose to do. I'm certain that you'll grow up to fall in love and be so happy. Pursue all your dreams, Joey. Don't be afraid of them, whatever they are. Be true to yourself, never ashamed or fearful. Don't hide or confine yourself to who people say you ought to be. Be who you are. And love who you are._

_I love who you are. You're my perfect Joey._

_Always yours,_

_Mum xxx_


	8. Chapter 8

_Hi everyone. Thank you all for the reading and reviewing of this story and for taking this little alternative CJ universe into your hearts! I was really nervous about posting this fanfic because I wasn't sure it was going to work so all your feedback has been really appreciated. I just wanted to explain a little about Clara's death. I'd planned it from the beginning for a number of reasons, one of them being because I wanted to get the basic outline of what happens in H&A. Also, the Elsie/Clara story was just a vague idea running in the background and I hadn't realised how attached people would get! But I'm hoping that it'll still serve the purpose that I intended for it if you keep reading. Also, as I'm sure you've come to expect from my stories, Charlie and Joey are going to go through a fair bit as they grow up and try to come to terms with their love for each other but please bear with them! You know they're gonna get there! IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Eight**

**October 2000**

Joey woke up and headed into the shower, hoping that she was first in. Her brother and father always left the bathroom in a mess and her mother was no longer around to put things in a semblance of order. She smiled when she found the room in the same state she'd left it in before she'd gone to bed the previous evening. Having showered and chosen to ignore her father banging on the door and shouting at her, she left the bathroom. They exchanged icy glares and she headed back into her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. It was a morning ritual these days. Dropping her towel, she chose jeans and a t-shirt to wear and fixed her hair before trotting down the stairs to gobble down some toast. Brett was already at the table and eating. He showered when he got home from work rather than before he left, claiming that it didn't matter how you smelt when you were on a fishing trawler. Just as Joey was finishing her orange juice, Paul entered the small kitchen. He locked eyes with his daughter, studying her. She knew that he was seeing her mother, his dead wife. In only a few short months since Clara had died, Joey was becoming more and more like her. The more she grew up, now at the age of fifteen, the more similar they were becoming and the worse it was making Joey's relationship with her Dad, not that they had really had one to begin with. She finished her drink, washed her plate and glass in the sink, said a polite but general goodbye and headed over to Charlie's house across the street.

* * *

Charlie sat at the kitchen table with Elsie and Ruby. Ross had been typically up and out early. Ruby was chattering away when Joey appeared.

"Hello, Joey!" Ruby said loudly and cheerfully.

Joey's good mood emerged like the sun from behind a cloud. How could she possibly stay solemn after a happy greeting like that? She came over to kiss Ruby on the top of the head and sat beside her.

"Do you want breakfast?" Elsie asked.

"I had toast already, thanks," Joey declined.

Every morning, Elsie offered and every morning, Joey refused.

"We'd better get going anyway," Charlie said, getting to her feet and grabbing her school bag.

Joey got up too. Charlie kissed her sister and mother goodbye. Joey did the same and the girls headed out.

"Are you coming to the Jukebox tonight?" Charlie asked as they walked.

"Anything to avoid going home," Joey said.

Charlie gently patted her shoulder. She hated how unhappy her friend was. It was more than mourning. Joey was coping well enough with that. She knew she missed her mother terribly but it was the friction between her and Paul that was the hardest to handle. The Collins' home was a gulf of despair. You could feel the tension from the moment you walked inside. Ross still went fishing with Paul sometimes and Elsie still saw Brett and Joey but rarely in their own home. The kids came to her. Charlie still went round but she didn't enjoy it. She preferred to see Joey at her own house. She couldn't bear the tension and nor could Joey.

* * *

That evening, Charlie, Joey, Aden, Martha, Jack, Rachel and Leah congregated at the Jukebox. Joey had spent a few months teaching Charlie to play pool and she had finally started to catch on. The girls had doubled up to play Jack and Aden while Martha, Leah and Rachel watched and cheered on the teams.

"Isn't girls against boys a bit sexist?" said a voice.

Joey cringed when she saw Robbo leaning over the table. Brett, Tanya and another girl were with him. She wondered for the hundredth time what a pretty, nice girl like Tanya was doing with a guy like Robbo.

"Not if the boys and girls involved aren't sexist," she said, lining up her shot.

She potted her ball.

"Impressive," Robbo drawled.

She prepared to take her next move. He stole the ball. She stood up, ready to argue with him but he put it back before she could open her mouth. Sighing and not really wanting a row, she leant back down and took her shot, only just failing to pot the ball.

"Not quite so impressive," he said.

"I don't need a running commentary," she snapped. "Jack, you're up."

"Oh my wow!" Leah said a little too loudly as three guys entered the building.

Everyone turned to see three older guys approach the bar and order drinks. Joey lost interest immediately. Martha, Rachel and Leah appeared captivated. And so did Charlie who was leaning heavily against her pool cue for support. The three men were in their early twenties. One of them was average looking and a little rough around the edges; the other was tall, dark and handsome and the one who had caught her attention was muscular, blonde and very pretty. Feeling as if they were being watched, the group turned round to face their audience. All three smiled. Rough was cocky, tall was shy and blonde was adorable. Charlie blushed. Joey grimaced and nudged her to tell her that it was her shot.

"Oh!" Charlie said, returning her attention to the game, still blushing.

* * *

As the evening continued, Joey felt sore and she wasn't the only one. While Robbo had firmly retained the attention of Tanya and spent most of the night making out with her in the corner of the Jukebox, Jack was becoming increasingly insecure as Martha's eyes wandered over to the new boys as they enjoyed their beers. Her particular attention seemed to be on blondey. Jack decided he hated him. Charlie had holed herself up in a circle with Leah, Rachel and Joey. All but Joey had tried to decide between them who should get who. Charlie wanted the blonde guy; Leah secretly quite liked him too but was willing to settle for the dark haired one but now had a fight on her hands for him against Rachel. Neither of them wanted the loudest member of the group. Joey didn't want any of them and she didn't want Charlie to have any of them either.

"Hey, Joey, who do you think is the cutest?" Rachel asked.

Joey shrugged.

"I don't know," she said.

"I would have thought you'd like the blonde one," Leah said.

"Why?"

"He looks the most similar to Aden."

Joey looked up. Aden was now playing pool with Jack who was hitting the balls a little too hard and failing to pot anything. Brett and the girl Joey didn't know the name of had joined the boys to play doubles.

"Aden and I aren't together anymore," Joey said sourly.

"Well, I know but…"

"So it doesn't matter," Joey concluded.

Leah sighed, decided that Joey was just being difficult. Charlie studied her friend, trying to figure out what was wrong with her.

"Hey, ladies," said an unfamiliar voice.

The girls turned their heads. The louder of the strangers had approached them.

"We were wondering if we could buy you girls some drinks," he said.

"That'd be awesome!" Leah enthused.

"Shall we come to you?" he asked.

Leah, Rachel and Charlie nodded.

"I'm Gardy," he said. "My boys over there are Mark and Roman."

He turned and gestured for his friends to come and join him and his new acquaintances. They stood.

"Stop at the bar on your way over," he told them. "What are you drinking?" he asked.

He raised an eyebrow when they all ordered soft drinks.

"We're all seventeen and the bar staff know it," Charlie said.

"And what can we get you?" Gardy asked Joey, who had remained quiet the entire time.

She considered being stubborn and not ordering anything or even walking away from the whole situation. Then she pictured her father sitting at home, at best ignoring her, at worst laying into her.

"Lemonade and lime please, Gardy," she said sweetly.

* * *

A short while later, the group had got significantly larger. Mark had positioned himself between Rachel and Leah and they were quite obviously fighting over him. Joey was fending off advances from Gardy and trying hard not to focus all her attention on the fact that Roman obviously liked Charlie just as much as she liked him, if not more. Jack had arrived fairly promptly at the table to prevent Roman and Martha from getting anywhere near each other and with their doubles match prematurely over, Brett, Aden and the girl Joey now knew to be Zoe, Robbo's little sister, had joined them too. It was also quite clear that Aden liked Zoe, which Joey thought was cute. Suddenly realising that they were the only ones not in the group, Robbo and Tanya had eventually joined them.

"So, you guys are really in the SAS?" Brett asked.

"Yeah, we're on leave right now," Mark explained.

"What's it like?" Aden wanted to know.

"It's hard," Roman said. "But it's eventful and rewarding."

"It's fun!" Gardy insisted.

"I bet! I'd love to do something like that!" Robbo said.

"Have you ever seen a gun?" Gardy asked Joey, leaning into her.

"No," she replied flatly.

"Would you like to see mine?"

The innuendo was blindingly obvious.

"I'm fifteen."

He shrugged.

"I won't tell if you won't."

She shuddered and glared at him.

"So, Zoe, how come I've never met you before?" Aden asked.

His palms were clammy from nerves. She was blonde, petite and so pretty. The last girl he'd asked out was Joey and that was years ago, when they were twelve and the way he'd asked her out had been cute back then. He was almost sixteen now and had barely done anything with a girl and was fairly certain that this was not cute anymore.

"I've been away at boarding school," she replied. "This is the first time I've really hung out around here."

He nodded.

"And Robbo's your brother?"

"Yeah. He's being forced to baby-sit me! He hates it!"

Aden laughed.

"Well, if you want a tour guide or anything, I'm happy to oblige."

"That's really sweet of you," she said gratefully. "Thank you."

* * *

"We're going to head out," Martha said, getting to her feet.

Everyone said goodbye as she and Jack made their way to the exit. Jack was quiet as he walked his girlfriend home.

"What's wrong?" Martha asked.

"Nothing," Jack lied.

"Jack?"

"It's just not very fun watching your girlfriend fawn all over a bunch of SAS guys," he admitted.

"I wasn't fawning!"

"Yes, you were!"

Martha sighed, feeling guilty.

"Sorry," she said quietly.

"Did you really think they were that hot?"

"Not as hot as you," she told him.

"I'm going to be big and strong like that when I'm their age, you know," he said, puffing out his chest.

She grinned and reached for his hand.

"And I'm going to be a cop. That's just as tough," he added.

"I know it's just as tough," she promised, stopping to kiss him.

* * *

Charlie headed to the bar to get another drink. She became suddenly nervous when she realised that Roman was beside her. Looking into his face, she returned his smile and cursed herself for blushing.

"So, are any of these guys… with you?" he asked.

"With me? No! I'm, I'm just… me," Charlie confirmed.

Her mind momentarily flitted to Joey. She chased the thought away. They were best friends. They were nothing more than that. He smiled at her. She smiled back.

"You know, you really are beautiful, Charlie," he said softly, leaning close to her.

She opened her mouth to speak but no sound came out. He met her slightly parted lips with a kiss.

* * *

Joey watched, heartbroken as Charlie and Roman stood at the bar, kissing. She swallowed the lump in her throat as Roman's big arms snaked their way around Charlie's waist and held her tight. Charlie's arms worked their way around Roman's neck, losing herself in him and his kiss. It seemed to last forever. Joey desperately wanted to look away but it was impossible. Aden coming to sit beside her finally stole her attention away and she had never been more grateful to him.

"We're going to wait a few minutes so it doesn't look like a reaction and then we're going to leave," he said quietly so that nobody could hear him.

She nodded gratefully.

"Follow my lead," he said.

She nodded again.

* * *

Once Charlie and Roman had returned to the table, looking smitten with each other, Joey waited several agonising minutes for Aden to rescue her.

"I'm heading home," he finally said.

"I'll come with you," Joey said, stretching tiredly for emphasis.

"Need an escort?" Gardy asked.

"No," she said, standing up.

"Do you want to hang out tomorrow?" Zoe asked Aden.

He smiled at her.

"Yeah, yeah that'd be great."

"Joey, you're welcome to join us if you want," Zoe said.

She accepted with a cheerful smile. Aden caught the look that Zoe gave his best friend and sighed. It was disappointingly obvious. Why did he always fall for the lesbians? Joey, however, remained oblivious.

"Actually, do you mind if I head out with you guys now?" Zoe asked.

"We don't mind at all," Aden said.

Joey headed out of the Jukebox with Aden and Zoe, her eyes trying hard not to focus on Charlie the entire time.

* * *

Elsie sat at home watching television with Ross. Ruby was long asleep and Elsie felt lost without the distraction of her smiling face. It was nearing ten o'clock and Charlie was narrowly missing her curfew. If she wasn't home in eight minutes, she would incur her father's wrath and Elsie felt so low, she would probably join in too. Every day felt hard now that Clara had gone. Three months later, Elsie had desperately hoped that the pain would have lessened slightly but it hadn't. It was as acute as it had been on the date it had happened. Her depression was causing a lot of tension between her and her husband. They had lost their ability to communicate and realised just how much of the work Elsie had put into marriage previously. Ross couldn't manage it all by himself. Their sex life had disappeared, they hardly spoke and there was very little affection between them at all. Ross tried to be patient with her and understand that she was grieving for the loss of her best friend but it was very difficult.

* * *

Joey, Aden and Zoe walked along the beach together slowly.

"I can't believe Brett and I have known Robbo for so long and I've never met you," Joey said, glancing at the girl who, without Charlie in the room and suddenly under the moonlight, she was suddenly noticing was very attractive.

She was also noticing that Aden had stopped gazing at her and wondered why.

"Well, I've been away so…" Zoe said.

"Hey, do you guys want to do something tomorrow?" Joey suggested. "Or do you have plans?"

She didn't want to step on anything Zoe and Aden might be doing together but she also suspected that Charlie's day would be devoted to Roman and quite frankly, if it wasn't, it would be devoted to thinking or talking about him and she didn't want to be party to that either.

"Doing something together would be awesome," Zoe enthused. "What do you think, Aden?"

Aden nodded in agreement.

"What are you thinking, Joey?" he asked.

"I don't know. We could go to the movies or something?"

The others agreed.

"Well, I'd better head home," Aden said, glancing at his watch.

It was nearly ten. He wanted to put his Dad to bed before he passed out. It was so much easier when he was conscious and not so heavy.

"Me too," Zoe said.

Joey sighed. She really didn't want to go back yet and she still felt sore about Charlie but she said 'me too' as well, wished the other two goodnight and headed home anyway, walking straight past her father and closing her door on the world.

* * *

Charlie let Roman walk her home. They'd spent the rest of the evening talking at length. She'd learnt that he was twenty-two years old, a commander in the SAS, enjoyed cooking, old classic movies and rock music. He was also a very good kisser with powerful arms that made her feel protected and a little bit nervous in equal measure. Outside her house, having made sure her parents weren't peering through the curtains, even though she was late home, Charlie let Roman kiss her again. It lasted a while. She smiled into the kiss and finally, a little breathless, she told him that her parents were going to kill her and that she really had to go.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" he asked, his eyes never leaving her face.

"I'd like that," she said.

"Meet you at the Jukebox at eleven?" he suggested.

"That sounds great."

They kissed once more and Charlie slipped inside the house. Her smile faded when she saw her parents looking grim on the sofa.

"You're late," her father said, opting to state the obvious.

"I'm sorry," Charlie said.

She didn't want them to destroy her good mood.

"Where have you been?"

"At the Jukebox. I told you where I was going."

"But Joey came home ages ago," Elsie said. "We called Paul."

"I just stayed out a little later than her," Charlie said. "That's all."

"Have you fallen out?" Elsie asked worriedly.

"No," Charlie said, feeling unnaturally defensive. "We don't have to do everything together. I just stayed out later with Rachel and everyone. Brett's still there. Why aren't you complaining about him?"

"Because he doesn't have a ten o'clock curfew," Ross snapped. "And he's not my child!"

"Look, I'm sorry, okay," Charlie said. "Can I go now?"

She turned to go to bed.

"What's that on your neck?" her father suddenly demanded.

Charlie slapped her hand to her neck. Roman had given her the tiniest of love bites but of course her father the Detective had seen it.

"It's nothing," she said, trying to sound cheerful and keep on walking.

"Charlotte Buckton, you get back here right now!" her Dad bellowed.

Charlie obeyed, looking at the ground.

"Do not tell me that you have a love bite on your neck."

"Okay," she squeaked.

"Charlie…" he warned.

"It's only little."

"Charlie!" Elsie yelped. "Who the hell have you been out with?"

"I've met an amazing guy," Charlie told her mother, not her father. "His name's Roman, he's beautiful and wonderful, he's kind and funny and I know you'd like him."

"I know every single person in this town and I don't know any Roman," Ross said.

"He's new," Charlie said.

"What do his parents do?"

Charlie shrugged.

"Is he in your year at school?"

"He's in the army," Charlie explained.

Her father's eyes bulged.

"No! No way, Charlie. I'm forbidding this!"

"You're forbidding this?" she scoffed. "I'm going to be eighteen years old in four months. How can you treat me like a child?"

"In four months time you can do whatever the hell you like but for now, you are not seeing that man," Ross told her.

Charlie shook her head.

"You've ignored me for my entire life, Dad," she said. "You can't start paying attention the moment I start doing something you don't approve of."

Elsie silently watched the tennis match between father and daughter.

"I've never ignored you!"

"Okay, who was my first ever boyfriend?"

"Brett!"

"He was my first serious boyfriend," Charlie said. "Who was my first ever boyfriend?"

Ross looked helplessly at Elsie who folded her arms. He turned back to his daughter without an answer.

"Okay, what's my favourite movie?"

Ross opened his mouth and shut it again.

"My favourite book? My favourite TV show?"

Ross had nothing to say.

"Okay, I'm actually feeling sorry for you now so I'll give you one even you can answer. Who's my best friend?"

"Joey!" Ross burst out. "Your best friend is Joey!"

"And for three bonus points who are the three other girls I hang out with?"

Again he was dumbfounded.

"You've met them several times."

"Uh… one's Greek or something…" he faltered.

"Leah."

"And… um… one has something to do with medicine."

"She wants to be a Doctor. That's Rachel."

"And the other one…"

He shook his head.

"I'm sorry."

"Martha."

They stared at each other unhappily.

"So, thank you for proving my point," Charlie said.

"Point proved or otherwise, you are not seeing that soldier again," Ross said.

"Yes, I am."

"Charlie, exactly how old is Roman?" Elsie asked.

"Twenty-two," Charlie said, hoping to let her mother understand that five years wasn't such a big deal.

"I'm not that happy about it either," Elsie admitted. "Don't you think he's a little old for you?"

"No, Mum," Charlie said. "He's lovely. And there's only a five-year gap."

"But there's a five-year age gap at a really crucial time in your life, Charlie."

"Do you really think he's just going to want kissing and hand holding from you?" Ross interrupted.

She looked at his face, which was red with rage.

"What?"

"He's going to want sex from you, Charlie!" Ross shouted at her, boring down on her. "Sex! I know what those soldier boys are like!"

Charlie squared up to her and stared him right in his face, hands on her hips.

"Well maybe he'll get it!" she snapped back, storming up the stairs.

She ignored him as he yelled her name. She locked herself in her room and hoped that he wouldn't come after her. He didn't.

* * *

That night, Roman sat with Gardy and Mark in the lobby of his hotel, rounding the night off with more drinks. Gardy was very vocally congratulating him on spending most of the night making out with Charlie.

"So, do you think she'll put out?" Gardy asked.

"Maybe," Roman said.

He didn't really want to talk about it. Charlie seemed like a nice girl, not like the others they usually picked up when they were on leave. And while there were certain things he did want from her, he didn't feel quite right about talking about her with his friends, not yet anyway.

"Oh, come on, she's a hottie," Gardy grinned.

"Alright," Roman said. "She's absolutely hot and an amazing kisser and I can't wait to see what else she can do!"

"I'll drink to that!" Gardy laughed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter Nine**

The following morning at ten o'clock, Charlie got up and headed out to Joey's, happily managing to avoid her parents. Joey was already awake and dressed but still in her bedroom.

"Hey," Charlie said when Joey opened up.

"Hi," Joey said. "Fun night?"

She didn't seem to be very happy to see her.

"Yeah," Charlie beamed. "I'm seeing Roman again today!"

"You do surprise me," Joey said sarcastically.

Charlie frowned, watching Joey sit at her dressing table and put some lip gloss on. Perching on the bed behind her so that Joey could see her reflection, Charlie asked her if she was okay.

"Yeah," Joey lied.

"What's wrong?" Charlie persisted.

"Nothing."

"Joey?"

Joey spun around.

"Did you even notice that I left last night?"

"Of course I did. I said goodbye!"

Joey just looked at her.

"Sort of."

In reality, Charlie had been too caught up with Roman to really acknowledge her friend's departure.

"I knew you'd be okay because you were leaving with Aden," Charlie defended herself.

Joey continued to look unhappy. Charlie reached out to her.

"I'm sorry, okay? I got swept up in the attention."

"Do you really like him?" Joey asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"I really do," Charlie said.

Joey nodded and attempted to smile.

"Well, I've got to head out anyway," Joey said, getting to her feet.

"Oh, where are you off to?" Charlie asked.

"Aden, Zoe and I are going to the movies."

"Zoe?"

"Robbo's sister. She was there last night, only you probably didn't notice because you thought it was only you and Roman in the room," Joey teased.

They both laughed but Joey still felt tense. She battled with images of Charlie spending the day making out with Roman and maybe even falling in love with him. She knew that Charlie was going to end up with someone one day; she just wasn't ready for it to be now. Joey wanted to keep Charlie for herself and she hated that she couldn't.

***

Charlie arrived a little early at the Jukebox. Roman arrived thirty seconds late. They greeted each other with a kiss and decided to go for a walk along the beach, hand in hand.

"So, what are you planning on doing when you finish high school?" Roman asked.

"I'm heading straight into training to be a cop," Charlie said.

"Oh, really?" Roman said. "What made you decide to want to do that?"

"My Dad's a cop," Charlie explained. "I guess it runs in the family."

"You know, you have to be pretty fit to do that," Roman said.

"I'm pretty fit," Charlie said, watching him turn slowly and wrap his arms around her.

She let him guide her into standing close to him. They kissed on the sand. Kissing Roman was an incredible feeling and he was almost the best kisser she had experienced. Charlie firmly changed the thought, lying to herself and silently insisting that he was the absolute best kisser she had ever experienced. Joey couldn't be better. If she was, it could only be because she and Joey were so emotionally close that they had an extra connection. Really, she and Roman were the real thing. They had to be. This was the first guy she had really felt anything for. It had to mean something, didn't it?

***

After the cinema, Joey felt strange. Zoe had sat between her and Aden and there had ended up being a lot of physical contact between them. Their hands had touched when going for the popcorn, their legs had pressed against each other in the cramped space and their arms had ended up resting together on more than one occasion during the film. Now, during lunch, Zoe seemed to be paying a lot of attention to her, wanting to know everything there was to know about her life and Aden was taking a happy backseat, not seeming to mind or be making the play for her that he had been the night before. Zoe stood and excused herself to go to the ladies. Joey immediately leant forward.

"What is going on?" she hissed, utterly confused.

"What?" Aden asked.

"You seemed to really like her last night."

"She likes you."

Joey looked bewildered.

"I realised it at the Juke last night," Aden explained. "There was just something about the way she looked at you. So I'm preventing myself from getting disappointed early and making sure I only think of her as a friend."

"Don't you mind?" Joey asked.

Aden shrugged. He had enough on his plate with his father without thinking of trying to get a girlfriend anyway.

"Do you like her?" he asked.

"She's pretty nice," Joey admitted.

"What about Charlie?"

Joey suddenly looked like she had a bad taste in her mouth.

"She's probably got her tongue rammed down Roman's mouth as we speak."

***

Charlie lay on her back on the sand. Roman lay beside her, leaning over her as they kissed. His hand was inside her t-shirt and her heart was beating fast. She had never gone this far with a guy before. They hadn't got anything else done all day. All they had achieved was talking and making out and it had been extremely pleasurable, although Charlie couldn't help but feel nervous about her father hunting her down and dragging her away. That would be humiliating beyond the telling of it.

***

Three days later, Charlie and Joey had hardly seen each other. They had both been swept up in their own worlds. Joey, as usual had been ignoring or fighting with her father. Outside of the house, she had been spending more time with Zoe, which had been fun. Zoe was a year older than Joey was. She had a deceptively naughty sense of humour that Joey got a kick out of. She felt like she was making friends with her at the right time, now that Charlie had disappeared into the world of Roman. The girls walked to school together still and saw each other between classes but once school was out and during lunch time, Charlie only wanted to be with her new boyfriend. Joey found it hard to be supportive and interested in her friend's new romance and she felt bad about it when Charlie was so happy. It made her feel like a bad friend but she couldn't help it. She didn't want Charlie to be with anyone but her. Joey had the overwhelming feeling that everybody was leaving her.

***

Roman was at the gym, lifting weights. He had a couple of hours to go until Charlie finished school and then they were going to spend the evening together. He only had two days left in town before he went back to work and he was hoping that tonight would be the night. Suddenly, his weight got heavier and a stern face appeared above him. Roman instinctively tried to push out but the man above him was too strong.

"Do you make a habit of leading young girls astray?" the man asked.

"Excuse me?" Roman asked, still struggling.

"I believe you're 'dating' my daughter. My _seventeen _year-old daughter."

"Um…"

"And unsurprisingly, I'm not very happy about it."

Ross pulled the weight into its holder and let Roman sit up.

"Leave her alone, or next time, I'll drop it, alright?" he warned.

He left the gym without another word.

***

"So, would you like to do something tonight?" Zoe asked.

It was the end of the school day and everyone was packing up their lockers.

"Oh yeah, maybe you, me and Aden could…"

"I was actually thinking just you and I could do something," Zoe said awkwardly.

Joey looked a little startled and then smiled.

"Oh!" she said. "Okay. Sure. What would you like to do?"

"I hadn't actually thought that far ahead," Zoe admitted, colouring.

Joey giggled.

"Why don't we just go to the beach and take it from there?" she suggested.

"Do you want to go straight there?" Zoe asked.

"Sounds good to me."

The two girls headed out, saying goodbye to their friends. Joey didn't bother to say a particularly special goodbye to Charlie like she would once have done. She felt sad about it for a moment and then looked into Zoe's smiling face and perked up. Charlie watched them go.

***

Charlie rushed home, got changed and then hurried over to the Jukebox. Roman didn't look happy to see her and didn't respond to her kiss.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Your Dad came to see me," he said, clasping his hands together.

Her heart sank. Life at home that week had been awkward. Her father had been angry with her, attempting to instil rules and regulations that she didn't want to adhere to. He did not want her to date Roman and she had blatantly ignored him. It meant that there had been a lot of screaming matches. Elsie had been more reasonable and tried to convince Ross that Charlie could see Roman for an agreed amount of time per evening but Ross was having none of it. The Buckton house was almost as tense as the house across the street these days.

"We're not allowed to see each other anymore," he told her.

"Oh, just ignore him," Charlie said dismissively. "I have been."

"Charlie, he's your Dad," Roman said.

"He'll get over it."

"I don't want to cause hassle for you, Charlie. I'm leaving tomorrow, remember?"

"All the more reason to ignore him," Charlie said. "We have one more day together. Let's not let him ruin it now."

Roman sighed.

"I don't want to get you into trouble," he said.

"My Dad doesn't care about me," Charlie insisted.

"He seems like he does."

"Oh, he cares about me behaving, but he doesn't care about me. I'm nearly eighteen. I'm not going to let him dictate what I do. What I want to do right now is be with you."

She kissed him. This time, he kissed her back.

***

"So, you don't talk much about yourself," Zoe ventured once she and Joey had sat down on the beach together, looking out onto the water.

Joey shrugged.

"There isn't really that much to say," she said.

"I bet there is."

"I'm just… me. I'm not very interesting."

"I think you're interesting."

Joey laughed.

"You must be very strange," she said.

Zoe leant her head against Joey's shoulder and smiled. Joey put her arm around her. It had become slowly obvious that Zoe liked her and she liked Zoe too. But she loved Charlie and she didn't know it if was unfair to be with someone while she loved another. Could you genuinely have feelings for two people at the same time? Could that work without anyone getting hurt? She tried not to think about Charlie, wondering what she was up to with Roman. She knew it was the soldier's last night and Joey cringed at the thought of the parting gift that Charlie might be giving him.

***

Charlie was nervous as Roman unlocked the door of his hotel room. She wondered if he could hear her heart hammering in her chest. She couldn't believe she was really doing this and hoped it wasn't a mistake. She also hoped she was doing it for the right reasons. Spiting her father kept popping into her brain and eradicating the two amazing kisses she had shared with Joey were also at the forefront of her mind. Those were not legitimate reasons to lose her virginity. Letting Roman take her by the hand, Charlie found her way to his double bed. She focussed on his handsome face. She knew that those reasons alone weren't strong enough to go ahead. He was good looking and funny. He was kind and had lavished her in attention and affection. If she was ever going to truly fall for anybody, it was surely going to be for Roman. He was perfect. Sitting on the edge of the bed in the lamplight, Charlie returned Roman's fervent kisses, allowing him to begin to undress her. She closed her eyes, trying to stay calm and pretend that she was in control.

***

The following evening, Joey was lying on her bed listening to music. She thought about Zoe. Nothing had happened the night before aside from putting their arms around each other and saying a few sweet things. It had been nice. It had been innocent. Zoe made her feel special. She made her feel surprisingly good about herself. Rolling onto her side, Joey opened her drawer and pulled out the letter that her mother had left her, re-reading the part about how she should be proud of who she was. She wondered yet again if she had known that she was gay, if she was using her goodbye letter to subtly tell her that she accepted her, regardless of her sexuality. She liked to think that's what it meant. Joey let the letter fall to her chest and firmly switched her mind back to Zoe. She couldn't think too long about Clara without crying and she did not like to cry. Thinking about Zoe made her smile. Maybe that was what she needed to do now, think about her and spend time with her and forget about Charlie, who had obviously grown up and moved on from their friendship. She didn't want to hang out with her fifteen year old best friend anymore. She wanted to date SAS men, disobey her parents and spread her wings. She was disturbed from her musings by a soft knock on her door.

"Who is it?" she asked.

"It's Charlie," came the reply.

Joey sighed. She put the letter away and told her friend to come in. Charlie appeared.

"How's it going?" the older girl asked, hovering by the bed.

"Fine," Joey said. "I wasn't expecting to see you. Where's Roman?"

"He's gone back to base."

She looked sad. Joey couldn't help but feel a little sorry for her. She gestured for Charlie sit down on the bed. Charlie obeyed and sat cross-legged on the mattress.

"Are you okay?" Joey asked.

Charlie nodded.

"I knew it was just a week long thing," she said. "You know, until he next has leave. He said he'd come back and see me then."

Joey smiled tightly.

"Did you have a nice time with him?" she asked.

"Yeah, I did," Charlie said.

"Have you made up with your Dad?"

Charlie shook her head.

"Nope. I haven't been home since yesterday. He's going to hate me for a long time!"

"Charlie, he doesn't hate you," Joey explained. "He loves you. That's the point."

They looked into each other's eyes, sharing paternal pain.

"Wait, you haven't been home since yesterday? Where did you…? Oh!"

Charlie blushed. Joey cringed.

"Was it? I mean, um… did you…? Did you enjoy it?"

Charlie frowned and moved to lean against the pillows beside her friend, wanting to get comfortable before she started talking about her experience.

"Sort of," she said. "It kind of hurt. I mean, it was nice. It wasn't as great as I'd hoped but… yeah, it was good. I enjoyed the lead up to it."

She giggled. Joey giggled to, despite herself.

"Where did you do it?" she asked.

"In his hotel room," Charlie said. "He took me to dinner. Dad warned him away from me and I convinced him to ignore him. After dinner, he took me back to his hotel. We were kissing and stuff and then he started undressing me and then… it just started happening."

"Did he know it was your first time?" Joey asked.

"I didn't want to tell him but I admitted it in the end once it became pretty obvious," Charlie said. "I didn't know what I was doing."

"Did you… you know?"

"What?"

"Orgasm?" Joey asked, almost mouthing the words.

She'd read about it in magazines.

"Almost," Charlie said. "I was too nervous. Next time though."

"But it was nice?"

"Yeah. I mean, the actual… stuff was… well, it was a little bit awkward. He knew what he was doing but I didn't. He was really turned on by the fact that I was 'new'. I was more into the stuff we did before the intercourse stuff. He…"

She lowered her voice.

"He touched me and kissed me… down there. That was cool."

Joey fought a visual.

"The whole thing was nice. He was loving and patient. He taught me what to do and everything."

"Do you love him?" Joey asked.

"Well, I think love goes a bit far but I care about him," Charlie said. "I'm not expecting it to turn into a big love affair. We're not committing to each other or anything but I'm glad we met. He's a nice guy."

"It's ten o'clock," Joey said, realising the time. "Your Dad will murder you if you don't head home."

"Can I stay?" Charlie asked. "I'll call my Mum and let her know."

Joey nodded.

"If you want," she said.

Charlie picked up the phone on the beside table and phoned her mother. Joey listened to her apologising and pleaded with her to stay the night at Joey's. It was obvious that Elsie wasn't happy about it but eventually Charlie won her round.

"So, what have you been up to these last few days anyway?" Charlie asked when she hung up.

"I've just been spending time with Zoe," Joey said vaguely.

She yawned, definitely feeling ready for sleep. Charlie looked disappointed and then chastised herself for being selfish. Joey was entitled to have other friends.

"She's not going to replace me, is she?" she asked before she could stop herself.

Joey laughed.

"Nobody could replace you," Joey assured her.

Even if something happened between her and Zoe, she'd never replace Charlie – that much was true. Charlie got up and rummaged in the drawer where Joey kept Charlie's spare pyjamas. She began to get changed. Joey forced herself to avert her gaze. When she was done, Charlie turned the CD player off and climbed into the bed beside her, turning off the lamp as she did so.

"Sweet dreams of Roman," Joey teased.

"Sweet dreams of… whoever you dream of!" Charlie replied, realising she didn't know.

Joey laughed softly.

"Hey, where are you?" Charlie asked, reaching out and pulling Joey closer, sleeping with their arms around each other.


	10. Chapter 10

_Updated next especially for From Me to You Ale xx_

**Chapter Ten**

**November 2000**

"Do you think the boys will ever come back?" Leah asked.

She, Rachel, Charlie and Joey were sitting at Crumble, a new café that had opened next to the Jukebox and was serving as a welcome alternative to school cafeteria food. It had been a month since Roman, Mark and Gardy had departed their little beachside town and none of the girls had heard from them. Charlie had accepted that she wasn't going to but Leah appeared to be struggling to let the thought stay in her brain. Mark had eventually chosen Rachel and Leah had settled for Gardy in the end, not wanting to be left out and while she didn't say it aloud, regret was etched all over her face. Joey focussed on drinking her milkshake. She was a little tired of constantly talking about the boys who had stolen the virginities of her friends, namely Roman who had taken Charlie's. She knew it was unreasonable to be jealous. They were just best friends. They might have shared a couple of kisses but Charlie had panicked both times. It was obvious that she wasn't interested, that she just wanted friendship. Joey knew she had no right to lay claim to her and yet she had an almost physically violent reaction to the thought of Charlie being with Roman. On the plus side, she seemed not to care much for the guy anymore.

"Sweetheart, I don't think they're coming back," Charlie said kindly.

"But he said he'd call," Leah said, disappointed. "He said I was special."

Rachel reached a hand out to pat Leah's arm. She hadn't slept with Mark. She hadn't expected him to be the love of her life so she hadn't been prepared to go out of her comfort zone for something that wasn't going to last. Charlie had, even knowing the facts. Leah had been duped by thousands of empty promises. Joey glanced between her friends. She did feel sorry for Leah. When she eventually lost her virginity, she wanted it to be with someone truly special. In her heart of hearts she knew she would want to lose it to Charlie but she knew it was unlikely. Charlie was just a friend and that was all she would ever be.

"Hi," said a shy voice.

She turned and saw Zoe hovering behind them. Joey smiled and gestured for her to join them. Charlie tried very hard not to frown. Zoe was a nice girl but she gave her a funny feeling. She wasn't sure what it was. It felt like resentment, maybe jealousy. She wasn't sure why, except that these days, she took up a lot of Joey's time.

"Hi, Zoe," Rachel greeted warmly.

"Hi, everyone," Zoe said. "What are you guys up to?"

"Just avoiding going back to school," Joey said.

"And trying to find some way to make ourselves believe that our SAS boys are going to call," Leah sighed.

She felt like she had been waiting so long for the right guy and while she had thought Gardy was a jerk at first, she thought he'd proved her wrong as they'd got to know each other. But now it seemed that she'd been right all along. She looked at Rachel and Charlie. Neither of them were even nearly as upset as she was. She sighed again, even more heavily this time.

"I know you feel awful about what happened," Rachel said kindly. "But you've learnt from it, haven't you? That's the important thing."

Leah nodded slowly. She'd definitely learnt to think before she did anything.

"You can move on from this," Rachel continued. "We call can."

"Exactly," Charlie agreed, although she felt she already had.

Roman had been lovely. She didn't regret anything. And while it might have been nice to keep in touch with him and maybe see him again, if she didn't, it wasn't the end of the world. She was happy with her world, although seeing less of Zoe wouldn't destroy it. She felt unnaturally possessive of Joey. Maybe it was wrong but she liked to keep her to herself. She didn't like it when she came round and Joey was already out with Zoe, or when they made plans and Joey brought Zoe along. She liked having Joey as hers alone; the way she'd always had her. It felt strange having to share. It was unpleasant. But other than that, life was perfect, Roman or no Roman. The only thing in the world that she could wish for would be to bring Clara back to make everyone happy again. She knew Joey still cried herself to sleep over her mother. The relationship between Joey and Paul was getting progressively worse. Brett was living some kind of half life. And Charlie's mother was desperately unhappy without her best friend.

"We should probably head back to school, guys," Joey said, suddenly looking at her watch and realising the time.

The group stood up to leave.

* * *

After school, Charlie caught up with Joey at her locker.

"Hey, do you want to come round and watch a movie tonight?" she asked. "Mum's ordering pizza. She said I could invite you."

Joey looked awkward. Charlie's face fell, already knowing what was coming next.

"Um… Zoe said she was going to teach me to roller blade," she said.

"Oh," Charlie said quietly, unable to hide her disappointment.

"You could come," Joey suggested brightly.

Charlie shook her head and backed away.

"Nah, I don't have any blades or anything," she said. "It's cool. We can do a movie night another time. And hey, more pizza for me."

"We could do something tomorrow," Joey said.

"Yeah," Charlie agreed. "Come round in the morning and we can hang out."

"I will," Joey smiled.

She reached her arms out to hug Charlie. Charlie let herself be held, hanging on a little too tightly. She hated feeling jealous but she couldn't help it. It wasn't even as if she didn't have other people to spend time with. She just wanted to spend time with Joey. Joey eventually let Charlie go and watched her walk away.

"Ready?" Zoe asked.

"I think so!" Joey said, nervously.

Zoe took her hand and the girls headed out.

* * *

Two hours and fourteen falls later, Joey was just about getting the hang of rollerblading.

"Okay, now skate to me!" Zoe said.

Joey took off along the sea front, picking up speed and hurtling towards Zoe.

"Look out!" she yelled, realising that she wasn't going to stop safely.

She crashed right into Zoe's arms, laughing hard. They both giggled loudly, their bodies colliding, their mouths only inches apart. Joey looked into Zoe's crystal blue eyes. They were looking right back into Joey's. Standing there on the beach front, they closed the gap between them, meeting in a kiss. Joey felt Zoe's arms wrap around her and Joey followed suit as the kiss became more passionate and the world fell away from them. Finally, breathless, the girls pulled away and gazed into each other's eyes. It felt strange not to be met with panic.

"You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that," Zoe whispered.

Joey blushed and smiled at her. They leant forward for another, even longer kiss.

* * *

It was two weeks later and Joey felt like she was on cloud nine. The only thing that was halting her happiness from reaching an entirely epic scale was the secrecy. She didn't want to tell the world but she had to tell Charlie. Zoe hadn't been keen. She didn't want either of them to tell anybody but Joey had begged. She couldn't keep such a big secret from her best friend. Now, Charlie and Joey were sitting in Joey's bedroom and Joey was regretting her insistence.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" Charlie asked.

Joey sighed and fiddled with her fingers. She tried several times to start her sentence and her heart was hammering in her chest to the point that it was beginning to hurt.

"Joey?" Charlie asked. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything's fine," Joey said. "Actually, everything's great. That's what I need to talk about."

Charlie's expression became even more curious.

"What is it?" she asked.

"I've started seeing someone," Joey ventured.

"Oh?" Charlie said, surprised.

She tried to wrack her brains about what guys Joey had been hanging out with.

"Are you and Aden back together?" she asked.

He was the only person she could think of.

"No," Joey said. "It's not Aden. It's not any guy."

Charlie furrowed her brow.

"It's… it's Zoe."

Charlie's jaw dropped.

"Zoe as in… in Zoe? Girl Zoe? Female Zoe? Zoe?" Charlie asked.

Joey coloured as she fought several waves of panic. She nodded and couldn't meet Charlie's gaze.

"Wow. That's… wow."

Charlie didn't know how to respond.

"So, are you… are you gay?" she asked.

Joey nodded. She still couldn't look at Charlie. Charlie looked across at Joey and couldn't help but think how brave she was. She lent forward and gathered her friend into her arms. Joey was surprised by the contact.

"Thank you for telling me," Charlie said.

Joey peeked up into Charlie's face.

"You don't mind?" she asked quietly.

"Why would I mind?" Charlie asked. "You're still the same person."

They drew apart slightly and looked into each other's faces.

"Do you love her?" Charlie wanted to know.

Joey shrugged.

"I think it's a little too early to call it love but I care for her a lot. We've only been together for a couple of weeks but it's going well. And you're the only one who knows and it has to stay that way, okay?"

"Okay, sure," Charlie promised.

Joey smiled gratefully.

"It's just that we don't think other people would take it as well as you," Joey explained. "I just couldn't keep it a secret from you, that's all. I don't want anyone else to know though. Nor does Zoe."

"That's fine. I won't tell," Charlie said.

She lay down on Joey's bed, thinking hard. Joey watched her.

"So, have you guys… you know?" she asked.

Joey blushed.

"No!" she said. "We've only kissed and stuff. We're taking things slowly."

"I'm happy for you," Charlie said.

She sat back up again, propping herself up on her elbows, suddenly very serious.

"This isn't going to change anything between us, is it?" she asked.

"What do you mean?"

"Like, we're still going to be best friends, aren't we? Even though you have a new girl in your life?"

"Oh, Charlie, nothing in the world could ever stop you from being my best friend," Joey assured her.

Charlie looked relieved. They hugged and Charlie got up off the bed.

"Well, I'd better be heading home," she said.

* * *

Joey crept through Zoe's bedroom window. While Joey was allowed to do exactly what she liked these days, Zoe's house was run on a much stricter regime so they had to sneak around at her end. As soon as she was inside, they kissed their way over to the bed. Finally parting, Zoe asked if Joey had told Charlie.

"Yeah," Joey replied.

"How did she take it?"

Zoe was well aware that Charlie's approval meant a lot to Joey. She had a sneaking suspicion that Charlie meant a little too much to Joey but she put the thought to the back of her mind.

"She was great," Joey said. "Completely supportive. And she won't breathe a word to anybody."

Zoe beamed and kissed Joey again. Leaning over her girlfriend, Joey smiled back at her. She was beautiful with dark blonde hair and expressive eyes. She was small and petite and wore funky clothes. She was interesting and funny and Joey could hardly believe that she was hers. She felt bad that she knew she would only love her second best but hoped that would be enough. Kissing her one more time, she let her fingertips trace patterns down her arm. They both jumped when they heard Robbo's voice outside Zoe's bedroom door.

"I'd better go," Joey said, getting up.

Zoe got up with her and followed her to the window. They kissed again and Joey climbed out. It was harder to get in and out of this window than Charlie's as there wasn't a porch directly below it but she managed and was grateful that she had always been good at climbing. She paused in her descent, climbed back up and kissed Zoe one more time before leaving for good.

* * *

That night, Charlie lay in bed looking up at her constellation of stars. Sleep eluded her as she thought about Joey. She wondered what she saw in Zoe and how things were going to change now. Even before she'd known about Joey's new romance, things had been different. Joey insisted things would be fine but Charlie wasn't so sure. Things changed enough when a girl got a boyfriend but they must change even further when there was a girl involved. A lesbian partner must replace the best friend role, surely? Charlie could see herself being pushed out and left on the sidelines and she hated it. She felt possessive of Joey. She wanted to be the only woman in her life. The thought frightened her. She recalled the kisses they had shared. The one on the boat had swept her off her feet and then the one on Joey's birthday in her bedroom had actually been even better, if that was possible. She wondered, not for the first time, if she wanted to be with Joey. She shook her head. She wasn't gay! Of course she didn't want to be with her. She was just suffering some kind of separation anxiety, some kind of difficulty adjusting to change. She wasn't gay and she didn't want to be with Joey. Their relationship wasn't like that and it never would be.

**

* * *

**

January 2001

Charlie was extremely over excited. It was her eighteenth birthday and she was celebrating in style. She had been lucky enough for it to have fallen on a Saturday and her father had given her use of the car so she had abducted Joey and they had gone shopping all day with a long leisurely lunch to blow much of her birthday money before coming home to get ready for the party at the Jukebox, courtesy of her parents. The last few months had been good, if a little strange. Joey had obviously been making an effort to make sure that Charlie didn't feel like she was losing her. They still spent almost as much time together as they always had and for her part, Charlie had made a real effort to get to know Zoe. She was a nice person and she seemed to worship the ground Joey walked on. It was nice to see. Joey deserved that. It didn't make Charlie feel as good as it ought to though.

* * *

By nine o'clock, the party was in full swing and Charlie was having a lovely time. It had been one of those parties where the whole town had been invited and the whole town had come. The only missing guests were a few parents, including Joey's Dad but then she hadn't expected him to show his face. Since Clara had died, she hardly ever saw him and Joey didn't either. The only reason Brett saw him was because they worked together.

"Hey, are you having a good time?" Joey asked, approaching her and handing her a drink.

"An amazing time, thank you!" Charlie enthused, hugging her. "Are you?"

"Awesome! Happy birthday, Charlie. I really think this is going to be the best year of your life."

* * *

Aden was enjoying being away from his father for a night. He took his shot on the pool table, knowing he was going to beat Alex, Leah's younger brother yet again. Alex frowned, unsure that he wanted to play anymore. He looked around the room, hoping that nobody was watching them, especially any member of his family.

* * *

Elsie stood with Ruby, who was pretending very loudly that she wasn't getting tired. At six years old, the little girl was doing very well but Elsie knew that she would have to take her home to bed soon. Elsie was happy that Charlie was happy. She had been desperately looking forward to turning eighteen and having a big party and she was so happy that she and Ross had been able to provide what she wanted. But there was an all too obvious person missing. During the planning and preparation and now, while Elsie should have been laughing and talking and enjoying herself, she was halted and painfully aware that Clara was gone and never coming back. She looked down at Ruby.

"Are you sure you're not ready to go to bed?" she asked.

"I'm wide awake," Ruby insisted, yawning.

* * *

Martha and Jack held each other, dancing close even though it wasn't really a slow song. They held each other tightly, moving their mouths close to kiss.

"I love you," Jack said softly.

"I love you too," Martha replied.

They glanced at Jack's little brother Lucas, who was sitting in the corner with his friends. None of them looked particularly interested in the party and they weren't joining in. The couple turned back to each other and lost themselves in another kiss.

* * *

Joey and Zoe were seated at a table drinking fruit punch and eating snacks from the buffet. Joey thought Elsie had excelled herself in catering this time, although she missed her mother's influence. She always did at times like this. Christmas had been hell. She, Brett and her father had sat around and opened small gifts together and Joey had just about managed to cook a meal. They had attempted to make small talk and they'd managed to have a pleasant enough day but it had been forced. Joey had escaped to see Charlie as soon as she could. Elsie had welcomed her with open arms and Joey had spent the rest of the day and evening with them. It had felt normal to be with them. When her mother was alive, the two families had spent every Christmas with each other. She felt Zoe catch her hand under the table and she smiled. They had been seeing each other in secret since November and everything was going well. Only Charlie knew about it. They were taking it slowly, getting to know each other tentatively but it felt good and right. It wasn't easy to keep it hidden and they both struggled when they saw other couples flaunting their love, holding hands and kissing in public, but they managed.

"I really wish we could dance together," Zoe said, nodding towards Jack and Martha.

"So do I," Joey said. "Maybe one day."

"Maybe," Zoe said.

She looked across at her brother who was laughing heartily with Zoe's brother. She didn't think it would be one day soon.

* * *

Leah, Rachel and Tanya were seated at a table in the middle of the room.

"Looks like Chris is after Charlie," Tanya said, nodding towards Leah's brother and the birthday girl who were standing at the bar, talking.

The other girls turned to look. Rachel frowned.

"I was going to talk to him," she said. "He's cute."

"That's my brother you're talking about," Leah objected.

"Well, he is!" Rachel said dismissively.

Leah continued to look displeased but shrugged it off and sipped her drink.

"Why are we always the single ones?" she asked. "I mean, we're just as hot as everyone else."

Tanya smiled. She looked over at Robbo and then back at Leah and Rachel. Right now she would give anything to be single again. They didn't know how lucky they had it. Girls their age thought it was so important to be in a relationship until they found themselves in the wrong one, one like she had with Robbo.

* * *

Ross came to join Elsie who was sitting down with a sleeping Ruby in her arms.

"Shall I take her home?" he asked quietly.

"I can do it," she replied.

"No, it's alright," Ross said. "You enjoy the party."

He kissed his wife's cheek and took the sleeping infant from her arms.

"Say goodbye to Charlie for me," he requested before heading to the car.

* * *

Robbo and Brett stood together at the bar, watching and commenting on the various girls around them. Both decided that the birthday girl was the most attractive amongst them. Robbo thought that Tanya was the next best thing and then horrified Brett by adding that he couldn't wait for Joey to be legal. However, the more beer they drank, the more lewd the conversation became and the less Brett minded about the fact that Robbo apparently wanted to sleep with his little sister. The girl in question walked past with Zoe. Robbo reached out and slapped Joey on the backside. Joey whirled around and glared at him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" she yelled.

"Being affectionate," Robbo told her.

"Keep your hands to yourself," she snapped.

She stormed away. Zoe gave her brother a disgusted look and followed Joey outside.

* * *

Nearby, Charlie had been watching the scene. She smiled, feeling proud of how Joey was always willing to stand up for herself.

"So, would you like to go for dinner or something sometime?" Chris asked, trying to get Charlie's attention again.

Charlie looked at him. She studied his face. He was perfectly nice. But she didn't want to go out with him.

"I'm really sorry but I don't think that's such a good idea," she said.

He looked disappointed.

"It's just, you're my friend's brother and everything," she said, although that wasn't the reason at all.

She didn't know what the reason was.

"Leah won't mind," Chris protested.

"It would just feel weird," Charlie said.

Outside, Joey and Zoe stole several kisses, aware that anyone could catch them.

"Sorry about Robbo," Zoe said.

"I'm used to him being a pig," Joey laughed.

Zoe laughed.

"You know, sometimes I wonder how someone as lovely as you came from the same parents as someone as awful as him," Joey grinned.

They kissed again.

* * *

Charlie made her way outside to get some air. She saw Joey and Zoe in each other's arms and felt deflated, wondering why she felt so conflicted over Joey having a girlfriend. She was straight; she didn't want to be with Joey. She only wanted to be her friend. She was certain of that. But she didn't want her to be with anyone else either. Everything felt so confused in her head. Sighing, she went back inside, joining Leah, Rachel and Tanya at the table.

"Did Chris ask you out?" Leah asked immediately.

"Yeah but I said no."

"Why?" Rachel wanted to know.

"I'm just not into him."

"Do you think he'd be interested in me at all?"

Leah shot her a look. Rachel ignored her.

"I don't see why not," Charlie said. "Why don't you go and say hi?"

Rachel was already on her feet.

"Happy birthday to you!"

Charlie looked up at the sound of drunken singing. Aden's father burst into the Jukebox. Everyone stopped to stare at him as he wobbled across the room, singing at the top of his voice. He had a bottle of whisky in his hands that was nearly empty and he was dribbling.

"Where's the birthday girl?" he asked. "And where's my boy?"

Aden stood stricken in the corner. Mr Jeffries spun round looking for him, got dizzy and fell over. Several fathers rushed forwards to help him up as he rambled about happy birthdays and where Aden could have got to. Aden sprung forward and said he would take him home. Jack's father, Tony said he couldn't be expected to handle him alone and insisted on driving them both back and ensuring they were safe. Aden tried to argue but gave in, his face burning as everybody watched.


	11. Chapter 11

_Many sincere apologies for how long it is taking for our girls to get their acts together. Please have patience with me and them! There are a lot more obstacles to come first but it will be worth it in the end. I hope! Also, I am using some creative licence regarding how one trains to be a police officer. A little bit of research mixed with a little bit of 'fiction to fit my story'. Hope that's alright with everyone! Hehe. IJKS xx_

**Chapter Eleven**

**June 2001**

Joey dragged herself out of bed for another day of school. As usual, she sneaked into the shower first, had a glaring match with her Dad once she was out and then got ready to face the day. She exchanged a few standard pleasantries with her brother and father before she headed out to Charlie's house to see the family that she really cared about. Ross was around much more these days and his relationship with his eldest daughter seemed dramatically improved as they prepared for her to begin police training. School was nearly over for Charlie and she was gearing up to begin the next stage of her life. Joey was happy for Charlie but sad for herself. She silently fretted about losing the closeness they shared. Charlie was going to grow up and she feared that they would grow apart. After a few minutes chatting with Ross, Elsie, Charlie and Ruby, the school girls would wander to school together, collecting Aden and Zoe on the way. Joey and Zoe had been seeing each other now for seven months and it felt like it was going well. It still felt innocent and it was still secret, although they had also come out to Aden as well as Charlie. While Joey knew that Zoe would never be Charlie, that she would never capture her heart the way Charlie had for her entire life, they loved each other and that was good enough.

Charlie sat in class, not really listening to Mr Bartlett. It was coming round to that time of year when she was losing interest. They were not learning anything new and organised revision wasn't helpful. Charlie wanted to learn this stuff by herself in her own way. Sitting in class wasn't useful at all. She looked out of the window, wondering what police training was going to be like when she eventually got there. She'd planned it so many times but she knew that no amount of planning would prepare her for how her life would change. She would be leaving everything she knew behind. Joey wandered into her mind. She pictured her beautiful, happy face and heard her laugh. Police training would only take her further away from her and Charlie felt sad about it. Zoe didn't really get in the way of their relationship like Charlie had expected her to. Joey had taken on board Charlie's fears about losing her friendship and really made an effort to ensure that she never felt left out or rejected. They still saw each other every single day and Zoe was always so nice to her that Charlie could hardly dislike her. But Charlie couldn't help but listen to the nagging little voice in her head that said she didn't want them to be together. It drove her crazy as she tried to figure out why. She told herself that she couldn't be that selfish that she didn't want Joey to love anybody but her and she was furious with herself at the thought that that might be true. She didn't want to be one of those people but she couldn't help it.

* * *

Joey arrived home and halted at the front door the moment she heard raised voices. Her Dad and Brett were shouting at each other. She considered turning back around and going to see Charlie or Zoe but both men spotted her before she could do anything.

"What are you looking at?" Paul snapped at his daughter.

"Nothing," Joey muttered.

She didn't want to be dragged into this confrontation. She wanted to hurry to her bedroom and stay there. Paul stared at her a little longer and then turned back to Brett.

"Both of my kids are a let down," he said, disdain in his voice. "Clara would be ashamed of both of you."

He stormed out of the house, pushing roughly past Joey who was instantly on the verge of tears. She looked up at Brett who wasn't looking any happier. He sank down on the couch with his head in his hands.

"What happened, Brett?" Joey asked.

"None of your business!" he snapped.

"My Dad just told me my mother would be ashamed me because of something _you've _done. I think it might be my business," Joey said angrily.

He looked up at her, tired and sad.

"I told him I didn't want to work on the trawler anymore," he said.

Joey's heart sank.

"Why did you do that?" she asked.

"Because I don't want to work on the trawler anymore," Brett said, as if she were an idiot.

She came to sit beside him, utterly confused. She couldn't wait to leave school and get out onto the open sea. The only time she and her father got along was when they were on the water together, working on the boat. She liked impressing him with what she was capable of. It was all she had dreamed of doing with her life. She couldn't believe that Brett didn't want the same.

"Why not?" she asked.

"Joey, there's more to life than fishing," Brett said. "I want to go into a career that I choose, not something that's been chosen for me. I want to be me, not Dad."

"But it's the family business," Joey said. "We're meant to carry it on."

"You can carry it on, Jo," Brett told her.

"He doesn't want me to," Joey said sadly. "He'll let me join in but it's you he wants, Brett. It's always been you. You're the one he loves, the one he's proud of."

Brett put an arm around her in a rare moment of sibling affection.

"He loves you too, Joey."

"He doesn't. He never has."

* * *

It was Saturday morning and, feeling strangely energetic, Charlie decided to go for a run. She powered across the sand, enjoyed the pressure on her body and the heat on her face and then took off through the town. Pausing to catch her breath, she realised that she was outside Aden's house so decided to knock and say hello. She waited a few moments but there was no answer. Shrugging, she was about to walk away when she heard shouting. Curious and alert, she knocked again and then pressed her ear against the door to try and figure out what was going on. She heard an older man shouting and slurring his words and a younger voice, presumably Aden, attempting to reason with him. Worried, Charlie walked around the house and peered through the window to try and get a better look. She just about made out the image of Aden's father screaming and shouting and throwing things while Aden pleaded with him to calm down. She pulled out the mobile phone that her parents had given her for her birthday and phoned her Dad, begging him to come over to the house.

* * *

Joey and Zoe lay on Zoe's bed listening to Counting Crows, Zoe's favourite band. Joey felt Zoe's hand creep up inside her t-shirt as they kissed. A thrill of excitement rushed through her as Zoe explored.

"Zoe! Phone!"

They sprang apart as Zoe's mother's voice called up the stairs and interrupted them. She burst through the door within seconds. Zoe accepted the cordless receiver.

"Hello? Charlie? Yeah, she's here," Zoe said.

She handed the phone over to Joey, full of disappointment. She watched her girlfriend talk to her best friend, knowing that once she hung up, she was going to make her excuses and leave. Every time Charlie told her to jump, she paused only to ask how high. Zoe loved Joey very much but Joey's love for Charlie was clear, no matter how she tried to hide it, no matter how much she didn't want it to be true.

"What does she want this time?" Zoe asked when Joey put down the phone.

"Aden's in trouble," Joey said worriedly.

Zoe was immediately alert. This changed everything.

**

* * *

**

August 2001

Charlie brushed Ruby's hair and perfected her dress to ensure that she looked as pretty as a picture for her eighth birthday party. She could hardly believe that her baby sister was growing up so fast. Everything was changing so much this year. They were all getting older and hopefully wiser. So much was different. Joey was more mature. She had fallen in love with Zoe and they had been in a mature, albeit secret relationship for almost a year now. And by the beginning of next year, Charlie would be setting off to start her police training. She was terrified and excited all at the same time. She had a year of intense studying and training ahead of her. She would be gaining qualifications in psychology, criminology and law as well as challenging her body and becoming as fit as possible, preparing herself to deal with criminals when she was out of the academy. It would be strange to live away from home and only be back for the holidays. She would miss her family but more than anyone and anything, she would miss Joey. She could hardly bear the thought of not seeing her every day. She was afraid of them growing apart. Both Charlie and Ruby looked up when they heard a knock on the door. Joey peeped round the edge.

"Hello, birthday girl!" she said cheerfully.

Ruby leapt up and into her arms. Charlie watched them interact.

"Joey!" the youngest girl shrieked in delight.

Ruby referred to Joey as her sister. She always had done. Charlie remembered her coming home from play school once, having drawn pictures of her family. She'd drawn her father, her mother, two sisters and Auntie Clara. That was her family as Ruby understood it to be. Ignoring the fact that Ruby wasn't a tiny baby anymore, Joey picked her up and cuddled her. Charlie got to her feet and joined the duo.

"Are you excited about your party?" Joey asked.

"Mum's making me a cake!" Ruby declared. "But I'm not allowed to see it. She said it's a surprise."

"Oh wow!" Joey enthused. "A surprise cake, especially for you? You must be the most special birthday girl there's ever been!"

Ruby nodded proudly and clung to Joey's neck. She kissed her cheek and allowed her to put her down.

"I'm going to check the present pile!" she said, leaving Charlie and Joey alone together.

The girls smiled at each other.

"She's so excited," Charlie said, moving to put away the hairbrush and discarded party dresses.

Joey bent to help her.

"I can imagine. So what kind of cake is it?"

She sounded almost as excited as the child. Charlie laughed.

"It's a clown cake. It's got icing and everything and a big red nose! It's awesome," she giggled.

"Ruby is so not going to let anyone touch that nose," Joey said certainly.

"I'd be surprised if she let anyone eat the cake," Charlie said. "She'll probably attach feelings to the clown or something. You know what she's like."

Joey nodded. The birthday celebration was tinged with sadness for her. Joey only had one more birthday to go before she had to do one without Charlie. Next year, she was going to be at the police academy, starting her new life away from her and it filled Joey with nothing but grief. As if reading Joey's thoughts, Charlie turned to her and apologised. Joey shrugged.

"It's okay," she said. "It's not important. And we still have this next one to celebrate together."

"If I can find a way to come home for your birthday next year, I will," Charlie promised.

"No, it's fine. You're going to be busy," Joey said dismissively. "You're going to have new friends, a new life. I don't expect you to drop everything for me. I guess... I guess all friendships change and lose their closeness eventually."

She sat down on the bed. Charlie hurried to sit beside her.

"That's not going to happen," she insisted.

Joey wouldn't meet her gaze.

"Joey, we're not going to stop being best friends."

"We are, Charlie," Joey insisted. "You're going to meet some exciting, aspiring cop and the two of you will have so much in common. You're going to click better than you and I ever have. And you'll meet some handsome guy and he'll become your boyfriend and you'll forget all about me and your life here. You'll come back for holidays because you have to and when your year's up you won't want to come home, you'll want to stay in the city where you've created an exciting life for yourself."

Tears fell and Joey didn't bother to stop them. Charlie put an arm around her.

"I am going to make friends," she said. "At least, I hope I am. And it would be nice if I met someone because this whole single thing, especially when you're so damn happy and in love, is getting kind of dull."

Joey laughed softly.

"But I will never have the connection with another person like I have a connection with you. It's like you're the second half of my soul, Joey. There's no option for me to forget about you or lose touch with you. It can't happen. Even if we had a terrible fight and we _wanted_ to forget about each other, I could never let you go. You're part of me," Charlie said sincerely.

Joey finally looked up at her and into her eyes.

"Do you really mean that?"

"I wouldn't say it if I didn't."

They hugged each other tightly. Joey buried her face in Charlie's neck and inhaled the scent of her perfume and her skin. She felt so safe and so loved in Charlie's arms. It was like no place on earth. Not even being with Zoe compared to this. Thinking of her girlfriend unleashed a wave of guilt, as if she were cheating. She reluctantly pulled away.

"We'd better head down to the party, I guess," she said.

Charlie nodded and let Joey lead the way.

* * *

After the party, which Ruby had thoroughly enjoyed, Charlie and Joey headed out to meet Zoe and Aden. As they walked, they giggled together about Charlie's prediction coming true. It had been a fairly tough task to get Ruby to agree to cut into the clown cake.

"How was the party?" Aden asked when he saw the girls approaching.

He had been invited but he still wasn't too sure about the whole family scene. He wasn't sure about much these days. Since his father's outburst at Charlie's eighteenth, life had got progressively worse until Charlie had witnessed a drunken altercation at the house and called her father. Since then, Aden had been swept up in a confusing rush of events which had left his father in rehab and Aden living with Jack and his family. Charlie had been terrified that he hated her but he didn't. It was hard to have the whole town see him as the son of an alcoholic and he battled every day with feelings of failure and letting his Dad down but mostly he was relieved to have been rescued. Jack's parents were nice and had been patient and welcoming and he had always known that Jack was a good guy. He got on surprisingly well with Lucas, Jack's little brother and wondered why they'd never mixed at school before now.

"It was fun," Charlie informed him.

Joey left Charlie's side to greet Zoe with a hug and a kiss. Charlie averted her eyes to give them some privacy. She focussed on Aden and told him more about the party. Aden watched her and suppressed a smile. He knew what was going on even if Charlie and Joey were oblivious. He had known it for a long time.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter Twelve**

**January 2002**

The Jukebox was busy and the music was loud. Charlie could hardly believe that it was her last night living in her hometown for almost whole year. She would be back for holidays of course, but from tomorrow, she and Jack would be heading to the police academy to start their training and the next stage of their lives. She was grateful at least to have a friend to take with her. At least she wouldn't be alone. She glanced over at him, sitting in the corner with Martha who had barely stopped crying all night. She had barely stopped crying all week. It had been such a strange year for everybody. Aden had moved out from his Dad's house and was living with the Holden's while his father attempted to recover from his alcohol addiction, Joey was gay, hiding in the closet and in love with Zoe, Charlie, Martha, Jack, Leah and Rachel had all finished school and were heading in different directions and Ruby was growing up too quickly. Everything was changing and Charlie wasn't sure that she liked it.

Martha clung onto Jack. She never wanted to let him go. Even though she knew he would be home every holiday and hopefully for the odd weekend and he had promised to call every day, she had an awful feeling of being left behind. She was afraid of him slipping away from her, of him getting swept away with some beautiful police officer in training. She was grateful at least that Charlie was going to be with him. She trusted her friend to keep an eye on her boyfriend and report back if there was anything to be worried about.

Rachel observed her friends and was glad yet again that she could stay at home to study. Maybe she was being a baby but she didn't want to leave her family and her friends and Chris, who she'd been dating for the last year. She could study at the local University and would be able to do her placements in the local hospital. Everything seemed perfectly moulded around her. Life was good.

* * *

Joey had been following Charlie round all evening. She could hardly contain her despair over the fact that her best friend would be gone from now until December. They had barely gone a day apart since the day she was born. This was a world away from everything she knew and she hated it. She felt like she was being destroyed from the inside. Glancing over at Zoe who was making small talk with Aden and Lucas, Joey suddenly felt terrible. She'd been neglecting her girlfriend all night. Then she reminded herself that she had the rest of her life to be with Zoe. She had one night left to spend time with Charlie. Surely it was okay to hang out with her tonight? Feeling torn, she sighed and headed back over to Zoe, carefully slipping an arm around her waist.

"You remember who I am then?" Zoe asked bitterly.

"Sorry," Joey apologised. "I'm just going to miss her."

"I get that."

"Sorry," Joey said again.

Zoe sighed. She did understand. It just made her insecure.

"I do know where you're coming from. I just miss _you_, that's all."

"Want to sneak away for a few minutes?" Joey grinned.

Zoe giggled and headed towards the exit immediately.

* * *

The following morning, Charlie was up early. Her father helped her pack her stuff into the car. Elsie had been tearfully fussing around her all morning and Ruby looked forlorn. She had offered up a picture of the family – Ross, Elsie, Charlie, Joey and Ruby – for her to take with her to the academy. Charlie had fought tears and hugged her sister close. Now, with her Dad, who finally seemed proud of her, waiting in the car, it was time to say goodbye to Joey and she didn't want to. They stood just out of view of the car, inches apart from each other.

"I can't believe you're actually leaving," Joey said in a small voice.

"I'll be back at Easter," Charlie offered.

"That's ages away!"

Charlie smiled and reached out to stroke Joey's hair.

"I promise I will call all the time," Charlie said.

She kept her hand cupping Joey's face, unable to hide the fact that she was just as sad as Joey was.

"You'd better. I don't want you going off and forgetting about me, Charlie Buckton," Joey said, pouting.

Charlie giggled.

"I promise," she said. "And hey, you can always come and visit."

"I'd like that."

A tear escaped Joey's eye without permission. Charlie caught it and brushed it away.

"Hey, come here," she said softly, pulling her friend into a hug.

"I love you," Joey said into Charlie's chest.

"I love you too," Charlie whispered back.

They pulled apart and Charlie bent down, kissing Joey ever so gently on the lips. They lingered there just for a second before pulling away.

"Call me when you arrive, okay?" Joey said.

"I will," Charlie said.

She turned and headed towards the car, climbing in beside her Dad. Joey joined Elsie and Ruby at the front door. All three waved until the car was out of sight.

* * *

After a long drive, heavy lifting and a prolonged but polite goodbye to her father, Charlie sat down on the end of her bed looking around at her room. She jumped when the door opened and a girl her age appeared, breathless and carrying more bags than was humanly possible. Behind her came who Charlie presumed were her parents, carrying more bags.

"Hi!" the girl said cheerfully.

Charlie waved nervously and busied herself with unpacking while the girl settled and said goodbye to her family. Once they were alone, the girl turned back to her.

"I'm Georgina Watson," she said.

"Hi Georgina," Charlie said.

"Just call me Watson," the other girl said. "Everyone does except my family. Georgina and any variations thereof just don't suit me."

Charlie giggled. She was right. It didn't.

"Well, I'm Charlie. It's short for Charlotte and that really doesn't suit me either so I guess you're in good company," she said.

They shook hands.

"So, do you fancy skipping the whole unpacking stuff and finding the bar?" Watson suggested.

Charlie was surprised but the twinkle in Watson's eye made her laugh and want to say yes. Grinning, the girls left their room and their boxes behind.

"Oh, hey, I'm here with a friend from home. He's starting training too," Charlie said on the way out. "Shall we invite him too?"

"The more the merrier!" Watson declared.

* * *

Joey and Zoe were stretched out side by side on Zoe's bed watching a DVD. They were holding hands but Joey was distracted. Charlie had texted to say that she had arrived and everything was alright but Joey had at least been expecting a phone call. She was sad and disappointed, imagining that her friend was already off and carried away with having a good time without her. Zoe shifted beside her. She found Joey's lips. Joey kissed her back, happily losing herself in the kiss. She wanted more than anything to be with Zoe. Maybe Charlie leaving was a good thing. Without her around all the time, Joey wouldn't be so distracted. She could concentrate fully on being a good girlfriend and give Zoe everything she deserved. Joey wrapped her arms around Zoe and held her close, the movie at least momentarily forgotten.

Charlie laughed heartily and swallowed some more of her beer. She had never really drunk before and she was determined to make sure she didn't get carried away but so far, she was having a lovely time. Watson was confident and hilarious. They had found Jack and he and his roommate, Angelo Rosetta had joined them in their search for the bar. The four of them had been talking and laughing for several hours now. Angelo had also been very obviously hitting on Charlie since the first moment they met. He was handsome and charming. She didn't think dating him was a terribly good idea but she was tempted and that gave her hope that she wasn't devoid of feeling.

Zoe gave up trying to watch the film. The look of sheer misery on her girlfriend's face was infectious. Leaning over, she brushed her lips against Joey's neck and was pleased when she smiled. She shifted to kiss her lips and began to let her hands wander. They quickly forgot about the DVD.

* * *

Angelo and Jack headed to the bar to get another round.

"So, you know Charlie pretty well, do you?" Angelo asked his new roommate.

Jack glanced back at the girls and then looked at Angelo, who had made his attraction to Charlie blatantly obvious from the start.

"Yeah, we grew up together," he said.

"Do you think she'd go out with me?"

"Maybe," Jack said. "I mean, I can't think of any reason why not."

"So, she's single then?"

"Yeah."

"Has she dated many guys before?"

Angelo could barely tear his eyes away from the girl. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life.

"A few," Jack said.

"So, what kind of guys does she like?" Angelo persisted.

"Um, well she dated her best friend's older brother for a bit. He's a fisherman, a couple of years older than us, bit of a jerk but nicer recently. She had a thing with an SAS guy last year. That made her Dad pretty mad. That's it really."

"So, she likes older guys?" Angelo asked, disappointed that they were the same age. Actually, he was two months younger than she was.

"I guess," Jack said uncertainly. "But I don't think that's an exclusive thing."

Angelo nodded thoughtfully.

* * *

Back at the table, Watson was busily interrogating Charlie.

"So, do you like him?" she asked, jerking her head in Angelo's direction.

"I guess," Charlie said without commitment. "He's pretty cute."

"But?"

"I don't know. I'm not in the right head space for dating at the moment."

"Are you okay?"

Watson was always in the right head space for dating.

"Yeah, I guess I'm already a little homesick," Charlie admitted.

She pictured Joey and wondered what she was doing. She was probably with Zoe. She wondered if she missed her too.

"Missing your folks?" Watson asked.

"My best friend," Charlie said with a slight blush.

"Oh, that's cute," Watson grinned.

"We never do anything apart," Charlie explained. "I've known her since she was born. We've always done everything together. She means everything to me. This is really hard!"

She laughed sadly. Watson put an arm around her. She couldn't help but wonder, even from a handful of words if there was more to it than that but she decided not to press the issue. She'd only just met Charlie and she didn't want to frighten her away.

* * *

Joey forced herself to come up for air. She and Zoe had been kissing for hours and Zoe's shirt was undone again. With Robbo only in the next room and Mr and Mrs Cruze downstairs, they were playing a risky game. Pulling back, Zoe smiled and stayed close.

"Joey, I was thinking," she ventured shyly.

"Mmm?"

"Well, maybe on my birthday, perhaps we could um…?"

Joey smiled curiously. It was Zoe's sixteenth in five weeks time.

"Take our relationship to the next level? If you feel ready. Do you feel ready?"

Joey thought about it for a few moments and then nodded.

"I'm ready."

Zoe smiled and kissed Joey again.

"Me too. I really want to be with you."

* * *

Charlie sat beside Angelo. As the night had developed, she had discovered that Watson was the life and soul of the party. It hadn't taken long for their group of four to get bigger and bolder. Most of the new students had found their way to the bar and the party was in full swing.

"So, will you let me take you out sometime?" Angelo asked, slinging his arm around the back of Charlie's chair.

"I don't know," she replied.

She didn't want to commit to a yes or no answer just yet. He was cute and very funny. She thought she could stay in his company all night but she wasn't sure she could let their friendship take on that extra complication. Plus, she had her studies to focus on. That was what she was here for. She had to concentrate. Glancing up, she looked around for Jack and Watson. Jack was playing pool in a team of doubles with some guys Charlie hadn't been introduced to yet. Watson was in the corner of the bar practically having sex with a girl. Charlie's jaw dropped. Was every girl she met gay?

"What's up?" Angelo asked, noting her expression.

Charlie shook her head.

"Nothing," she said pleasantly, turning to face him.

She focussed on his face and smiled. He smiled back.


	13. Chapter 13

_Okay, just so you know, I want Charlie and Joey to be together just as much as you guys but Joey has been pining for Charlie for so long, I think it's time the tables turned a little bit, don't you?_

_;-) IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Thirteen**

**March 2002**

It was Zoe's birthday and she'd had a lovely day enjoying a barbeque on the beach with her friends. She'd arranged to stay the night at Joey's. It hadn't been hard. Her parents just thought they were best friends and having a normal girlie sleep over. But in reality, tonight would be the first night they were going to sleep together. It was the first time for both of them and they were both nervous and excited about it.

At her local bar, Charlie was, as usual, out having a good time with Watson, Jack and Angelo. Partying was a prerequisite for having Watson as a roommate. It was more than a little tiring sometimes but generally, their lifestyle was fun. Charlie felt like she had it made right now. She was enjoying her studies, she had wonderful friends and although she was single, she was very aware that Angelo was besotted with her. She hadn't gone there with him and she didn't think it was a good idea but it was nice to be wanted. The only thing Charlie was missing was Joey. It had been just over a month and Charlie was already aching to see her again. She was counting down the days until Easter when she would get to hang out with her for two whole weeks. They spoke regularly and texted even more but life without Joey by her side wasn't easy. Still, she was making sure she made the best of it until she could go back home to her best friend.

Lying side by side in the lamp light in Joey's bedroom, Joey and Zoe held each other, waiting for sleep to claim them. Joey closed her eyes. She felt different somehow, now that she and Zoe had made love for the first time. It was like they had confirmed their feelings for each other, become adults, grown up. She absently ran her hand through Zoe's blonde hair and kissed her forehead. This wasn't how she had dreamt of her life turning out but she was happy. Zoe may not be Charlie but Zoe _was _Zoe and that was plenty good enough for her.

**

* * *

**

April 2002

As soon as Charlie arrived home, she rushed straight round to see Joey.

"So, how's everything going?" Joey wanted to know.

"It's fun," Charlie said. "Studying is hard but it's really interesting so far. I think psychology is my favourite part, aside from the fitness side of things. I love the training for that. Minus the early mornings. Those aren't so fun!"

Joey laughed, remembering just how hard it was to get Charlie up and out of bed before noon on a weekend.

"And I have the coolest roommate in the world. Her name's Watson and she's hilarious."

"She's not replacing me, is she?" Joey asked suspiciously.

"No! Although, I appear to attract lesbian friends," Charlie teased.

Joey looked startled.

"You have a lesbian best friend in the city?" she asked, pouting. "I'm starting to feel insecure here!"

Charlie giggled.

"Nobody will ever replace you, I swear."

"They'd better not!"

"So, what have I missed here anyway?"

"Um, not much really," Joey said. "Rachel's studying hard. She and Chris are still an item. Martha's working at the Juke and Leah got a job at Crumble. Brett and Dad still aren't talking since he quit working on the trawler and started working at the JUkebox. Aden's still living with Lucas and his family."

"And what about you? How are things with you and Zoe?"

She didn't really want to ask the question; she still felt possessive for some reason but she knew it was only polite to act interested. Joey nodded enthusiastically.

"Really well," she said.

She decided not to mention Zoe's insecurity over Charlie. It was inappropriate and unfounded.

"Actually, Zoe's birthday was... you know, the night," she revealed.

"The night?"

"You know… _the night_."

"Oh!" Charlie said a little too loudly.

They both blushed.

"Wow… great. I'm happy for you."

She wasn't. She didn't want Joey and Zoe to be so serious with each other.

"We decided a few weeks before that we were ready to make that commitment to each other," Joey explained. "We wanted it to be special."

"Did it... um... did it go well?"

Joey nodded proudly.

"It was amazing. I was so nervous but everything just felt so right, you know?" Joey admitted. "So um, how are you in that department?"

"What department?" Charlie asked quickly.

She felt immediately nervous.

"Romance?" Joey probed.

"Oh!" Charlie said, relaxed a little.

She thought about Angelo. He was still trying to get her to go on a date with him. She hadn't said yes yet but she was considering it and Joey having sex with Zoe was pushing her further in his direction. She didn't know why this latest piece of information was important but it was.

"Well, there's this guy, Angelo," she ventured. "He's Jack's roommate and he's been begging me for a date since we first met."

"And…?"

"I haven't said yes yet but I'm thinking about it."

"What's stopping you?" Joey asked.

She focussed on being supportive, aware that she had no right to be jealous of Charlie dating guys. They weren't a couple. They had never been a couple. They would never be a couple. Joey was in a relationship and had been for nearly a year. But still, there would always be something about Charlie that tugged on her heartstrings. She wondered what this Angelo guy was like and if he was good enough for her friend, if he would treat her right.

"Well, I'm meant to be at school concentrating on my career," Charlie said.

"Doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself too," Joey said, wondering why she was encouraging her.

Charlie was disappointed at the encouragement. She thought back to when she had dated Roman. While Charlie hadn't understood it at the time, thinking about it now, Joey hadn't been that happy about it. She might even have been jealous. Obviously she wasn't now. She didn't care. She was happy with Zoe; she'd had sex with her. Joey thought that Charlie was the one growing up and moving on but actually it had been Joey all along. She was the one who had left Charlie behind the moment she fell for Zoe. That's when their friendship had changed forever.

**

* * *

**

September 2002

"So, what do you want to do for your birthday?" Zoe asked.

Joey would be turning sixteen in two weeks and Zoe felt like she was the only person who was excited about it. Every time she mentioned it, Joey just looked miserable. In typical fashion, Joey frowned.

"I don't know," she said. "Maybe we could just hang out at the Juke or something."

"Joey, birthdays are important," Zoe protested. "We have to do something special."

"It's just…"

"It's not going to be worth anything because Charlie won't be there," Zoe concluded glumly.

She pulled away and began doing her shirt back up. Their make out session was well and truly over. Joey sat up, protesting that it wasn't like that. She hated the hurt in Zoe's voice.

"Well, what is it like, Joey?" Zoe asked, turning back to her.

"I'm allowed to miss her, aren't I?"

"Of course you are but your life shouldn't be empty because she's not around."

"It's not," Joey said.

"I just always feel second best," Zoe admitted.

"You're not!" Joey said.

She wasn't sure if she was lying or not. She desperately wanted to be telling the truth. Reaching out, she held onto Zoe's arms and looked into her eyes.

"Zoe, I love you," she said.

Zoe smiled, despite herself.

"I'm sorry," Joey said. "I don't mean to make you feel second best. You're not."

Zoe fell back into Joey's arms.

* * *

"I guess you could go and see Charlie for your birthday," Zoe said thoughtfully.

The girls had given up on the film they'd been trying to watch. Between talking and kissing, they had no idea of the plot.

"But then I wouldn't get to see you," Joey objected.

Zoe shrugged.

"I guess you need to make a choice about who you want to spend the day with then," Zoe said, hoping that Joey would choose her.

Joey shifted onto her side and gazed into Zoe's anxious eyes. She kissed her.

"You know I'll choose you, Zoe," she said sincerely. "You're my girlfriend. Please don't feel so paranoid about my friendship with Charlie."

Zoe smiled and kissed Joey back feeling a little more secure.

* * *

It felt like a normal school day until Joey came down to breakfast and found her father waiting nervously for her. She peered at him curiously.

"Happy birthday, Joey," Paul said.

His voice caught, as if the words were stuck in his throat somehow. He slid an envelope and a small jewellery box across the kitchen table. Stunned, Joey continued staring at him before glancing at Brett who was sitting at the head of the table drinking coffee. She sat down and opened the envelope in silence. He had scrawled his name. She looked into her father's face, wondering if perhaps he did love her after all.

"Thank you, Dad," she said softly.

She looked down at the little red box and opened it with shaking hands. Inside was the silver cross that her mother had worn for most of her life. Tears instantly began to flow and a lump ached in her throat. She looked at her father who sat heavily in a chair opposite.

"It was your Mum's," he said.

She continued to stare at him.

"You already know that," he realised, running his hands through his thinning hair.

He looked down at the table. She glanced between the necklace and her father.

"She uh… she wanted to give it to you when you turned seventeen. Her mother gave it to her then and it was always what she wanted to do. And she's not here now so…"

His voice caught again.

"So, so I thought I would… I would give it to you on her behalf," he finished. "I hope… I hope that's okay."

Joey didn't even try to fight her tears. She let them cascade onto the table before she stood and approached her father. He got to his feet and they embraced awkwardly. It was the first time in years that they had held each other. Joey could count on one hand the amount of hugs she'd had from him that she remembered. Brett watched in silence, torn between feeling moved and envious. He and his Dad hardly spoke now that Brett had quit his job on the trawler. Brett was working at the Jukebox now and while that may not be his dream job either, anything was better than smelling like fish all day and it meant that he got to meet a lot of pretty girls. But it also meant that he had let his father down. He didn't think he would ever be the recipient of such a touching scene as he was witnessing now between Paul and Joey.

* * *

Joey had been happy all day, aside from the fact that Charlie was missing and hadn't even called. Once she'd arrived at school, still somewhat emotional after the first genuine expression of love between herself and her father for as long as she could remember, her friends had made a fuss of her. Aden had got the class to sing her happy birthday; Zoe had whispered that she was saving all her presents for later and even Lucas had remembered to give her a card. They'd all gone to Crumble for lunch, where Leah had managed to take half an hour off her shift to sit with them and Martha had come over from serving drinks at the Jukebox to join in too. The group made plans to meet up at the Jukebox that night to celebrate. Zoe had pleaded with Joey to do something more exciting than that but Joey had insisted that she wanted to keep it low key.

* * *

Joey brought Zoe home with her after school so that they could get ready together. Just as they were about to go upstairs, there was a knock at the door.

"Hi, Elsie!" Joey greeted her neighbour warmly.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart," Elsie replied.

She produced a birthday cake and a neatly wrapped gift with a big smile. Ruby crept out from behind her legs and leapt into Joey's arms as soon as she had put Elsie's offerings down. She immediately began singing happy birthday completely out of tune. Joey giggled, touched that Elsie and Ruby cared so much, even though neither Charlie nor Clara were around anymore to provide a link between them.

"Thank you," Joey said. "You shouldn't have."

"Oh, I'd never miss your birthday," Elsie said affectionately.

Joey smiled at her. She really was a second mother to her.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

Elsie hugged her tightly.

"Well, I'd better let you get on. I'm sure you have things to do and people to see."

She turned to leave.

"Have you heard from Charlie today?" Joey asked hopefully.

She still hadn't called.

"Not today," Elsie said. "But she rang yesterday and sends her love to everyone. She wished you a happy birthday.

_At least she remembered_, Joey thought to herself sadly. She nodded and let Elsie leave before joining Zoe upstairs. She found her girlfriend changing and move to wrap her arms around her waist, kissing her neck. Thoughts of Charlie still lingered.

"I think getting ready is going to take a while," Zoe murmured.

She turned around in Joey's arms as they kissed. A knock on the door interrupted them. Joey was puzzled. She moved away from Zoe, who made sure all her clothes were in place as Joey headed to the door. Opening up, her jaw dropped.

"Charlie!" she gasped.

"Hey," Charlie said shyly.

Zoe sighed in the background and sank down in Joey's desk chair. Charlie and Joey hugged tightly.

"What are you doing here?" Joey demanded.

"I could hardly miss my best friend's birthday, could I?" Charlie said, grinning.

She entered the room and spotted Zoe, who immediately tried to look more cheerful.

"Hey, Zoe," Charlie said. "How's it going?"

"Great thanks," Zoe said brightly. "Just getting ready for the party."

"Did you know Charlie was coming?" Joey asked.

Zoe was about to reply when Charlie interrupted.

"Are you kidding? She organised it," she said. "With help from my Mum and Ruby. They were checking you were home just now."

Zoe was confused until Joey launched herself at her, smothering her in kisses of pure joy. Looking over her shoulder, Zoe silently thanked Charlie who shrugged as if it were no big deal.

* * *

"Beer, please," Jack said, leaning against the bar.

"Oh my…!" Martha shrieked, dropping the glass she was holding.

Jack laughed as she hurried out from behind the bar and hurled herself into his arms, kissing him all over his face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Well, Charlie wanted to be here for Joey's birthday so I decided to come and see you," he explained.

She continued kissing him, unable to articulate her joy in any other way.

* * *

At the party, Charlie and Joey hurried off to a corner to chat, eager to catch up with each other. They hadn't seen each other since Easter and that felt so very long ago.

"So, how's everything?" Joey asked. "Studying, Watson, everything?"

Charlie grinned.

"Yeah, everything's going pretty well," she said. "Watson is still awesome. I'm still loving my studies. And I'm getting super good at getting up early!"

She smiled proudly, making Joey laugh.

"What about that Angelo guy?" Joey asked, wondering if she really wanted to know the answer. "Have you given in and gone on a date with him yet?"

Charlie shook her head. Angelo had been trying to get her in the sack for months, ever since the first night they'd met but Charlie valued his friendship too much to complicate anything.

"How are things going with you and Zoe?" she asked, changing the subject. "Still besotted?"

Joy blushed and smiled, admitting that things were going perfectly and that she was really happy. Charlie smiled her enthusiasm but inside, her heart ached that little bit too much.

* * *

From a distance, Zoe watched Charlie and Joey talking. She wondered what they were talking about and how they were feeling. What was so special about Charlie anyway? Why did she have such a hold over Joey? She turned when she felt a presence behind her. Smiling at Aden, she leant against him.

"She loves you, you know," he said, as if reading her thoughts.

"She loves her too," Zoe said.

"Maybe. But I've know Joey since we were kids and if her feelings for you weren't real, she wouldn't be with you, Zoe. Everything she says and does with you, she means. She's in love with you and she wants to be with you. You make her happy. Trust it. Trust her. Okay?"

Zoe nodded, feeling comforted.

* * *

That night, Charlie lay in her own bed. It felt strange to be home, especially knowing that she would be going back the very next morning. It had been worth coming all this way to see Joey just to see the delight and surprise on her face. She had made her happy and that's what counted. And it had been a great opportunity for Jack and Martha to be temporarily reunited. Neither he nor Charlie would be home now until Christmas. In the dark, Charlie tried not to think about Joey, knowing what she was probably up to right at that moment. There was no need to think of her in that way.

Joey and Zoe curled up in each other's arms, exhausted from a night of partying and lovemaking. Wave after wave of guilt washed over Joey as she tried to sleep. All she could think about, even here with Zoe, was Charlie.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter Fourteen**

**December 2001**

Charlie came back from a gruelling training class feeling absolutely exhausted. She hit the shower as soon as possible and flopped onto her bed in her towel. She just about managed to raise her head when Watson entered the room, bright as a button. The girl never seemed to be tired or in the bad mood. She was the eternal cheerleader.

"I got you some breakfast," Watson said, tossing a bacon roll at her roommate.

Charlie just about caught it and propped herself up against the headboard. Watson sat down at her desk and began to munch at her food.

"There's a dorm party tonight by the way," Watson informed her.

"There is?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah, I thought it'd be fun."

Charlie shook her head and chuckled. Party animal Watson was a world away from the girls she had grown up with.

"Angelo's coming," Watson said.

Charlie rolled her eyes. She was still keeping him at arm's length and thought he would have given up by now but he hadn't. He'd gone on dates with several other girls as well but he still persisted in wanting to see Charlie.

"You're really not interested in him?" Watson asked. "Even I can tell that's he's pretty cute."

"He is pretty cute," Charlie agreed.

"So, what's the problem?"

"I don't know."

Watson knew but she was biding her time on voicing her opinion. Charlie didn't look like she could handle it yet.

***

Joey met Zoe at her locker and caught hold of her hand. She leant in close. Aware that there were people around them, Zoe nudged her away awkwardly. Joey looked offended.

"I'm sorry," Zoe said unhappily. "But anyone could see."

"Well, let's go someplace else then," Joey suggested.

Since her birthday, Joey had felt much closer to Zoe and it had changed her feelings about their relationship. She was losing patience with the way they had to hide their feelings for each other and was becoming ready to come bursting out of the closet. Unfortunately, Zoe was definitely not running at the same pace.

"I have to get to class," Zoe said.

"One kiss," Joey whispered. "Nobody will see."

"Everyone will see," Zoe said firmly.

She wanted to grant Joey's wish but all it would take would be for someone to find out and report back to her brother and life wouldn't be worth living. She couldn't do it, not even for Joey. They looked sadly at each other and Joey moved away feeling rejected.

***

The evening arrived and with it came a loud and drunken party that staff would break up immediately if they got wind of it. Charlie wandered through the hall, saying hello to various people. Jack was chatting in a circle of friends, including Angelo who spotted her and moved towards her to say hello.

"Hi," she replied.

He hugged her and kissed her cheek. She thought about how handsome he was. He was better looking than Roman. Why didn't it feel right?

"So, are you thinking of changing your mind about me tonight?" he asked hopefully.

"Doubtful," she said.

He sighed dramatically and gripped his apparently broken heart. It was almost a game between them now. As he walked away he caught the attention of another girl and slipped an arm around her. Charlie chuckled and headed into her room, hoping it wasn't being occupied by a couple. Watson was making out with a girl on her bed.

"Sorry!" Charlie said.

"Hey, it's your room too," Watson said, not minding.

"I'm going to get a drink," the girl said, slipping outside.

Charlie moved to sit down at her desk but Watson patted the mattress beside her instead. Charlie obeyed instructions. Watson put an arm around her.

"Okay, I'm a little drunk and I need to be in order to say this to you," she ventured.

Charlie looked at her a little nervously.

"You're in love with your best friend," Watson stated bluntly.

Charlie leapt away from her.

"What?" Charlie yelped. "No, I'm not! I'm not gay!"

Watson put her hands up in mock defence, wishing the room wasn't spinning quite so much.

"Hey, wait, don't freak out, Charlie," she said. "I never said you were gay. I just said you were in love with your best mate."

"My best mate who's a girl, right?" Charlie said, her voice shrill.

"Yep, that's the one. Joey."

"I'm not in love with her and if you dare tell anyone that I am…" Charlie warned.

She stopped when Watson started laughing. It was a proper belly laugh. She toppled back on the bed, giggling uncontrollably, only succeeding in making Charlie angrier.

"What's so funny? Why are you laughing?" Charlie demanded. "Hey!"

She hovered over her. Watson sat back up and wiped the tears from her eyes.

"Sorry, Charlie," she said more kindly. "But it's so obvious."

"I'm not in love with Joey," Charlie said firmly.

"You miss her more than you miss your own family. You call her every day. You don't stop talking about her and go all sappy whenever you do. You have a photograph of her by your bed for goodness sake!"

Charlie struggled to find an argument. She just stared.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news but I've been convinced since you first mentioned her, Charlie," Watson said sincerely.

Charlie chewed her lip. Images of kissing Joey entered her head. She sat down heavily on the bed and glanced at Watson, wondering whether she ought to confess or not.

"What's on your mind?" her roommate asked.

***

Joey, Zoe, Aden, Martha, Leah, Rachel, Chris and Lucas sat in the Jukebox. Martha was serving behind the bar and the others were crowding round so that they could keep her company, disappointed that she was refusing to serve alcohol to those who were underage.

"What's the point in having a barmaid friend?" Aden teased.

Martha poked her tongue out at him. The rules of the Jukebox were pretty relaxed. Anyone could come in at any time as long as no alcohol was consumed by anyone who wasn't of the right age. In a town where everybody knew each other, with a police station run by the formidable Ross Buckton, everyone generally behaved.

"What day are Charlie and Jack getting home?" Rachel asked.

"The fifteenth," Martha and Joey said in unison.

Zoe cast a glance at her girlfriend, wondering if she would ever stop counting the days that her friend was gone.

"Only a week to go then," Leah said. "That's good. I really miss those guys!"

"Yeah, it's not the same without them," Aden agreed.

"Preaching to the choir here, guys," Martha said.

She hated Jack being away. She couldn't wait for him to graduate in July and start his first year back at home. Being apart was like hell on earth.

***

"We've kissed a couple of times," Charlie said quickly.

"Oh boy!" Watson said. "This is more developed than I thought!"

She reached into the cupboard of her bedside table and pulled out a bottle of rum, opening the cap and taking a swig. She then handed it to Charlie who gulped some down. They shared the bottle as they talked.

"A few years ago we were on a family holiday together," Charlie explained, "and on the last night… I don't even know what happened but we ended up kissing. I panicked and we were pretty much estranged for a few weeks after that. I even went as far as dating her brother to try and get her out of my head. Then another time after that, on her birthday, it happened again."

Watson nodded.

"Did you guys ever talk about it?"

"Sort of. We just said we'd taken our friendship too far," Charlie said. "We've always been so close. We thought we'd just got carried away."

"And now what do you think?"

"I don't know!" Charlie said. "You're confusing me, saying I'm in love with her. I'm not in love with her."

She really, really didn't want to be in love with Joey Collins.

"Do you think she's in love with you?"

"No!" Charlie said. "She has a girlfriend. They've been together for over a year now and they're really in love. You can't be in love with two people at the same time so she mustn't love me. Even if maybe she did once, she doesn't now."

"So, Joey has a girlfriend?"

"Yeah."

"And how do you feel about that?"

Charlie remained silent.

"Charlie?"

"I don't know!"

"Don't hold out on me now, Charlie. Just say the first word that comes into your head."

"Jealous," Charlie admitted.

***

Outside Zoe's house, Joey wrapped her arms around her. They kissed under the porch light but broke apart when someone burst through the door.

"Are you going to be out here all night?" Robbo barked.

"I'm just saying goodbye to my friend," Zoe snapped at her brother.

Robbo observed the girls, looking Joey up and down before heading back inside the house. Zoe's heart was racing at how close they had come to getting caught. Joey reached out to resume their kiss goodbye but Zoe pulled away reluctantly.

"I'd better get in," she said. "Robbo's being a jerk."

Joey hung her head and sighed.

"Okay," she said. "I'll see you at school. In public. Where I can't go anywhere near you. As usual."

She turned to walk away. Zoe caught her hand and squeezed it gently.

"It won't be like this forever, Joey," she said.

"I know," Joey nodded, although she felt like she didn't know anything anymore.

She smiled and headed out into the night.

***

"Alright, don't freak out but I'm going to try something," Watson said, slurring her words.

"I'm too drunk to freak out," Charlie admitted, also slurring a little.

Watson leant forward and captured Charlie's lips with her own. Charlie was startled at first but only hesitated for a moment. She kissed her back and allowed Watson to wrap her arms around her, running her hands over her back. After several minutes, they pulled apart. Watson looked into Charlie's eyes.

"I think you're gay, sweetheart," she teased.

Charlie sank against her, her mind reeling. She sighed heavily. As the party continued outside their room, the friends lay together on Watson's bed, falling asleep side by side.


	15. Chapter 15

****

Chapter Fifteen

**November 2002**

Charlie woke up with a start when she felt a body next to her. She glanced at Watson's sleeping form and panicked. Peering under the duvet, she was relieved to find that they both had their clothes on. She crept out from beneath the blankets and grabbed her towel in order to get showered, her mind still reeling from everything she had shared the night before. She was already trying to reason herself out of admitting that she might be gay and she might have feelings for Joey. It was impossible. She'd had boyfriends. She'd had sex with Roman the SAS guy and she'd enjoyed it… mostly. She couldn't be gay. She was just emotionally attached to Joey was having separation anxiety. That's all it was, she was sure of it.

* * *

Since her birthday, Joey felt like she had been making slow progress with her father, which was much better than no progress at all. They even had breakfast together sometimes and it was starting to mean a lot to her. The idea of her Dad actually caring about her was alien and amazing in equal measure. Today was a breakfast day.

"Dad, I was wondering..." she began.

He looked up at her.

"You know you've decided to work Saturday mornings?"

"Uh huh."

"Well, do you need an extra hand then?"

Paul suddenly looked interested.

"You wouldn't have to pay me or anything," Joey said. "But I'd like to help out if you wanted me to."

Working on boats and being out on the water made Joey happier than she could even explain and she wanted to develop her friendship with her father if she could. This was the only way she knew how.

"That'd be great, Joey," Paul said. "And of course I'd pay you."

He looked at Brett who had shuffled into the room.

"I'm one man down these days since someone jumped ship."

The comment was enough to put Brett in a bad mood. He began to slam mugs and spoons around ungracefully.

"Hey, if you wanted to join us on crew during the holidays too, you'd be more than welcome."

"Really?" Joey said excitedly.

Paul nodded. It felt good to be bonding with his daughter, although sad that it was one of the first times it had ever happened in their lives.

"If you want to."

"I'd love to. I'd actually really love to join the crew when I leave school. If… if you want me."

Brett broke a cup and glared at his sister. She visibly shrank and then looked at her Dad's smiling face. She sat up straight again.

"Nothing would make me prouder, Joey."

* * *

Charlie busied herself in silence as she got ready for lessons. Watson observed her, recognising that Charlie's barriers were well and truly up.

"So, we're never talking about last night ever again then," she said.

"No, we're not," Charlie said quickly. "It didn't happen."

Watson nodded.

"And you're going to continue denying the truth to yourself?"

Charlie whirled around to face her angrily.

"There is no truth!" she snapped. "I am a normal, heterosexual girl. I am not in love with Joey. I do not like kissing girls and you, Watson, cannot convert me, or whatever you're trying to do."

Watson ignored how offensive her roommate was being. She lay back on her bed, letting her hangover wash over her.

"Uh huh," she said simply. "Sure, fine, whatever. You're an awesome kisser by the way."

Charlie made a disgusted noise and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. Watson chuckled to herself.

* * *

At lunch time, Brett tracked Joey down at Crumble and pulled her away from her friends.

"What the hell are you doing, you little suck up?" he demanded.

"What?" she asked, confused.

Zoe and Aden watched brother and sister from the table. The tension between the siblings was obvious.

"Telling Dad that you want to get involved in the business? How dare you?" Brett yelled.

"But I do want to get involved," Joey said. "I've always wanted to. You know that."

"You just want him to love you more than he loves me!" Brett accused.

"What the hell are you talking about, Brett?"

He grabbed her roughly by the shoulder, pinching her skin until it hurt. Aden rose from his seat, ready to head over.

"You're trying to be the good one, Joey! Trying to make me look bad!" Brett yelled.

"No, I'm not! Let go of me!"

He shook her. She tried to fight back against him but his grip was strong. Aden bounded over and pulled Brett away.

"Leave her alone!" he shouted.

Brett whirled round to face him. Zoe hovered nearby, alert and afraid.

"Stay out of it," Brett snapped. "This is between me and my sister."

"I'm not staying out of it when you're grabbing hold of my best friend!" Aden said, squaring up to him.

"Aden, it's okay," Joey intervened.

Brett pushed Aden. Aden pushed back. They were fighting before Joey could stop them.

"Hey!"

Robbo launched himself into the foray and broke it apart, using his arms to keep them away from each other. Joey hated having to be grateful to him.

"Cool off, alright?" he said.

Aden looked at Joey who pleaded with him silently to go and sit back down. He returned to his friends. Zoe followed suit.

"Let's go for a beer," Robbo said to Brett, patting him on the shoulder.

Joey turned to rejoin her group of friends. Robbo paused as he passed her.

"You know, if you want to express any kind of gratitude for that, you can," he whispered.

She shot him a disgusted look and sped up, wedging herself in the booth between Aden and Zoe.

* * *

It was a Friday and Charlie was looking forward to a restful weekend with no classes.

"Hey, beautiful," Angelo greeted.

She smiled. It had been almost a whole year and he still hadn't given up. Watson's words still hadn't subsided in her mind.

"Will today be my day?" he asked.

She chewed her lip and studied his face.

"Oh, come on," he urged. "I'm sure I've earned it. I've waited months for you!"

"Fine," she relented. "I'll go out with you."

"Really?" he said, surprised. "Tonight?"

"Tonight."

"Great! I'll knock on your door at seven."

"I look forward to it."

* * *

"This is a terrible idea, by the way," Watson said. "Just in case you didn't know."

Charlie ignored her roommate and continued applying her make-up.

"Can you hear me or have I gone mute?"

Charlie continued to ignore her.

"Maybe you've gone deaf," Watson said.

She climbed off her bed and walked over, waving her hand in front of Charlie's face. Charlie growled and pushed Watson away. Watson crouched beside her and begged her to listen. Sighing, Charlie turned to face her friend.

"You're going to hurt Angelo and you're going to hurt yourself," Watson said seriously.

"I know what I'm doing," Charlie assured her.

"Do you?"

Charlie wasn't sure. All she knew was that she didn't want to be gay and she didn't want to love Joey. Even if it was true and she did love her, she couldn't have her anyway so what was the point?

"Don't worry about me, Watson," Charlie said. "I'm a big girl."

Watson stood up and hugged her.

"Be careful, okay?" she warned.

* * *

In the early hours of the morning, Charlie came back home. She stripped off in the dark without bothering to take her make-up off and crawled beneath the blankets, pulling them up beneath her chin. She heard Watson breathing across the other side of the room and she closed her eyes. Angelo had taken her to dinner. He had been even more charming the usual and she'd had a lovely time. But Watson's words and Joey's face had never left her mind. Words for homosexuality had constantly drifted through her consciousness so when they had walked hand in hand through campus and Angelo had stopped to kiss her, she had let him. And it had developed. They'd had sex up against the wall of her building in the secrecy of the night. It had been rushed but passionate. As with Roman, she had mostly enjoyed it but she had reached the heartbreaking conclusion that there was something missing. And it couldn't be a lack of connection because she loved Angelo just as much as she loved any of her friends. He was wonderful. But it wasn't right and now she didn't know how she felt about him, herself or the situation.

**

* * *

**

December 2002

Joey waited impatiently at Elsie's house, eagerly anticipating Charlie's arrival. Ross had been sent to collect his eldest daughter from the city and Joey, Elsie and Ruby could hardly wait to see her. Elsie sat in the armchair and observed Joey sitting so tensely on the sofa. As usual she was struck by how similar Joey looked to how Clara had at her age. It had been a long time coming but finally, thinking of Clara allowed Elsie to feel happy again. She could look back on her life with Clara and feel grateful for it instead of angry and bitter that it was cut so short. She wondered for the millionth time exactly how Joey and Charlie felt about each other. Joey seemed too excited to see Charlie for there to be only friendship between them. She was thrilled to the point of being giddy, to the point that she or Clara would have been had they been separated for that period of time. Elsie wondered how the girls felt about each other and she wondered if they would ever share it with her.

Charlie had spent the car journey happily chattering away to her Dad about school, impressing him with her progress. He seemed suitably happy with everything she said and it made her proud of herself. All she wanted was to make him proud. She was coming home for just over a week for Christmas and New Year and she was desperately excited. After this, she had one more month of studying and then she could graduate and be a real police officer. She was eager to catch up with everyone. She'd been missing her mother's hugs and home cooking and she wanted to see Ruby, tuck her into bed at night and hear all about school and what she was doing. She missed her laugh and her joy at everything she experienced. She was looking forward to meeting up with her friends again. She wondered how Rachel was coping with her first term at medical school and if Leah and Martha were happy. She wanted to know how Aden was doing and if things had improved with his father. Most of all, she wanted to see Joey. Even though she felt so confused about the feelings Watson had brought up with her that night, Charlie was desperate to see her best friend. She wanted to talk to her, laugh with her, spend time with her like they always used to. And whether it was wrong or right, whether it meant something or not, she wanted to hold her. As they pulled into the drive, Charlie looked across the street and toyed with the idea of heading right over to see her best friend but then decided against it. She really ought to see her mother and Ruby first. It was only polite. Then she could go and see Joey. Ross helped his daughter with her bags and they headed into the house. Elsie, Joey and Ruby rushed towards Charlie and caught her up in a group hug. Charlie was silently thrilled that Joey had come over to greet her with her family. She crouched down to Ruby's height, picked her little sister up and spun her round the room. Joey stood back and observed Charlie, attempting to ignore the flutter in her soul. Charlie had changed since her birthday. Her hair had been cut to her shoulders and her body was even more perfectly toned than before. She was tanned and her eyes were brighter than they had ever been. She was breathtaking. Setting Ruby down on the floor, Charlie took a moment to look at Joey. She was still perfect. Her hair looked like it was getting darker and it was certainly longer now. Charlie hugged her mother individually and then moved onto Joey, holding her tightly, breathing her in and not wanting to ever let her go.

* * *

After dinner, Charlie and Joey escaped up to Charlie's bedroom. Joey, knowing where Charlie kept all her stuff, helped her unpack everything and then the girls settled down to talk about all that they had missed in each other's lives. They may have talked almost every day but it wasn't quite the same as talking face to face.

"So, tell me everything!" Charlie demanded excitedly.

"Well, I'm going to be working with my Dad over the holidays and on Saturdays," Joey told her.

The big smile on her face told Charlie just how thrilled she was about it.

"Really? That's awesome!"

"He actually told me he was proud of me," Joey said. "I mean, it's caused a bit of friction between me and Brett but we'll get over it. The fact that Dad actually loves me now… it means, it means everything, Charlie."

Charlie nodded. She understood completely. It was something they didn't need to explain to each other.

"I asked if I could work with him on the trawler when I left school and he said yes," Joey added.

"Looks like we both get to follow our dreams," Charlie said.

"Well, I guess yours are a little more exciting than mine," Joey said shyly, looking down at the bedspread.

Charlie reached out to hold her hands tenderly. She shook her head.

"No dream is better than another," she insisted. "They're just different."

Joey smiled. Charlie always encouraged her. She never failed to make her happy and feel good about herself.

"And how are things with Zoe?" Charlie asked.

She knew she had to ask sometime, even if she didn't really want to know the answer. Every time she asked or thought about Joey and Zoe, it seemed to open up a can of worms in her head. She chewed the inside of her mouth as she prepared for Joey to get sappy and swoon over her girlfriend. Instead, Joey sighed and lay down on the bed beside Charlie. Charlie watched the movement and lay down on her side, leaning over her slightly.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Nothing," Joey said. "We're fine really. It's just… I'm tired of hiding."

"You want to come out?" Charlie asked.

Joey nodded.

"Now that things are really serious between us, I don't see why we have to keep things a secret, you know?"

Charlie ignored the stab of pain at the thought of how serious things were.

"I mean, we're exclusive, we have been for over a year, we're sleeping together," Joey said. "I'm getting a little tired of pretending that I'm an asexual teenager who just wants to hang out with her friend, you know?"

Charlie nodded and frowned.

"So um… is it everything you thought it would be?" she asked.

Joey looked at her quizzically and then realised what she was talking about.

"Very much so!" she giggled.

Charlie laughed.

"So, how's your love life?" Joey asked.

Charlie cleared her throat and turned away. Joey put a hand on her side and pulled her back quickly. Charlie nearly landed on her. There was a spark of electricity between them. They created a safe distance between them and continued their conversation.

"Who is he?" Joey asked.

"I've sort of, kind of started seeing someone," Charlie ventured.

"And again, I ask, who is he?"

"Angelo."

"The guy who's been after you since you started?" Joey asked. "You finally went out with him?"

She tried and failed not to be jealous, wondering what it was that wouldn't allow her to be happy whenever Charlie met someone.

"Yeah, I finally did. We had our first date at the beginning of November."

"And?"

"And we slept together."

"Charlie, you bad girl!" Joey giggled.

"I know," Charlie sighed. "I've slept with two people so far and they've been a one night stand and... whatever this is right now with Angelo. How terrible is that?"

"Well, technically you dated Roman for a week and I guess Angelo could become something, couldn't it?"

"I guess not. I mean, he's a great friend. I do get on really well with him."

"But?"

"But I'm not sure it's a long-term thing."

"Well, even if you don't think it'll last, maybe give it a chance for now," Joey suggested, all the while, wondering why.

Charlie nodded, considering it. Angelo was a good guy and she did care for him. And he really seemed to like her a lot.

"So, what happened since the date?" Joey enquired.

"We've slept together a few times," Charlie admitted. "Just kind of casual dating. It's not exactly been planned. It just kind of keeps... happening."

She sighed, frustrated that she had no idea what she wanted.

"Have you met anyone else other than him?" Joey asked.

"I had a drunken kiss a few weeks ago," Charlie admitted, thinking of Watson.

There was no way she was going to reveal a name or gender though, not even to Joey – especially not to Joey.

"Before the Angelo thing. The night before, actually."

"You really are badly behaved!" Joey giggled. "Are you being led astray?"

"You have no idea!" Charlie laughed, still thinking of Watson.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter Sixteen**

**January 2003**

Charlie sleepily answered the door, ready to grumble at whoever was knocking so early. Her bad mood dissolved when she saw Angelo standing there holding a single red rose. He beamed at her and leant forward to kiss her cheek. She smiled back at him and took his hand. Checking that Watson was still asleep, she allowed him to climb into her bed for a cuddle. They had been seeing each other exclusively since they had returned to school in the New Year and things were going well. Angelo treated her like a Princess. Charlie couldn't fault him. She felt bad the more she became aware of going through the motions with him. It wasn't fair. Charlie wanted to feel passionate about him but she didn't, she felt comfortable. She wanted him to be the love of her life, but he wasn't. He was a great friend who was cute enough that she didn't mind sleeping with him. Angelo didn't set her heart, soul and body on fire but he was nice. He made her laugh and he made her feel special and that was good enough. Between him and Watson, life at the academy had been lively and entertaining and it was nice to be so close to Jack. They hadn't been as close as they were now, back at home but here they had bonded. Charlie was also excelling in every aspect of her studies and gearing up to pass the year with flying colours. All her tutors had only good things to say and were encouraging her towards great things. Life was definitely a happy thing to live right now.

Joey and Paul arrived early on the trawler on Saturday morning, ready for half a day's work. Joey had settled into her weekend work routine nicely. The only downside was working with Robbo who made comments that made her skin crawl at every opportunity he could get away with. She supposed that was what life was like on a boat though and if she wanted to be a woman in a man's world, there were certain things she had to put up with. And besides, she was well aware that he would never become too inappropriate while her Dad was around. Joey may not have the best relationship with her father but he would stand up and defend her if it ever became necessary. Paul also had the power to sack Robbo at a moment's notice. That gave her an extra ounce of confidence.

Watson woke up and stretched. She immediately noticed Charlie and Angelo curled up together. She was certain he hadn't been there when she fell asleep the night before. Shrugging, she headed to the shower, puzzling as usual over Charlie. On the one hand, she seemed very happy with Angelo and on the other, Watson was certain it wasn't real. She still loved that Joey girl, that much was clear and Watson had no idea how someone could love two people at once. Still, it wasn't any of her business. Her role as roommate and friend was to support, not judge.

* * *

Finishing her shift, Joey headed home to shower and then hurried out to the Jukebox to meet up with her friends. Martha was working behind the bar, deep in conversation with Hugo. Hugo was Jack's cousin and had arrived in town at the beginning of the year with his little brother who had become best friends with Ruby instantly. Joey wasn't so keen on him and she wasn't sure why. There was just something about him that she couldn't put her finger on. Perhaps it was the fact that he mostly hung out with Brett and Robbo and that he seemed to leer over his cousin's girlfriend a little too much that put her off. Brett was also behind the bar and appeared to be trying to chat Leah up. She didn't look very happy about it. Joey hurried over to rescue her.

"Putting girls off their drinks, Brett?" she teased.

Brett scowled at her and moved away. Leah thanked her and Joey grinned. Martha and Hugo continued to talk further away along the bar. They hadn't even noticed Joey arrive. Joey and Leah exchanged glances.

"Hello, ladies," Aden said, approaching and putting his arms around both of them.

Joey leaned into him, smiling pleasantly. Zoe appeared behind him. Joey politely said hello and tried very hard not to greet her with any more enthusiasm that she would greet a normal friend. Nobody knew about them yet and while Joey was happy to spill the beans, Zoe was not and Joey had to obey the rules. Zoe smiled at her warmly. Joey returned the stifled affection. Joey's face fell when Robbo entered the bar. Saturdays were the worst day. She practically ended up attached to him. It was awful.

* * *

Charlie, Watson, Angelo and Jack sat down to their picnic in the park. They sat in a group and tucked into their lunch, which involved a bottle of wine of course. As soon as the bottle was finished, Watson declared a game of truth or dare and set the empty bottle as a spinner. Charlie protested at first, Jack remained quiet and Angelo was ready and willing. Finally, Charlie relented.

"I'll spin first," Watson declared.

It landed on Angelo.

"Truth or dare."

"Truth."

"Okay, I'll start you off easy," Watson said with a grin. "How old were you when you lost your virginity."

"I was a good boy," he told the group. "I waited until I was sixteen."

He had turned nineteen several months ago. He spun the bottle. It landed on Charlie. The glint in his eye told her that she didn't want to play anymore.

"Truth," she said.

"Have you ever done a Watson?" he asked.

"Have I ever done Watson?" Charlie said, alarmed and confused in equal measure.

"Done a Watson," Angelo clarified. "Kissed or done anything with a girl."

Charlie panicked. She wasn't ready to admit to anything but she was a terrible liar.

"No," she said weakly.

"Liar!" Angelo exploded.

Charlie looked fretfully at Watson who was unsure of how to help her.

"Okay, fine, I kissed Watson," Charlie admitted.

Watson grinned proudly.

"You did?" Jack said, suddenly interested.

"It was Halloween and it was a drunken experiment. No big deal."

"Now, I would have liked to have seen that," Angelo commented.

Charlie shoved him hard in the arm and then spun the bottle. It landed on Watson.

"Truth," Watson said.

A dare might involve moving around and she was full and tired from lunch.

"Have you ever slept with a guy?"

Watson shook her head.

"I never had the urge," she said.

She spun. It landed on Jack.

"Well, if everyone's done truth then I'll do it too," he said.

"Tell us a secret!" Watson ordered.

"Okay," he ventured, beginning to blush. "I'm thinking of asking Martha to marry me."

* * *

On Monday evening, Elsie hovered in the doorway of the kitchen, observing Ruby and Xavier eating dinner together. The blonde boy came round to eat with her youngest daughter every week now and they were as inseparable as Charlie and Joey were, as Elsie and Clara had been. She smiled to herself. It was nice to see strong friendships and emotional connections developing right in front of her. Nine year old Ruby was flourishing at school. She had gone from a happy baby to a happy school girl, always full of life and laughter. Ross appeared behind Elsie and slipped his arms around her waist. He kissed her cheek and she smiled at him.

* * *

Joey and Zoe walked along the beach hand in hand, enjoying precious alone time before Zoe's curfew called her home. Joey hadn't had to live by a curfew since her mother had died. Her father had never got the hang of discipline, control or love so she could basically do whatever she liked. She'd sneaked into Zoe's bedroom to spend the night with her on more than one occasion and expected to do it several times more.

"Zo…" Joey ventured.

She heard her girlfriend sigh, obviously aware of what she was going to say. It was a conversation they had had many times. Joey ploughed on anyway.

"Do you think we'll be able to come out any time soon?"

"Joey, you know that it's impossible," Zoe said. "Robbo would go mad if he thought you and I were together, if he thought I was dating any girl."

Joey was frustrated.

"You can't let him dictate your life, our life."

"You don't know him like I know him, Joey."

"I work with him and he's my brother's best mate. I know exactly what kind of creep he is," Joey told her. "But what's the worst he can do? I think we should just come out and tell the truth."

"He'd disown me, Jo. He'd get my parents to disown me. I'm not like you. I'm not strong. I can't live without my family."

"They'd get over it if you gave them some time," Joey insisted. "If you don't tell them then you're not even giving them an opportunity to be supportive if they want to be."

It was a debate they had been having for months and Joey never won. Sometimes she just wanted to give up on them altogether. She didn't want to keep hiding away. She was proud of who she was and the relationship she was in. She was tired of living in the darkness.

"Joey, I know you're frustrated but…"

She trailed off and the two girls stopped walking. Just ahead of them on the sand were the too distinct figures of Martha and Hugo making out. Joey and Zoe exchanged horrified looks and hurried away without disturbing them.

* * *

Charlie and Angelo stood in line for the cinema.

"I can't believe that Jack's going to propose to Martha," Charlie said.

"I know! That's so… grown up!" Angelo laughed.

Charlie smiled. Angelo suddenly looked serious and very worried. He turned to face her.

"You're not getting any ideas, are you?" he asked.

Charlie made a disgusted noise in her throat.

"No way!" she declared.

"Good!" Angelo said. "Because I really like you but…"

"Don't worry about that," Charlie assured him.

They moved further along the queue. Angelo suddenly furrowed his brow.

"Hey, what would be so terrible about marrying me?" he asked, looking wounded.

Charlie just rolled her eyes.

* * *

The following morning, before school, Joey woke early and headed to the cemetery. She needed to talk to her mother. Taking fresh flowers, she laid them down at the grave and sat cross-legged and wished her mother good morning.

"I miss you," she said. "I always miss you. I could really do with talking to you properly right now but this will have to do."

She sighed and fiddled with a blade of grass at her feet.

"You told me in your letter that I should always be proud of who I am and the more I read what you wrote, the more I know that you knew I was gay; the more I know you were letting me know that it was okay. I'm trying to do what you told me, Mum. I'm trying to be proud of myself, true to myself. But it's kind of hard when you're dating someone who won't do the same thing. You'd like Zoe. She's a nice girl. You'd say that about her. You'd say, 'that Zoe, she's such a _nice _girl'."

Joey smiled at the thought.

"I really care about her. I can hardly believe that we've been together for over two years now. But it's been two secret years. If people ever find out about us, it'll be like starting again because nobody will ever have known us as a couple before now. I'm trying to be patient, Mum. I'm trying to accept and understand the journey that Zoe's on and deal with the fact that it's different to mine but I want to come out. I want to stop hiding. I want to be brave and share who I really am with my friends and my family and I'm starting to resent her for not letting me do that. Is that wrong?"

She continued playing with the grass.

"And that's not the only problem. I hate admitting it. I can barely say it aloud but even after all this time, I'm still in love with Charlie. I hate myself for it but I can't help it."

She began to cry.

"I feel like I'm cheating on Zoe, even though I'm not. I feel so guilty about it and I don't know how to handle what I feel. Charlie's not even here and I never go a day without thinking about her, missing her and counting the days until she comes home. She'll be back for Easter and then there'll be one more term before she's back for good, hopefully, if she gets the placement at the local station that she wants. You'd be proud of how well she's doing, Mum."

Joey smiled through her tears.

"But you probably wouldn't be proud of me. I have a cheating heart, even if I don't have a cheating body. I want to be true to Zoe. I want to love her best but it's like Charlie claimed me before I was even born. I've loved her for my whole life and nobody, not even Zoe, who I am genuinely in love with, can take her place. How can you love two people at the same time? And is it wrong to be with the one you love second best?"


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter Seventeen**

**July 2003**

Joey was nervous when Ross pulled into the car park of the police academy. She had never been to see Charlie there before and she could hardly believe that the time had come around for her graduation. Joey had been very touched when Ross and Elsie had bought her a ticket to the ceremony without even asking her. It was a family event and the assumption was that all family members would attend. Joey was family.

"When will we see Charlie?" Ruby asked.

"We're going to see her now," her father promised.

The foursome got out of the car. Joey fussed with her clothes, hoping her suit wasn't too rumpled from the journey. She had never dressed up like this before. She was in black trousers, a white shirt and a black suit jacket. It was a far cry from her usual jeans and t-shirt. She felt ever so smart.

"Her room's this way," Elsie told her, remembering from a previous visit.

Joey followed the family towards the building, her excitement over seeing Charlie, mounting. And what was even more thrilling was that after the ceremony and the party afterwards, Charlie would be coming home with them to stay. She had her placement at the local police station all set up. Joey couldn't wait for her friend to come home, back where she belonged. Their year and a half apart had been strange, not to mention difficult and no amount of phone calls and emails made up for seeing each other every day.

* * *

Charlie and Watson were in their bedroom, admiring themselves and each other in their bright, shiny new uniforms. They were giddy with excitement at having made it through their studies, ready to unleash themselves on the criminal world at large.

"I'm really going to miss you," Charlie said.

Watson had been such a good friend to her, even if she was a little too honest and observant. Her roommate smiled.

"Don't start getting all sappy now," she said dismissively. "We'll keep in touch."

They were interrupted from any further discussion by a knock on the door. Charlie opened up and beamed when she saw her family standing there. She reached out to hug her mother.

"I'm so proud of you!" Elsie gushed.

Ross reached out to her.

"You really have gone beyond even my expectations, Charlie," he said.

Ruby nudged him out of the way and grabbed around Charlie's waist. Charlie stroked her hair, impressed that her little sister was willing to sit through a long graduation ceremony just because she was proud of her. She looked up and smiled at Joey who hugged her once Ruby had wandered further into the room and begun jumping on the bed. The girls held each other tightly and then Joey stepped back to admire her uniform. She nodded appreciatively, holding back a comment. Charlie caught it in the air between them and winked, grinning and feeling flattered.

"Wait till you see my cap," she teased.

Joey laughed and followed her into the room.

"Watson, this is my family," Charlie introduced. "This is my Dad, Ross Buckton, my Mum, Elsie, this is Joey, and this…"

She grabbed Ruby and snatched the laughing nine year old off the bed.

"… is my little sister, Ruby."

Watson politely shook hands with Charlie's parents and then Ruby, who was still giggling. She saved Joey for last. Charlie watched the interaction intently.

"I've heard a lot about you," her roommate said to her best friend.

Joey smiled and shook her hand, not quite sure she understood what she meant by her tone.

"When are your parents getting here?" Charlie asked quickly and loudly.

There was another knock at the door and Watson's parents and older sister poked their head round the door, looking cheerful.

"Right about now!" Watson said, heading over to greet them.

* * *

The ceremony was long over and Ross, Elsie, Ruby and Joey didn't think they could have been prouder than when Charlie got her moment on the stage. Now they were mingling with Charlie and her friends and her friends' families at the graduation party set up by the academy. Watson approached Joey and offered her a glass of wine that technically she wasn't old enough to drink.

"I won't tell anyone if you don't," Watson said with a wink, catching Joey's uncertain look.

"And you, a qualified cop," Joey teased.

They moved to sit on some nearby chairs.

"Congratulations, by the way," Joey said.

"Thank you. I bet you're pretty proud of Charlie, hey?"

"Oh yeah! She's wanted this since she was younger than Ruby," Joey said.

Watson observed the way Joey's eyes lit up the moment she started talking about Charlie. She'd seen the look in Charlie's eyes whenever she talked about Joey too. It was definitely confirmation that the obvious love on Charlie's side was reciprocated.

"It was amazing to see her up there, knowing how hard she's worked," Joey continued. "I don't think I could be prouder."

Watson smiled.

"She thinks a lot of you, you know," she ventured, aware that she couldn't share too much.

Part of her was screaming not to interfere but a stronger part wanted her friend to be happy and Charlie was obviously incapable of making that happen for herself. Angelo was a great guy but he wasn't right for her. Charlie was fond, of course, but she didn't love him, not like she loved Joey. And Joey clearly returned her feelings. It was blindingly obvious to Watson that they should be together. The girls needed their heads knocking together or something!

"You think?" Joey asked.

She looked through the crowd, easily able to locate Charlie, even though she was on the other side of the room. She tried not to let her expression falter when she found her talking to Angelo, her boyfriend, leaning into him and resting a hand on his shoulder.

"Of course!" Watson said.

Joey turned back to her.

"She hasn't stopped talking about you since I met her," Charlie's roommate revealed. "And she keeps your picture on her bedside table."

Joey couldn't help but feel pleased. She personally had two photographs on her bed side table. One was of her and Charlie and one was of her and Zoe but what nobody knew was that it was Charlie's picture she said goodnight to before she went to sleep.

"You mean the world to her, Joey," Watson said seriously.

"She means the world to me."

* * *

"Are you serious?" Charlie exclaimed.

She could hardly believe her ears but from the way that Angelo was smiling at her so adoringly, she knew he wasn't joking around.

"I'm totally serious," he said. "I'm moving to your hometown. I managed to switch my placement to your station."

She continued to stare at him, keeping a smile plastered on her face. She wasn't sure how she felt about it. Up until tonight, she and Angelo had agreed that as much as they cared about each other, because they were being posted in different places, they should call it a day. Now, everything was turned on its head. He was following her home; they were staying together.

"I just can't bear to be without you, Charlie," Angelo said.

He cupped her face and leant in to kiss her mouth.

"I'm falling in love with you."

He gazed at her. Both of them were painfully aware that she hadn't said it back. She hadn't said anything back. She swallowed, feeling awkward. He let go of her face, fighting feelings of rejection and hurt. He wasn't blind and he wasn't and idiot. It had been clear from day one that he liked Charlie more than she liked him but he didn't care. She would grow to love him, even if she couldn't love him now.

"It's okay if you don't feel the same," he said softly.

"I really, really like you," she tried.

He smiled and kissed her again.

"That's good enough for me," he told her. "And you're happy about me coming?"

She nodded and hugged him.

"Of course I am," she said, although she wasn't certain that it was the truth.

* * *

"Hey, stranger," Watson said.

Charlie smiled. She really was going to miss her friend, although Watson refused to let her get emotional about the fact.

"Sorry," Charlie apologised. "There have just been so many people to say goodbye to."

"It's fine. I've been keeping Joey company."

Charlie was instantly worried. She was well aware of Watson's opinion of Joey. She was convinced that Charlie needed to dump Angelo and Joey needed to dump Zoe and the two of them needed to go skipping off into the sunset. She made no secret of this in front of Charlie, who just hoped she had kept it to herself in front of Joey. She sat down beside her lifelong best friend who looked a little pink.

"We've been having a great time," Joey giggled.

Charlie smelled alcohol on her breath. She looked at Watson sharply.

"Have you been giving her wine?" she demanded.

"Just a little," Watson admitted.

"She's seventeen."

"I'm fine."

"She only had a couple of glasses!"

Joey grinned. It had gone to her head pretty quickly. Charlie tutted and put her arm around the younger girl, wanting to keep her safe. Joey didn't even bother to hide the fact that her stare had landed right at Charlie's cleavage. Watson noticed too and raised her eyebrows. She stood up.

"Oh yeah, completely platonic," she said. "I believe you now."

"Watson!" Charlie hissed.

She glanced at Joey who was oblivious to everything and gazing around the room.

"And those pictures so didn't do her justice," Watson teased.

Joey glanced up at Watson, utterly confused.

"Did you speak to your boyfriend by the way?" Watson asked Charlie.

"Stupid boyfriend," Joey grumbled.

Charlie thought her head was going to explode. Joey settled her eyes back on Charlie's cleavage again.

"Yeah, I did," Charlie said. "Did you know he got a transfer?"

"Yep. And I'm coming too!"

"What?"

"Well, I wasn't going to be the only one of us not in the same town, was I? Face it, babe, you're stuck with me for a lifetime."

"And me," Joey mumbled.

Charlie tightened her grip around her friend.

* * *

It was late by the time the group got into the car and headed back home. Charlie said a surprisingly tearful goodbye to her room and campus and hugged Watson and Angelo and said that she would see them when they arrived in a week's time. She decided to sit in the middle seat, between a sleeping Ruby and a nearly sleeping Joey. She gazed affectionately at her friend. Two glasses of wine and she'd turned pink, giggled uncontrollably and made several comments and gestures that she never would have made in 'real life'. Charlie was focussing on finding it funny but it was yet another thing that served to confuse her more. Judging by Joey's behaviour tonight, she thought Angelo was stupid, she liked Charlie's boobs, and she loved Charlie 'the best in the whole world'. She'd fortunately declared that after Watson had departed or Charlie would never have heard the end of it. Stroking Joey's face, she smiled at her and then turned her attention back to her parents, who were fortunately oblivious to the whole thing.

* * *

Martha sat quietly in the back of Tony's car. He was driving, Kate was in front, Lucas was beside her listening to his earphones, bored of his family after such a long day with them. Jack was on her other side, holding her hand. She studied his face as he looked out the window, watching the cars, the lights and the world whiz by. He was still the most beautiful man she had ever met and she still loved him so much. She looked away when his cousin entered her thoughts. She focussed on hers and Jack's entwined hands. Hugo would be driving the other car right now. His mother, Gina would be beside him and his little brother Xavier would be in the back with Aden. They had decided that the day would be too much for Brendan and paid for an extra day with his one to one support worker so that they knew he would be happy and safe while away from them. When Hugo had arrived in town, Martha had been in the throes of missing Jack. They were so similar and Hugo had so many stories about Jack before he'd moved to town. She felt connected to Hugo in an overwhelmingly powerful way and it had got out of control. One night, during a walk along the beach, which she'd known from the start was a bad idea, Hugo had confessed his feelings of attraction and guilt. He'd been so broken and she'd been so confused. The next thing she knew, they were kissing. That had been six months ago and while they had both tried to stop it, an affair had started. She'd ended it a week ago, knowing that Jack would be coming home and that she wanted to be with him and nobody else but being away from Hugo had been hell. He'd accepted it gracefully, saying that he always knew he was second best but they were both hurting and they both felt terribly guilty. And Jack, poor, innocent Jack, remained oblivious. She sighed without thinking and leaned her head back against the head rest. Noticing, Jack leaned over to her.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" he asked tenderly.

She opened her eyes again and smiled.

"I'm just tired," she said. "It's been a long day."

He kissed her once on the lips and then returned to window gazing, contemplating the day, the last year and what their future might hold.

* * *

Joey woke up feeling heavy. She blinked several times and realised that she was neither in her own bed nor in Zoe's but she recognised the room immediately. She looked up when the door opened. Charlie returned to the room in a towel, presumably having showered. She smiled cheerfully.

"Now this is a turn around," she said, "Me being the awake one and you being sleepy. But then, _someone_ got a little tipsy last night."

Joey turned crimson.

"Why did you let me drink wine?" she asked.

"You downed it before I got there!" Charlie protested. "Blame Watson, not me."

"I thought she was meant to be an upstanding member of society," Joey grumbled.

Charlie laughed and came to sit beside her.

"I can't believe you got so giggly over two glasses," she said.

Joey pouted.

"I'm not used to it!" she said defensively.

"I'll go get you a cup of tea," Charlie said affectionately.

She stood and then realised that she was still in a towel.

"After I get dressed."

Joey politely closed her eyes as Charlie turned away and stripped off, throwing on underwear, shorts and a tight vest top.

"You can open up now," Charlie said with a smirk.

When Joey did, she was not above checking her friend out as she left the room. Zoe quickly flashed in her brain and she felt bad. She hadn't called her at all the night before. She hadn't even thought about her. And she knew she'd go mad if she knew she'd crashed at Charlie's place but she also knew she couldn't lie. She told herself harshly that looking at other women while in a relationship was not okay, even women who looked like Charlie – especially ones who looked like Charlie. She buried her head in the pillow. Maybe her friend coming home wasn't going to be as amazing as she thought. Maybe it was just going to make a complicated situation worse.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Charlie and Jack drove out to the shopping centre to hit the jewellery shops to find the perfect engagement ring for Martha. Jack had taken out a credit card in order to buy it and even at this stage, he felt sick with nerves. Charlie was a constant presence of reassurance. She was certain that Martha would accept his proposal. While she hadn't spent much time with her over the last year and a half, to her, Jack and Martha were the epitome of love and she believed they would be together forever.

* * *

Joey, Aden and Zoe were sitting at Crumble together side by side and all three were feeling awkward. Aden's detected the distinct smell of a domestic coming on and he began to make his excuses. They ignored him. He wondered if it would be rude to just leave.

"So, you slept in her bed?" Zoe asked, glaring at Joey.

"We've always shared a bed," Joey protested. "Since we were kids."

"You're not kids anymore!" Zoe snapped.

"But… if you just lie side by side with someone… not touching or anything… It was just practical, Zoe. It didn't mean anything."

"Your house is across the street!"

Aden looked helplessly at the door. These two were a nightmare these days and he was in the unfortunate position of understanding both sides. Joey did love Charlie. She always had. It was natural for Zoe to be paranoid about it. But on the other hand, Joey would never do anything about it and she also loved Zoe very much and wanted nothing more than to be a good, faithful, loving girlfriend and Zoe was making that very hard. Sometimes he wondered why they stayed together. That plus the fact that they couldn't agree on whether to tell people they were together or not, indicated that they were no longer love's young dream.

"I was half asleep," Joey said. "Watson gave me wine, I got a little tipsy and I was tired. Elsie and Charlie just thought me staying over was the most practical solution."

"Who the fuck is Watson?" Zoe shouted.

She blanched when people looked round at her and lowered her voice again.

"Look, that doesn't matter. But, is this how it's going to be? You living as Charlie's little lapdog again and me playing second fiddle?"

"No!" Joey insisted. "Charlie and I are best friends but…"

"But?"

"But I love you, Zoe," Joey said, keeping her voice quiet so that any eavesdroppers were disappointed.

Aden continued to look for an escape. His attention was suddenly captured by a beautiful girl walking in. She was a vision of perfection. His jaw dropped. She looked at him and smiled. He flushed, embarrassed. She continued on her way behind the counter and was greeted by Leah.

"Do you know how hard this is for me?" Zoe asked. "Knowing that you love someone else?"

"I don't… I'm not in love with Charlie."

"I don't believe you."

"I might have had feelings for her once," Joey admitted. "But I'm completely committed to you, Zoe. You know that. Why can't you trust me?"

Aden took a deep breath and escaped the table, heading to the counter where the new girl was serving customers cheerfully.

"I've never given you a reason to doubt me," Joey continued.

Neither girl had noticed their friend's departure.

"I've never been unfaithful; I've never treated you badly."

She reached for Zoe's hand.

"But Charlie and I are friends. We'll always be friends and we will spend time together. I might end up crashing at her place sometimes but nothing, not one thing would ever happen between us. That's not how our relationship works. Please, can you just let this go; trust me like I trust you? I don't get bent out of shape when you spend time with your friends, do I? I don't get paranoid when you go back to spend weekends with your mates from boarding school, even though one of the girls is your ex. And I don't get upset because I trust you."

Zoe took Joey's words in. She thought back to the near misses she'd had with her ex-girlfriend since she'd been with Joey and then hurried to block them out. Maybe that's why she was so paranoid. When something had started once, she wondered if it would ever be truly over.

"Okay," she said softly.

She was suddenly aware that they were holding hands in public and had been talking loudly. She glanced nervously around them and drew her hand away. Joey sighed and looked down, dropped her hand in her lap, the moment ruined. She brightened when Zoe caught her hand under the table.

"I'll get over it," Zoe promised.

"Thank you."

* * *

Aden felt jittery as he leant against the counter, having just about managed to strike up a conversation with the new girl, Belle. She had just arrived in town and would be starting at the high school in September but wanted to raise some extra cash over the holidays and this was her first day at Crumble. Now Aden was making every effort to keep the conversation going but he knew he was struggling and putting far too much pressure on himself to be funny, witty and charming.

"Well, I guess I'd better leave you to it," he said shyly, aware that she had waiting customers.

She nodded, still smiling at him.

"It was great to meet you, Aden."

He began to walk away and then turned back.

"There's a party tonight," he said. "A couple of friends of ours are home from a year away on cop training and we're all going to the Juke to welcome them home. Would you like to come?"

"I'd love to."

"Great! Well, it starts at eight. See you there?"

"Looking look forward to it," Belle replied.

* * *

"Guess what!" Charlie said joyfully, bounding towards Joey.

"What?"

It was nine o'clock and the party was buzzing. It felt so good to be home. Charlie couldn't stop smiling. Joey was intrigued.

"Dad just gave me my graduation present, which was a promise of the cash to hire a boat for a whole weekend and you, my friend, get to sail it. We are going on holiday!"

"That's awesome!" Joey enthused.

The girls gripped each others' arms and jumped up and down.

"This will be so cool!" Charlie said. "We can have a proper catch up, away from other people and distractions. We can really spend some time together."

Joey's face suddenly fell. Charlie worried.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing. It's just…"

She glanced over at Zoe who was talking to Aden.

"She won't want you to go?" Charlie asked.

Her voice sounded hollow. Joey hated the look of disappointment on her face.

"No, I'm sure it'll be fine," Joey said.

She plastered a smile on her face. This was exactly what she and Zoe had talked about earlier that day. She should be allowed to spend time with Charlie and that included a weekend on a boat. It was about trust. She nodded and squeezed Charlie's arms, which she was still holding.

"I'll make it work," she promised.

Charlie looked elated.

"Do you want to go this weekend?" she asked. "I'm starting work on Monday. I've only got a week to myself so it'd be good to go before I start. What do you think?"

"Count me in!"

* * *

"Why are you looking at the door so much?" Zoe asked.

She studied Aden curiously and noticed suddenly that he was dressed a lot smarter than he would normally be and he'd even put product in his hair.

"Are you expecting someone?" she asked curiously.

"It's not that much of a shock!" he snapped.

He continued staring at the door, hoping that Belle would magically appear any second, ignoring Zoe's probing questions. Zoe quickly got bored of the silence. Her attention was captivated by Joey and Charlie looking positively giddy about something. She frowned and told herself repeatedly to not be paranoid.

* * *

Something didn't feel right to Jack and he couldn't put his finger on what it was. All dressed up with the ring in his pocket, tonight was meant to be the night he proposed to Martha but she was so distracted and jumpy that he'd quickly decided against it. He needed to decipher the problem first. Had they been apart too long for them to fit together anymore? He'd assumed that when he got back, things would return to normal, like they had always been but now he wondered if he had just been naïve. Each time he had managed to come home, everything had been perfect. When Martha had come to stay for his and then her birthday, everything had been great then too. Last Easter, she had been extremely attentive and loving but something had definitely been different. And now everything was strange. She was distant and distracted. Something was obviously very wrong. Sighing, he headed over to talk to Hugo. He was pleased that his cousins and aunt had followed them to town. As kids, he and Hugo had been inseparable and it would be great to strike up a friendship with him again. He'd missed him. They'd been best friends.

* * *

Half an hour later, Aden's eyes lit up when Belle glided through the door. He nearly fell off his chair as he sprang to life and bounded over. Joey and Zoe exchanged amused glances. The girls looked at each other. Zoe was torn between wanting to ask about the interaction between her and Charlie and not wanting to know. Joey decided to wait until the morning to tell Zoe about the boat trip.

* * *

"So you're the other person this party's in aid of," Hugo said, approaching Charlie.

"Oh, hi, yeah, I'm Charlie," she said. "I don't think we actually met at the graduation."

"No, we didn't. It's a shame."

She smiled and began to walk towards Joey and Zoe.

"Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night?" Hugo asked.

She paused and turned back to him, feeling awkward.

"I don't think my boyfriend would be too thrilled with the idea," she said.

"Well, he's not here right now, is he?"

"No, but he will be next week," she told him firmly.

"So, we get a week together."

Charlie decided that as lovely as Jack was, she did not like his cousin.

"No," she said. "We really don't."


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter Eighteen**

**July 2003**

Zoe kissed Joey possessively as they stood on the dock, largely for Charlie's benefit. If she was stealing Joey away for a sailing weekend then Zoe was going to make damn sure that Joey remembered who she was for the entire trip. Taken aback, Joey took a few moments to melt into the kiss. Eventually pulling away, she kept her hands on Zoe's hips.

"It's just a weekend," she teased. "We can cope. And besides, you're going to see your friends. You won't even miss me."

"Of course I'll miss you!" Zoe replied. "You'd better miss me."

"I will."

She kissed Zoe one more time and then joined Charlie on deck. It was the most public display of affection she had ever received. If she didn't think it was born out of jealousy, she would have been thrilled.

"Ready?" she asked Charlie.

"Let's get this show on the road!"

* * *

Charlie approached Joey at the wheel, observing how hard she concentrated and how happy and at home she seemed. She set a can of coke from their large supply box in front of her and Joey smiled gratefully.

"It's a shame we haven't got longer. We could have really had an adventure," Joey said.

Charlie heaved herself into a chair.

"Judging by that glint in your eye, I think we're probably safer having less time," she replied.

Joey laughed and looked at the world around them. She could see nothing but beautiful blue. Killing the engine, she turned to Charlie and opened her drink.

"You might have a point," she agreed.

* * *

It had been a beautiful afternoon of diving, laughing, talking and eventually eating dinner. Now, the girls were lounging on deck, watching the sunset.

"Now, if I open this, will you behave yourself?" Charlie asked, eyeing her friend.

She pulled out a bottle of wine. Joey giggled.

"Maybe I won't drink it so fast this time," she decided.

Charlie got to her feet and rummaged around in their belongings for a corkscrew and glasses so that she could pour the wine.

"And don't tell my Dad!" she called back to Joey.

"I swear!" Joey promised.

She lay back on her bench and watched the clouds drift by, turned pink from the sun. She listened to the water around them and decided that if such a thing as Heaven existed, this must be it. Charlie handed her a tumbler of wine.

"Classy!" Joey smirked.

"Look, it was hard enough to sneak the wine bottles past my mother, let alone something to drink them in, okay?" Charlie said, coming to sit beside her, near her head.

She sipped her wine and then decided she was uncomfortable. Spying the pillow beneath Joey's head, she grinned and made a grabbed for it.

"Hey!" Joey protested.

Charlie slung it behind her back and made herself comfortable with a very self satisfied smile. Joey instantly began sulking. She looked around.

"You know there's another one right over there," she said.

"Go get it then," Charlie said, returning her gaze to the sky.

"Why didn't you?"

"Because yours was so much closer."

Joey was amused at the teasing tone of Charlie's voice. It made her feel like a kid again, squabbling over wiggle room in bed or space on the sofa and indeed, cushions. She contemplated getting the pillow but couldn't be bothered to move. Instead, she moved to rest her head on Charlie's lap.

"You steal my pillow, I steal your legs," she said firmly.

Charlie grinned. She didn't mind. Having Joey curl up against her felt like the most natural thing in the world. She tried to shake the thought away and picture Angelo's face. So swept up in her excitement about going away with Joey, she hadn't even remembered to call him and say she'd be unavailable for a few days. Her guilt was momentary. Right now, she just wanted to forget about the world and enjoy herself. She looked back down at Joey and eased her hair out from where it had fallen across her face. Joey smiled up at her.

"I'm so glad we had the chance to come out here," Joey said. "I can't even begin to tell you how much I've missed you."

"Oh, come on, you've hardly noticed my absence," Charlie said. "You've been so busy!"

She raised her eyebrows, clearly referring to Zoe. Joey shrugged.

"It doesn't matter how busy I am," she said seriously. "I still miss you."

Charlie felt so touched that she couldn't even make a joke.

"I've missed you too," she replied.

Joey smiled at her and attempted to sip her wine without getting up.

"You spill, you die," Charlie warned.

"I'll be careful," Joey said dismissively.

She spilt. The wine trickled down her cheek and straight onto Charlie's leg. Charlie groaned.

"Oops," Joey said.

She sat up and reached for a cloth.

"Yeah, because we couldn't have seen that coming," Charlie complained.

Joey wiped up the wet patch and lay back down again, this time lifting her head a little higher to sip her drink. She spilt again.

"Do you ever learn?" Charlie asked, exasperated.

"Sorry," Joey sighed, not sounding very sorry at all.

She moved to clean up again.

"Oh, just leave it," Charlie said, using the cloth on Joey's cheek. "I have a feeling it's not the last time."

"You're catching on!"

"Shame you aren't!"

* * *

As the sun set and darkness fell, Charlie and Joey remained in the same position, deep in conversation.

"So, if you're unhappy about him coming to town, why haven't you said anything?" Joey wanted to know.

Charlie sighed heavily.

"I'm not unhappy," she said. "I'm just not... happy."

"Do I need to go buy a special dictionary?" Joey teased.

Charlie laughed.

"Oh, you know what I mean. It's not that I'm devastated that he's coming here. It's just that I didn't expect him to. I thought after graduation, we'd go our separate ways and we'd be over, like we talked about. Then he just sprung this new plan on me without any warning."

"Maybe he thought it would be a romantic surprise?"

"I know. And I feel awful for not receiving it that way. I just..."

"Don't want to be with him?"

Charlie looked around at anything but Joey.

"No," she sighed. "I don't."

"You do realise that when you start dating someone, you don't have to have some big dramatic reason to leave them, right? He doesn't have to cheat on you or bully you or anything like that. You can just fall out of love, break up and move on."

"You'd have to fall in love in order to fall out it, Joey," Charlie said sadly. "I'm starting to think I'm incapable of such an emotion."

Joey sat up and put her second glass of wine down. She looked into Charlie's sad eyes.

"Hey, you're the most loving person I've ever met, Charlie Buckton," she said. "You're not incapable. You just haven't met the right person yet."

"Like you have?" Charlie asked.

Joey looked away. She was beginning to question more and more these days whether Zoe was the one or not. She was lovely, funny and good looking. On the surface she was everything Joey could possibly want but whether Joey was innocent or not, Zoe was jealous and possessive enough to always think her guilty. She didn't even know her history with Charlie; Joey had never told her about the kisses they'd shared in their deep, dark past, beginning on a boat much like this one, and yet she was always suspicious. And she was hiding and ashamed of herself and their relationship too. Joey didn't know which issue was harder to deal with.

"I guess," she said.

"You don't sound so sure," Charlie said, surprised.

From the way Joey and Zoe always acted around each other, they always appeared perfectly happy. She knew that Joey had issues with staying in the closet when she wanted to be free and out in the world but aside from that, she thought things were going well.

"I do love her," Joey said. "And I know she loves me but these days, I guess I find myself wondering if it's going to last. And if it's not going to last, maybe we should just cut our losses and get out now."

"Is it the hiding thing?" Charlie asked.

"Partly," Joey said. "But also, she's kind of possessive and I find that hard to handle sometimes. I've always been honest with her. I don't think I've given her a reason to doubt me. I hope I haven't anyway. But she doesn't trust me. And she hates us."

"Us?"

"Our friendship. I guess because it means so much to me, she thinks it means more than she and I do."

They looked at each other.

"I guess it does," Joey admitted.

Neither girl knew what to do with the honesty. Joey internally panicked that she had said too much but Charlie found her hand and held it, calming and reassuring her. They shared a smile.

"What did you put in this wine?" Joey cracked.

She finished the glass quickly.

"Joey," Charlie warned. "You're meant to drink slowly, remember?"

"Oh, I'm fine," Joey said, although her head was buzzing a little.

"I don't want you getting all giggly and sleepy on me," Charlie said. "Although the giggling was cute."

"Did I stare at your boobs a lot?" Joey wondered aloud, before she'd really thought the question through.

She coloured and her eyes widened. Charlie snorted with laughter.

"Maybe a little."

"Sorry about that," Joey said meekly.

"It's fine."

"In my defence, they were right there!" Joey added.

Joey reached for the bottle and poured out another glass for herself, using the rest to top up Charlie's.

* * *

It was two in the morning before they were sleepy and decided to wobble to bed. Joey was decidedly tipsy, but only recognised it when she tried to get up and felt dizzy. Charlie, who was much more sober, took hold of her and guided her into their room. Both undressed into their pyjamas with little care for privacy and climbed into bed. When Ross had booked the boat, he hadn't considered whether they would want separate rooms or not. He'd based his decision on the fact that since they were tiny, they had shared. Neither girl minded but Joey had decided not to mention it to Zoe unless she asked, which was highly likely.

"Good night," Joey said, a little louder than she'd intended.

She rolled over to face her friend.

"Good night, Joey," Charlie said softly.

Without thinking it through, both girls leant forward and placed a gentle kiss on each other's mouth. It was innocent enough. It didn't last longer than a couple of seconds and it didn't develop but sent a jolt of feeling through both of them. They hurriedly said goodnight again and turned to face away from each other for the rest of the night.

* * *

The following morning, Joey didn't feel too well. Despite it being self inflicted, Charlie took pity on her and presented her with breakfast in bed. She crawled on top of the blankets next to her.

"I don't think wine likes me very much," Joey concluded.

Charlie grinned.

"You'd better perk up, Missy. You've got a lot of work to do. I can't sail this boat alone... or at all."

Joey nodded and sipped her orange juice.

"I'll be fine any minute now. And by the way, I hold you entirely responsible."

"Me?"

"I wouldn't have drunk the wine if you hadn't provided it. Plus, I'm not eighteen yet. You're the responsible adult here."

"Hey, consider it a lesson in building up resilience! And twenty is not responsible."

"If you say so, Constable Buckton."

Charlie climbed off the bed, poking her tongue out and announcing that she was heading for a shower.

* * *

"So, how are you feeling about starting work?" Joey asked over lunch that afternoon.

"Grateful that Dad's promised we'll have little to do with each other!" Charlie replied.

"Strange how we're both following in our fathers' footsteps," Joey mused, poking her salad with a fork.

Charlie nodded. She hadn't really thought about it that way before.

"Yeah, I guess it is," she said.

Their relationship with their fathers was yet another thing they had in common.

"How are things with your Dad these days?" Charlie asked.

Joey smiled.

"We get on a heap better now," she informed her happily. "I work on the boat with him every Saturday. He pays me and everything and I'm starting to feel like a proper crew member. The holidays are going to be incredible, getting to work out on the sea every day. All I need is for Robbo to fall overboard and get eaten by a shark and life would be perfect."

Charlie giggled and sipped her juice.

"He's still a jerk, I take it?"

"I swear that guy gets worse every day. I almost wish I could tell him that I was doing his sister just so I bask in the look on his face."

Charlie snorted, making Joey laugh.

"I've missed the snort."

"Shut up! I managed a whole year and a half away laughing with dignity, I'll have you know! And when Watson and Angelo come to live here, it'll continue that way."

"Watson's coming too?"

"Oh, didn't I say? Yeah, she decided she didn't want to be the only one out of our little group of four that wasn't in the same station so she sneaked in at the last minute. I'm really excited actually. She's awesome."

"Yeah, she was pretty funny at your graduation."

Charlie had a sudden image of Watson making a play for Joey. She brushed the thought from her mind. There was no way Watson would do that knowing how Charlie felt about her. _That she's your best friend and nothing else,_ Charlie reminded herself quickly.

"Yeah, that's pretty much how she is all the time," Charlie said. "And she's about as subtle as a brick through the window, tearing the whole way through the house and then smashing the other windows round the back."

"Yeah, I kind of got that feeling," Joey said. "But it's cool. It's refreshing. The town needs a bit of a shake-up."

"Oh, speaking of shake ups, I'm totally not supposed to tell anyone but you don't count..."

"Thanks!"

"It's a compliment," Charlie insisted. "Jack's going to propose to Martha!"

Joey looked awkward. Charlie narrowed her eyes, wondering why she wasn't thrilled.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing! That's great! It's great news!" Joey said, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"I helped him pick the ring out and everything. I was expecting him to do it at the welcome home party but... Seriously, what's the matter?"

Joey sighed.

"Joey?"

"I think Martha and Hugo have been..."

She made a rude gesture that could only have meant intercourse. Charlie dropped her fork.

"Martha? And Jack's cousin? No way! You must have it wrong, Joey."

"I saw them kissing in January."

"January?" Charlie shrieked.

Joey nodded.

"Well, maybe it was just a one-off."

"I saw them..."

She made the gesture again.

"Last week."

Charlie's heart sank.

"Do they know you know?" she asked.

Joey shook her head.

"Does anyone else know?"

"Zoe. She was with me. We were sneaking behind the Juke to..."

She lifted her hands and then decided the gesture was no longer appropriate. She dropped them back onto the table. Charlie was grateful.

"And they'd got there first."

Charlie's mind was reeling. She felt awful for Jack.

"But I'm sure now Jack's home it'll be over," Joey said brightly.

"It doesn't matter. She cheated on him, Joey."

"Don't you dare open your mouth, Charlie," Joey warned.

"He has to know!"

"It's not our place to interfere."

Charlie hated being caught in such moral dilemmas. They gave her tummy ache. She pushed her plate away.

"Poor Jack," she sighed.

* * *

A few hours had passed and the girls were sunbathing on deck, enjoying soaking up the sun.

"Joey, promise me something," Charlie said.

"Shoot."

"If you ever spot Angelo or anything other future partner of mine cheating, you tell me immediately."

"Are you sure you wouldn't want to live in ignorance?"

"Would you?"

Joey propped herself up on her elbows, pondering the question. She wondered how she would feel if Zoe cheated on her. It would hurt like hell. Did she really want that kind of pain? But then, if she found out by some accident, then wouldn't that be worse? Wouldn't it be better if Charlie sat her down and told her kindly, perhaps with a plate of cookies?

"I guess not," she finally said, lying back down again.

"So, you promise to warn me?" Charlie asked.

"I promise. And you me?"

"Deal."

"How would you know I wasn't lying?" Joey wanted to know.

"I'd trust you with my life, Joey. I know you wouldn't lie to me."

* * *

Night had fallen and both Charlie and Joey were feeling that the weekend was too short. Two nights away wasn't long enough, especially considering they had reached their second night. They were determined to make it last. Most of their discussion had been focussed on the past, reminiscing about the good times and the bad.

"I still talk to her all the time," Joey said. "Is that weird?"

They had got onto the subject of Clara. Joey felt like Charlie was the only one she could really talk to about her mother. Her father and brother refused to say her name. It was too hard to mention her. Elsie was happy to talk but both of them ended up teary. And while Zoe was the person that Joey shared most with on a daily basis, she had never known Clara and so didn't really understand.

"Of course it's not weird," Charlie said. "I imagine you'll talk to her forever."

"I go and put fresh flowers on her grave every week and I stop and chat. I don't really talk about her, which is probably rude, but I tell her everything that I'm feeling about life, you know? Somehow it feels like she still understands. And the more I read the letter she left me, the more certain I am that she knew I was gay and was telling me that it was okay."

"That's the impression I got too," Charlie said. "She was accepting you without freaking you out and pushing you before you were ready – in the way only she could get away with!"

"She was a pretty special lady."

"With a pretty special daughter."

Joey blushed. She looked down at her hands. She had never rated her looks before but ever since her mother had passed away and she'd realised how much she looked like her, she'd been grateful for them. She didn't think she would ever feel like the prettiest girl in the world but she looked like her Mum and that was good enough for her.

"What's Brett up to these days?" Charlie asked.

"Why? Thinking of dumping Angelo for _him_?" Joey teased.

"No!" she said quickly. "Are you ever going to forgive me for that?"

"I haven't decided yet," Joey said with mock seriousness.

Joey had been horrified when Charlie and Brett had got together, especially as it had been right after the first time they'd kissed. If Charlie was being honest, it was a complete knee jerk reaction. She wondered if Joey had figured that out yet. Looking at her relationship with Angelo, Charlie realised she had never grown out of that pattern of behaviour. She'd had sex with Angelo on that first date with Joey's face and Watson's words charging through her brain. She'd been trying to push them out and away from her.

"He's cranky," Joey said by way of informing her friend what her brother was up to. "Things have shifted at home. He isn't the golden boy anymore. I'm the golden girl and he hates it. He's working at the Jukebox and Dad doesn't understand why. I don't really get it either. He said he wanted to leave the business to follow his dreams but being a barman isn't his dream any more than being a fisherman is so it doesn't make sense. So he's pretty much storming around and making a nuisance of himself. He brings home a different girl several times a week, gets more and more unpleasant the more time he spends hanging out with Robbo and is in a permanent bad mood. Other than that, he's peachy."

"The eternal optimist!" Charlie laughed.

"Charlie, why did you date him?" Joey asked seriously.

She shifted in her seat and looked directly into her friend's eyes. It had been bothering her for years and they had never talked about it. They had never talked about several important things. Right now, out on the ocean, feeling so comfortable and close to each other felt like the perfect time. Charlie looked away and then looked back at her.

"I don't know," she shrugged.

"Was it because we kissed?" Joey asked, hoping she didn't sound arrogant.

Charlie bit her lip hard. She could taste blood. She couldn't speak.

"Charlie?"

"I guess it was," Charlie admitted. "It freaked me out. Obviously. You already know that. You were there."

She blushed. Joey maintained eye contact.

"Do you ever think about it?" she asked.

Her heart was racing. She knew she was on thin ice. She didn't think they should be talking about it at all but part of her desperately wanted to. Charlie fidgeted and looked away, out to sea. Joey listened to her breathing. Finally, Charlie looked back at her.

"Sometimes," she admitted. "Do you?"

"Sometimes."

"What do you think?"

Now it was Joey's turn to shrug and look away. She'd thought about how amazing it was. She'd thought about how much it meant to her. She'd thought about how no amount of kisses from anybody in the whole world could be better than the two kisses she had been lucky enough to share with Charlie. She'd thought a million times in the past how much she'd love to do it again. But she couldn't say that now. She wouldn't.

"I don't know," she said. "I wonder what it meant sometimes, I guess. I spent a lot of time fretting that it would damage us."

"You don't worry about that now, do you?"

Joey shook her head.

"I know we're over it," Joey said. "Nothing can break us."

Charlie smiled. She felt a twinge of sadness, thinking that Joey meant she was over her. She wondered if Joey had ever really loved her at all. Sometimes she thought she had and sometimes she wondered if it was all in her head. They sat in silence, both grappling with their emotions.

"I guess..." Charlie ventured. "I guess when two people get each other the way we do, when they love each other so much, it's natural to get confused sometimes, to think there's something more there and to express it. Especially as teenagers. mean, it's the craziest time in the world. It's confusing and, well, you were dealing with your sexuality and even though I'm straight, there have never been any guys that I've really liked or anything..."

She trailed off, uncertain of whether she'd made it better or worse. Joey smiled at her, reassuring.

"So, does that mean when you kissed me, you thought you might be attracted to me?" she asked.

Charlie blushed and looked down.

"Well, now that massages my ego in a wonderful way," Joey teased, determined to lighten the mood.

Charlie laughed.

"Well, I'm glad to be of service."

"Speaking of service," Joey said.

She handed Charlie her empty glass. She'd decided to stick to fruit juice tonight. Wine made her giddy. Grumbling, Charlie got to her feet but found that her legs had gone numb from sitting cross legged for so long. She stumbled, landing in Joey's lap, laughing. Their eyes met, smiling. Charlie hesitated getting up, their recent conversation still in mind. Her body suddenly longed for Joey's, her lips tingled in anticipation. They were close enough to kiss. Joey could feel Charlie's breath on her face. She so desperately wanted to give in and kiss her but so many panicked images were running through her mind. She pictured Charlie's frightened face the first and second time that Joey had followed her desires. She thought about Zoe. After grappling to imagine her face for a few moments, her girlfriend stayed firm. It was enough for Joey to pull back at the last moment. She looked down and took her hands off Charlie's back. Charlie looked away. The world rushed back to her. She jumped out of Joey's lap.

"I'd better get you that drink," she mumbled, hurrying away.


	19. Chapter 19

_Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing this and my other stories. I'm so glad we have fanfiction! I can't actually bear to watch the show anymore now that all the characters appear to have forgotten Joey existed and Charlie's moving on so rapidly and easily. Saf fane. I keep asking what the point of the CJ storyline was in the first place but then I think, no, it was good while it lasted, even if they wrecked it and they have at least succeeded in bringing together a community of people who like to chat and express creativity and that can really only be a good thing. However, I will still be writing a strongly worded letter as soon as I have a working printer!_

_Anyway, thank you again for accepting my little alternate universe in this story so readily. I hope you continue to enjoy it, although I warn you that this chapter got a little dark and I expect that most of your reviews will start with 'poor Joey'. I concur! Poor Joey! Also, just as a side note, the rude gesture that Joey was making when she was explaining Hugo and Martha to Charlie in the last chapter - for any _Buffy _fans, think Anya in the 'Hush' episode. IJKS xxx_

_[Additional note: I have been going through all these chapters from the beginning and changing them ever so slightly. Originally, I got the school year wrong, assuming it was the same as in the UK. So if anyone is reading this the first time round (we're at chapter 118 now), if the story seems a little disjointed, please forgive me. It will even itself out with dates and slight changes soon enough. I'm doing a chapter a day so it should be fixed pretty quickly. 07/10/2010]_

**

* * *

**

Chapter Nineteen

**July 2003**

Typically, Charlie and Joey had done and expert job of pretending, at least to each other, that their near-kiss hadn't happened. Once Charlie had returned with their drinks, they had changed the subject, swept the incident under the carpet and moved on. At first, they had kept their distance from each other and then they'd been able to relax again and fall back into comfort again.

That night in bed, Joey lay in the darkness, feeling guilty, as if she had cheated, in her heart if not with her lips. She turned her head and looked at Charlie lying beside her. She could just make out her face on the pillow, looking as perfect as ever. She wondered why life couldn't be simple. There were times like tonight when she wondered if Charlie might actually have feelings for her somewhere deep down in her soul but if she did, why hadn't she said something? She'd had plenty of opportunities. They had spent their whole lives together and kissed twice before. Both times, it had been Charlie that had freaked out and run away. And if she did have feelings for her, why had she waited until now to realise it? It was just mean to wait until they were both in relationships. She sighed. Charlie probably didn't have feelings for her at all. It was probably just Joey's wishful thinking, which made her a terrible, terrible person. She was meant to be in a committed and loving relationship with Zoe and yet her heart was straying. Now she wondered if her heart had ever really been there at all. That thought made her feel even worse. She sighed again.

"Joey, are you okay?" Charlie asked.

She had a feeling she knew exactly what was on her friend's mind. It was the same thing keeping her awake. Watson would be smug beyond belief when she found out about it. It was becoming harder and harder to deny her feelings. She was even losing the desire to do it anymore.

"I'm okay," Joey lied.

Not caring whether it was a good idea or not, Charlie found Joey's hand. They clasped each other's palms all night.

* * *

"Well, that was the best weekend ever!" Joey declared happily, as she and Charlie lugged their stuff back to their houses.

They stopped at Joey's house first. Refusing to put her bags down, Joey struggled with her key and let herself in. Charlie followed behind her and the two of them shuffled through the door together.

"I agree with that!" Charlie said. "I had so much fun."

"Me too," Joey said, heading through to the kitchen. "Hey, do you want to stop for a…"

She dropped her bags suddenly.

"Dad?"

Her voice sounded hollow. Charlie was immediately alert as she saw Joey hurry forward and skid onto the floor. Charlie was right behind her. Her heart caught in her throat when she saw Paul lying completely still on the floor in a pool of blood. Charlie knelt beside Joey who was gripping her father and crying his name. Leaping into action, Charlie attempted to figure out whether he was breathing or not. He wasn't and by the looks of him, there was little point trying to administer CPR. She looked at Joey, so terrified. She pulled out her mobile and gently but firmly handed it to Joey, telling her to call an ambulance. She then began a futile attempt to bring Joey's dead father round.

* * *

Two hours later, everything was over. Joey sat at the kitchen table staring at nothing. Charlie sat beside her, unsure of what to say. She had been holding Joey's hand across the table for a long time. Elsie had come round the moment Charlie had called her. Once she'd been given permission, she had cleaned up the kitchen of the blood and the excessive bottles of beer and dirty plates which had stacked up without Joey around to clean up after her father and brother. She observed her girls. She had always thought of Joey as her girl. Smiling sadly, she set a cup of tea each in front of them and bundled Joey into her arms. Joey let herself fall against her but kept hold of Charlie.

"Joey, I think you should stay with us tonight," Elsie said. "You should be looked after."

"Thank you," Joey managed.

"Have you managed to get through to Brett yet?" Elsie asked Charlie.

Charlie shook her head.

"He's not answering his phone. Shall I go down to the Juke and see if he's there?"

"No, you stay with Joey. I'll get your Dad to find him."

Charlie nodded. Elsie moved away and into the other room to phone her husband. Charlie leant forward.

"Joey, do you want me to call Zoe?" she asked.

Joey looked bewildered for a moment, as if she'd forgotten who she was. She shook her head.

"She won't be home till tomorrow."

"Maybe she'll come back a day early for this?"

"Maybe."

"Do you want me to call?"

Joey nodded.

"I'll wait until Mum comes back."

* * *

Once Elsie had distracted Joey with going through her bags and then heading upstairs to help her pack for the night, Charlie dialled Zoe's number.

"Hello?" Zoe said.

Charlie could hardly hear her through blasts of loud music.

"Zoe?" Charlie said loudly.

"Charlie?" Zoe called back.

At her friend's house, she excused herself from the bedroom and out of the noise, instantly worried that if Charlie was calling her it meant the Joey couldn't and perhaps something had happened.

"Is Joey okay?" she asked immediately.

"Not really," Charlie said. "She… we came home today and… and her Dad's died."

"Oh."

Zoe felt a rush of sadness. She hardly knew Paul at all but she knew how much Joey had finally been beginning to develop a relationship with him recently. She imagined the pain of losing a parent and frowned.

"Is… how is she?"

"She's devastated," Charlie said. "She was the one who found him."

"What happened?"

"It looks like he fell and hit his head," Charlie explained, aware that Joey could come down the stairs any minute. "Nobody was here so he bled to death."

"That's awful."

"Do you think you could come home to be with her? She's a mess."

"Well, my lift isn't leaving until tomorrow," Zoe said.

She felt bad. She wanted to go and be with Joey and she knew she should. It would be easy enough to get the bus. She wasn't even that far away in the grand scheme of things but she wasn't ready yet. Seeing Joey again was going to be hard enough without this new piece of information.

"Well, isn't there anything you can do?" Charlie asked. "She really needs you."

"There isn't anything I can do," Zoe said firmly. "Maybe I could speak to her now though?"

"She's not very talkative now," Charlie sighed. "Text her later and come see her as soon as you get back tomorrow."

"Okay. I'm sure you'll take care of her in my absence," Zoe said.

Charlie couldn't help but wonder exactly what she meant by that. It didn't feel like a completely innocent comment.

"I will," she snapped back.

They hung up without saying goodbye.

* * *

That night, Charlie and Joey escaped to Charlie's room early. Zoe had texted fairly quickly. Joey had replied to assure her that she was okay and not to worry, expressing a wish to see her when she got home.

"Joey, I wish there was something I could do to take your pain away," Charlie said sincerely.

Joey smiled gratefully and got undressed, not bothering with privacy. Charlie followed suit and they both climbed into bed. Without needing to be asked, Charlie pulled Joey into her arms and held her. Ross had tracked Brett down at work and taken him aside to tell him what had happened. He'd managed to get his boss to let him have the rest of the evening off work and invited him to sleep on the sofa but Brett had refused to go with him. He had barely reacted, holding all his feelings in.

"Do you think he'd been gone for long?" Joey asked.

"A few hours," Charlie replied.

"Why did you try and save him?"

"For you."

Joey reached up and stroked her face.

"Do you think he suffered?"

"He probably just went unconscious. He probably didn't know anything."

She hoped it was true. She hated to think of him suffering and dying alone.

"I feel so guilty," Joey admitted.

"Why?"

"If we'd have been around then we could have saved him."

"We couldn't have known, Joey. It was an accident. You can't start thinking like that," Charlie told her firmly.

Joey nodded and closed her eyes, feeling them becoming moist again.

"Try and sleep, sweetheart," Charlie told her.

"You have to work tomorrow!" Joey suddenly remembered with alarm.

She burst into tears again and reeled off repeated apologies about taking up her time. Charlie calmed her down and assured her that everything was going to be alright. Joey finally settled.

"Just try and sleep," she said again.

She kissed Joey's forehead and closed her own eyes.

* * *

The following morning, Charlie was up and dressed in her uniform early, giddy with excitement. She left Joey asleep in bed and gave her mother strict instructions to take care of her for as long as Joey would let her. She accepted a lift to work from her Dad but asked him to drop her off on the corner. The last thing she wanted was to arrive at work with the boss. Being accepted at the station as his daughter was going to be hard enough. She desperately wanted to make it by herself. She wanted to gain independent credit.

Zoe woke up with a sense of panic. For the second morning running, she hadn't woken up alone. She sighed and wished she could turn back time as she looked at Melanie, her ex-girlfriend, sound asleep beside her. One night could be counted as a mistake and possibly forgiven but two nights was just evil. She wondered yet again how she could do this to Joey. She hated herself for it. The whole trip had been borne largely out of revenge. She'd wound herself up with jealousy when Joey had told her about her boat trip with Charlie and convinced herself that something was going to happen between them. That's when she'd found herself calling up one of her old boarding school friends. Of course Melanie and all the others had been there. The attraction had never really died between herself and her ex. They had only split up because Zoe had left school to return to her family home. On Friday night, they had flirted like they always did but nothing had had happened. Then on Saturday, the alcohol had come out and her inhibitions had been lowered. The flirtation had intensified and Melanie had crept into her room and whispered that one of her biggest regrets was that they had never made love. So they did. Zoe had kept her distance all day, feeling wretched and guilty. Then she'd had the phone call from Charlie about Joey's Dad and her guilt had multiplied. Feeling lost, she'd opted to make the situation worse and she cheated again. Now she had to go home and face her broken girlfriend and keep yet another secret.

* * *

It was much later that evening before either Joey or Brett ventured back to the house. It felt even less like home than it had since their mother had died. Elsie had cleaned the kitchen of any trace of the accident. Brett ordered take away and they waited awkwardly for it to arrive. Joey had spent her morning being fussed over by Elsie. Brett had spent the night drinking with Robbo and then called the crew off work that morning.

"Will work resume tomorrow?" Joey asked.

It was the holidays now. She was meant to be working for her Dad. She wasn't sure she could face it.

"I guess. But maybe you shouldn't head out there yet," Brett said. "Maybe you need some time."  
"Maybe," she replied. "I'll see how I feel tomorrow."

He nodded.

"Where did you sleep last night?" Joey asked.

"I crashed with Robbo."

"Right."

"Ross said you were the one who found him."

"Yeah. When we got home."

"I didn't come home the night before," Brett explained. "I met a girl. Stayed at her place. Then I went straight to work from there."

Joey didn't reply. She still couldn't get the image of her Dad out of her head. Zoe had been delayed in getting home. She'd texted an hour ago offering to come round but Joey had said she needed to be with Brett and that she'd see her tomorrow. She didn't have the energy to see anyone new now, not even her own girlfriend.

* * *

Charlie, Angelo, Jack, Watson and two of their new colleagues Lisa and Matthew sat in the Jukebox. Charlie was distracted and worried about Joey but she didn't want to miss out on anything on her first day at work. Matthew and Lisa had been very nice and welcoming as they took charge of the new recruits and she didn't want to pass up the chance to join in and get to know them. She also had some making up to do with Angelo. He had been very hurt that she had disappeared for the weekend without telling him that she was going away. He'd tried to call her several times and become worried and then when he and Watson had arrived to live in their new apartment on the Saturday, Charlie hadn't even been around to greet them. It was only then, when they'd seen Jack that Angelo had found out that Charlie had gone sailing with her best friend. Her disregard for him was wounding. She felt guilty now and knew that it was something she would have to work on.

"So, you went sailing with Joey, hey?" Watson asked, when Jack, Angelo, Lisa and Matthew had gone to play pool.

"Yeah," Charlie said casually. "My Dad paid for the trip as a graduation present."

"And did you have fun?"

Charlie recognised the twinkle in Watson's eye. She tried to ignore it but part of her desperately wanted to reveal the near kiss. Watson was the only person she could talk to about this kind of thing. It was a relief to have anyone after living in lonely denial for such a long time.

"It was awesome, thank you. Until we got home, obviously."

Watson frowned.

"Yeah, sorry to hear about that. Is she okay?"

Charlie shook her head.

"I'm really worried about her."

"So, what happened while you were away?" Watson asked, changing the subject completely.

Charlie looked guilty and turned her face away.

"Charlie?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah, right."

"We nearly kissed, okay?" Charlie snapped. "Are you happy?"

"Delighted!"

Charlie pulled a face.

"It didn't mean anything," she insisted.

"If you say so."

"Don't start, okay? Please?" Charlie begged.

"I won't," Watson said. "If you stop giving me a reason to."

**

* * *

**

September 2003

Joey's eighteenth birthday was fast approaching and she didn't want to do anything to celebrate. Life had been hard since Paul had died and she was struggling to keep everything together. Brett had dutifully taken over the family business, as requested in his father's will, although he had opted not to actually work on the trawler itself. He managed the business side of things and Ross and Elsie had generously paid to put him through an accounting course at college, knowing it would help him and that he wouldn't be able to afford it himself. Their father's life insurance and the money from the business meant that they could continue the repayments on the mortgage of the house, which had been left to Brett on the promise that when Joey was nineteen, she would inherit the money both her parents had left to her and there was an understanding that Brett would look after her until then. However, as things had turned out, Joey was the caretaker in the family. She spent the holidays and weekends working on the trawler, even putting up with Robbo whose comments and behaviour were bordering on unbearable. She had convinced Brett to take Aden on as a part time recruit as well, mostly for protection. She felt the absence of her father more keenly on the water than anywhere else. He'd always protected her from Robbo before. At home, Joey took control of all the domestic duties. Brett was hardly there and he was following from their father's footsteps and not learning from his mistakes by drinking too much. Sometimes he was gone for days. Joey managed the household tasks for herself and ensured that her brother was fed whenever he was around and that he had clean clothes. She kept the house immaculate and was studying hard at school. Zoe had been distant for months now and Joey didn't have the energy to get to the heart of the problem. Whenever she tried, they argued and Joey couldn't even bear to think about her near-misdeed on the boat with Charlie. That was far too much for her brain to handle. As soon as she had stepped off the boat that day, everything had gone wrong. She wished she had never come home. Charlie had been amazing, however. Joey could never have asked for a better friend. She frequently came over just to help her with chores and she was always around if and when Joey ever spontaneously decided she ever wanted to talk. She rarely did but it was nice to know that when she did, she had somebody to share with.

* * *

Angelo stretched on the couch watching television and enjoying a leisurely day off. He changed the channel and let his mind wander to Charlie, hoping that he might get to see her today. She wasn't working either. They had been together for nine months now but it didn't feel like their relationship was really going anywhere and he was desperate for that to change. From the first moment he had seen Charlie, he'd thought she was the most beautiful woman in the world and he had been determined to make her fall in love with him. He didn't think he'd succeeded yet. She liked him, of course. She might even love him. But she didn't feel the same passion for him that he felt for her and he couldn't figure out what it was that was missing. He thought coming to her hometown and pledging his love and commitment to her would be just the right romantic gesture to make things change but it hadn't been enough. If anything, things were worse now. It had been unfortunate that her best friend's father had died on the same weekend that he had arrived in town and so Joey took up a lot of time. Joey wasn't coping very well apparently, although to the untrained eye, _his_ untrained eye, she seemed to be handling things fantastically. But Charlie felt the need to protect her and take care of her. Between Joey and work, where she insisted they remain completely professional and treat each other only as colleagues, Angelo felt he hardly got to see her.

"You look cheerful," Watson commented, arriving home cheerfully from a night out.

Angelo looked up at her and offered a smile.

"Wondering if I'll get to see my girlfriend today."

Watson tried not to let her face give anything away but she hoped the conversation wouldn't continue. She wasn't sure she'd thought it through when she'd agreed to move in with her friend's boyfriend. She knew too many of the flaws in their relationship from both sides. Angelo loved Charlie and nobody, least of all Charlie, knew how she felt about Angelo. If there were any two people that shouldn't be together, it was them. But Charlie would not be told. And the more Watson saw the pain it was causing both of them, the more frustrated she got and the more she seemed to take it on as her problem even though really, it was nothing to do with her at all.

"Did you have a good night?" Angelo asked.

"I'm coming home at ten the next morning. What do you think?" she replied with a wink.

* * *

Once school had finished, Zoe went home with Joey for dinner. They had even more freedom than they used to now that it was just Joey and Brett at the Collins' house. Joey could be alone for days and while Zoe rarely managed to convince her parents to let her have a sleep over with her 'friend' she was allowed to stay for most of the evening. They weren't even trapped in Joey's bedroom anymore. They got the run of the house now. Once inside, Joey threw herself down on the couch and pulled Zoe into her arms, grateful to be able to hold her and kiss her after yet another day of discreet and public distance. Having to hide their relationship after almost three years was becoming an increasing problem, especially in the mood she always seemed to be in now, a mood where she felt like she didn't care very much about anything at all.

"Mmm, I wish we could do this all the time," Joey murmured, losing herself in Zoe.

Zoe smiled and kissed her again. She enjoyed the moments when they could forget their problems and have fun together, be close to each other. She told herself that it was the weekend in July that had changed everything but she knew they had had problems before that. The weekend had made things worse. She still drove herself crazy wondering what Joey and Charlie might have got up to while they were away and she still beat herself up over cheating on the girl she loved so much. She felt like a hypocrite and she hoped that Joey would never find out. She wanted them to stay together forever. She didn't want either of them to have their hearts broken.

* * *

Charlie had ventured over to see Angelo that morning and they had spent their day off together. It had been a romantic day of sex and talking and snuggles. Charlie had thrown herself into it. She might not be in love with Angelo but she cared for him and he was such a good friend and she really wanted that to be enough. Her whole life, she had been good at pretending and she wasn't planning on stopping now. On the surface, everything was going well. She was excelling at work and had nothing but good reports from Lisa and Matthew and her Dad couldn't seem to stop telling her how proud he was. Joey was suffering though and that broke Charlie's heart. She worked hard every day to do everything she could to make her happy and help her. She hoped she was succeeding.

* * *

A week later, Joey reluctantly showed up to her birthday party at the Jukebox. It had taken a lot of persuading on Zoe, Aden and Charlie's parts but she had agreed to go out for the evening, mostly to please them rather than herself. Ever since her mother had died, birthdays hadn't seemed so exciting and now with her father's death, she'd lost interest completely. Two months on, she still couldn't stop focussing on it. He had been drunk, fallen, hit his head and bled to death on the floor, helpless and alone in the kitchen. They presumed that he had been on his way to get another can of beer. She didn't know how to talk about how she felt about anything these days. She felt out of sync with Zoe. She always felt confused with Charlie. She still missed her mother beyond the telling of it and she felt guilty about her father. But she couldn't express those feelings in spoken words. She greeted all her friends who had so kindly shown up to wish her well and give her gifts. Her brother was nowhere in sight so far.

* * *

Aden approached Belle and handed her a drink. The two of them had spent a vast amount of time together since she had arrived in town but so far, he had failed to make his move. He was too shy. The only concept of a relationship he had ever had was with Joey and as lovely as that had been, it didn't really count. For starters, Joey was a lesbian and secondly, while they were together, Aden had been too broken. She had been his safety and he didn't know how to be with anyone other than her, especially someone as amazing and beautiful as Belle. A lot of other guys had been interested in her and she had been on a few dates that hadn't gone anywhere. The longer that Aden and Belle were just friends, the more he worried that that was all they would ever be but he still wasn't sure how to make his move.

"Just tell her that you like her," Zoe said, exasperated.

They had had this conversation a million times. She didn't know about his past. Joey was the only person that he had shared that with but he didn't feel right burdening her with his love life at the moment. She was too busy trying to keep the threads of her life together. He needed to support her, not the other way around.

"But what if she doesn't like me back?" Aden asked.

"She does," Zoe told him certainly.

It was obvious just by the way Belle looked at him.

* * *

Watson leant against the bar and ordered one drink for herself and one for Charlie. They both looked over at Joey who was laughing wit Leah and Rachel. It was a rare sight these days. Charlie smiled, happy that her friend had agreed to the party and seemed to be appreciating it.

"It's nice to see her happy," Watson said.

Since moving to town, she had got to know Joey quite well herself and she had to admit that she could see why Charlie adored her so much. She was sweet and funny, not to mention beautiful and she was so strong. She was an inherently good person with an intoxicating personality. If she wasn't off limits, Watson thought she might even go for her herself.

"Yeah, it is," Charlie said, still smiling.

"Things will get better, Charlie," Watson said confidently. "It's only been two months. She's still adjusting and she's lost so much but she'll get there."

"I know. I know she will. I've just never seen her like this. Even when her Mum died she still talked about her feelings, she still let me in. But now it's like she's shut down. It's as if she's lost too much," Charlie said thoughtfully.

"Everything's going to be alright," Watson insisted.

"Hey, beautiful," Angelo greeted, coming up and putting his arm around Charlie. "Where have you been hiding?"

"Not hiding," Charlie promised, kissing his cheek.

"Hello, party people!" Robbo bellowed, entering the Jukebox. "Where's the birthday girl?"

He glided through the bar with Brett and Tanya following him, heading straight towards Joey. She tried to smile but was horrified when Robbo hugged her. She had a hard enough time putting up with him on the boat. He was one constant sexual innuendo and the leering looks from him were unnerving. The more Joey saw him, the more she couldn't stand him. It was almost enough to make her not want to work on the trawler at weekends and holidays and when she eventually left school. It would be hard to decide between her loyalty to her Dad coupled with her dream job and putting up with the sleaziest guy on earth. She pulled away from him as quickly as possible, aware than he had looked down her top, and greeted her brother and Tanya with more warmth.

* * *

Martha stood at the pool table. She and Jack were playing doubles against Hugo and Chris. Things had been strange and awkward since Jack had come home. Martha had hoped that he would be the cure to the situation she had found herself in but he wasn't. She had only succeeded in dragging him into her mess. All she wanted was to be with Jack. She wanted them to be happy together like they had been before he'd gone away. But she was still attracted to Hugo and she knew that he still wanted her, although they had succeeded in staying away from each other romantically. But Jack wasn't stupid. He might not have figured out exactly what was wrong, but he was aware that something wasn't right. He was behaving differently around her, like he always had something on his mind and she was sure he was holding back from her. Every day, she cursed herself for being so stupid. If you played with fire, you always got burnt.

At the end of the night, Charlie, Joey, Zoe, Angelo, Watson and Brett walked home together. Zoe had convinced her parents to let her stay at Joey's for the night. With them thinking they were only platonically friends, it hadn't been all that difficult. Charlie had opted to sleep separately from Angelo. Even though she was an adult, her father still wasn't keen on her not coming home at night in order to spend the night in her boyfriend's bed and she didn't really care to expend the energy on arguing. She didn't think he'd quite forgiven her for the Roman incident yet. Angelo and Watson said their goodbyes when it came to turning off towards their apartment. Angelo kissed Charlie passionately, attempting at the last minute to coerce her into going home with him. She declined but promised to come over in the morning. He and Watson departed and the others continued on their way. Charlie quietly let herself in and went straight to bed, pleased that Joey had managed to enjoy herself. Brett hung around in the living room, opening another can of beer and switching on the television. Joey and Zoe disappeared upstairs as soon as they could.

As usual, Aden walked Belle to her door. As usual, she waited for him to kiss her goodbye and as usual, he backed out at the last minute. He hugged her and hurried away. She sighed and went to bed, wondering what his problem was. One minute he was behaving as if he really liked her and the next he didn't seem interested at all. He was one of the most confusing boys she had ever met.

Jack, Martha and Hugo walked home together. Jack said a friendly goodnight to his cousin. Martha politely said goodbye to Hugo and clung to her boyfriend's side. Hugo's heart lurched. He hated the fact that she had chosen Jack over him. He wanted to be with her more than anything, despite all the pain their romance would cause. Watching them go, he sighed heavily and then quietly let himself into the house, careful not to wake his mother or either of his brothers.

Leah, Rachel and Chris went back to Leah's family home together. Once inside, Leah said goodnight to her brother and her friend and then disappeared to her room, wondering, with all the couples that seemed to have formed around her, when it would be her turn to fall in love.

In the bathroom of her boyfriend's house, Tanya attempted to clean up the blood from her face. She had spent too much time at the party talking to other people who happened to be men. Robbo had been furious and taken his aggression out on her. It didn't seem to matter if he went with other girls, which she knew he did. For starters, she knew he had his eye on Joey. Fortunately, Joey hadn't shown the slightest bit of interest so far. But if Tanya so much as looked at or had a friendly conversation with another guy, Robbo lost his temper. She poked her cheek, praying that it wouldn't bruise too badly. She was tired of always having to hide and explain herself because Robbo couldn't keep control. Bracing herself, she returned to him.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter Twenty**

**February 2004**

Leah, Rachel, Martha, Joey and Charlie were sitting round a table in Crumble enjoying lunch together. It was Valentine's Day. Leah was glumly preparing to spend the evening with a large tub of ice cream. Rachel and Chris were going to his parents' Greek restaurant to be waited on for free. Martha was preparing to be whisked of for a surprise by Jack. Joey was sneaking Zoe round to her place for a secret dinner. Brett had informed her that he had a date tonight and so there was no need to expect him home. She rarely did anyway. And Charlie was babysitting so her parents could go away and had invited Angelo over. Her culinary skills did not stretch very far however, so she was ordering takeaway.

"I wonder what Jack's planning," Martha said, smiling inanely.

Things had improved greatly between them recently and she felt that it was for the better. She had made a concentrated effort to push Hugo and her guilt out of her mind and focus on her loving, wonderful boyfriend and their future. He was an amazing guy and she knew she was lucky to have him. Now, she had to do everything she could to keep him.

"Well, knowing Jack, it'll be something really romantic," Charlie said.

She was sad about what Joey had told her about Martha and Hugo on their boat trip in July. She felt like she was betraying Jack by not telling him what she knew but she didn't want to interfere with his life and it wasn't something concrete she had seen for herself. Her evidence came from Joey and Joey didn't want to be dragged into it. Besides, Martha was her friend too. She had been her friend first. People were allowed to make mistakes, weren't they? And neither Charlie nor Joey had seen any evidence that there was still anything going on between Martha and Jack's cousin so she hoped that it could all be forgotten about.

"Probably," Martha agreed, feeling lucky.

She didn't want to be arrogant by saying it aloud but of the girls round the table, she was the luckiest. Jack was head and shoulders above Angelo and Chris. Leah's attention was taken away by a guy walking past their table. He smiled at her as he sauntered past. She smiled back, captivated. The other girls all turned to look at him too.

"Do you know him?" Rachel asked.

"Never seen him before but wow," Leah said dreamily.

She watched him order a coffee at the counter, fascinated by his every move.

"He is pretty cute," Martha agreed.

"Why don't you go and say hi?" Joey suggested. "He smiled at you so it's looking hopeful."

"No. I couldn't possibly…" Leah protested, blushing.

The guy turned to leave, smiling her again as he did. Leah couldn't stop blushing. Her jaw dropped when he came back in and approached their table.

"Hi, um, I'm trying not to feel intimidated by a gang of beautiful women here and I'm sure you already have plans," he said to Leah, "but if you don't, would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

"I… I…" Leah stammered.

"She would love to," Charlie confirmed.

The guy smiled at Leah and then at Charlie.

"I'm Vinnie, by the way."

"I'm…"

"Her name's Leah. She'll meet you here at eight," Charlie said.

Leah looked at her gratefully. Vinnie grinned and nodded, heading back out of Crumble.

"Did he just ask me out?" Leah asked when he was gone.

"Yes and Charlie accepted on your behalf," Joey informed her.

"What am I going to wear?" Leah asked worriedly.

* * *

Charlie and Joey left Martha, Rachel and Leah to get ready for their dates together and walked back home along the beach.

"Are you looking forward to tonight?" Charlie asked.

Joey shrugged. She wasn't looking forward to tonight at all. She and Zoe were barely talking. They had been arguing constantly for the last three months and it felt like they were reaching breaking point. As much as Joey loved Zoe, she didn't think they were going to last much longer. She wanted to. She wished there was a way to figure things out but they seemed to find fault with each other every day. It hurt that after all this time together, they were no further out of the closet than they had been since they started. Joey felt that Zoe was ashamed of her and it seemed like a lack of commitment. Zoe, in turn, couldn't stop criticising Joey for being so practical all the time and losing the sappy, emotional side of her that she had always loved so much. She also couldn't contain her jealousy over Charlie and Joey's friendship. With her feelings and that near kiss back in July still playing Joey's mind, Joey hardly had the energy to defend herself anymore.

"Oh, come on, it's Valentine's Day. You must be excited."

"Are you?" Joey challenged.

"Okay, you've made your point."

They continued walking in silence.

"Question: why are we in these relationships if we're unhappy?" Joey wondered aloud.

"You think I have an answer to that?" Charlie asked.

She wished she did. When she and Angelo had got together, he had been a stop gap. He had been an attempt at a cure. She hadn't meant for it to go on so long. They had just ended up in this comfortable pattern. Charlie had tried to love him but she just couldn't get there. He made her laugh and he was a real sweetheart but that fire, that passion, it just wasn't there. She didn't think it ever would be.

"Hey, maybe you and I should just get married," Joey joked.

Their laughter was a little tense as they walked.

"Maybe we should," Charlie said wistfully.

* * *

Hugo sat on the edge of the wharf with his legs dangling over the edge and into the water. The tide was coming in. He felt utterly miserable. Jack had told him this morning that he was going to propose to Martha and it had broken Hugo's heart. He knew that Martha wasn't his. He knew that she had never been his and that he had had no right falling in love with her. He and Jack had grown up as best friends and he hated himself for betraying him but his feelings for Martha had been too powerful to resist. He wasn't sure he could cope with watching the woman he loved celebrating her engagement to his cousin. He knew he'd never be able to bear seeing her walking down the aisle. Between this and the constant pressure at home of having to look after Brendan who seemed to get harder rather than easier to live with, Hugo was feeling the strong desire to flee. His own little brother who was only ten handled Brendan better than he did. Their mother couldn't be prouder of her youngest. She didn't seem to think much of her eldest. Looking out onto the horizon, Hugo pulled out his phone. He had to talk to Martha.

* * *

"So, I was wondering…" Aden began nervously. "Would you like to go to the movies tonight?"

His hands were sweating. He wondered why, after so long being friends, Belle still had this effect on him. She smiled, happy that he seemed to finally be making his move.

"I'd love to," she said.

"Really? Great!"

Aden felt his heart soar. He could hardly believe that Belle really wanted to spend Valentine's Day with him. Maybe this could be the start of something new.

* * *

Music blared out of Watson and Angelo's apartment as the two of them got ready for their dates at leisure. Watson had been seeing a new girl for a few weeks and she was surprised by how much she liked her. Her name was Carol and she worked as a paramedic. They had met on a call out at work and Watson had been smitten ever since. It was surprising and slightly unreal but she liked it. Angelo was just as excited about the night he had planned. Ross and Elsie were away for a couple of nights. He and Charlie had to look after Ruby but once she was in bed, they would essentially have the place to themselves and she had invited him to spend the night. Charlie had never done that before. They rarely actually spent the night together and if they did, it was always at his place. This felt exciting and new and it only encouraged what he had planned for their evening.

* * *

"Excuse me," Martha said, immediately feeling awkward when she saw Hugo's name flash up on her phone.

She slipped out of Leah's bedroom and hovered in the hallway, feeling very conspicuous.

"Hello?" she hissed when she answered.

"I need to talk to you."

He sounded desperately sad. Martha's heart melted. Against her better judgement, she agreed to meet him at his house.

* * *

Zoe arrived while Joey was already cooking. She took a moment to take in her girlfriend's beautiful figure and shiny hair. She hoped that they could at least get through one night without fighting.

"Hey beautiful," she greeted warmly.

Joey turned around and smiled, opening her arms for a hug.

"Happy Valentine's Day," she said.

They kissed.

* * *

Jack stopped at the Austin house on his way home. He was in a hurry. Work had finished late and he now had limited time to get home and ready to collect Martha for the romantic picnic he'd planned on the beach. He'd left her Valentine's card at Hugo's that morning when he'd told him about the proposal and needed to collect it. Slipping inside the house, he spotted the card still on the arm of the chair and was about to leave when he heard voices in the kitchen. One was definitely Hugo. Furrowing his brow, he thought the other sounded like Martha and she sounded upset.

"Hugo, I can't do this," Martha said. "I can't have this conversation. You and I are over. I'm with Jack!"

Jack felt his world crash silently around him. He listened more intently, desperate to hear something that would contradict the idea that there was something between his cousin and his girlfriend.

"I love you, Martha. I can't stop thinking about you and I can't bear that you've chosen him over me," Hugo protested.

"Of course I chose him," Martha said desperately. "I'm sorry. I care so much for you and in a different life or if I'd met you first… But Jack… He's the one. I love him. I need him. We're staying together."

_No we're not_, Jack thought to himself as he left the house as quietly as he had arrived.

* * *

Aden and Belle sat side by side in the darkness of the movie theatre. They fixed their eyes on the screen. Both reached for the popcorn at the same time. They found each other's fingers and held on.

* * *

"I told you this was the best Chinese take away in town," Charlie declared, as proud as if she had cooked the meal herself.

Angelo smiled at her across the table as he poured the wine into two glasses. Ruby had long since gone to bed, despite some protestations that she wanted to stay up with them. She didn't comprehend the concept of romance, although she appeared to be becoming innocently besotted with Xavier the more they spent time together. Charlie thought the romance between the ten year olds was adorable. It reminded her of the depth of emotion she and Joey had shared during their childhood.

"I'm so happy that we're together Charlie," Angelo said seriously, bringing his girlfriend out of her reverie.

She smiled and held his hand across the table, which she had made an effort to make pretty.

"I really do care about you, you know?"

"I know," Charlie said. "I care for you too."

* * *

Jack sat at home, staring at the engagement ring he'd bought with Charlie in July. This time last year he had been so happy. He wondered if something had been going on between Hugo and Martha then, if they had been laughing at him behind his back. He had been supposed to pick her up an hour ago and she had called him several times but he had ignored her. He looked up when there was a knock on the door. He ignored it. The visitor tried the handle. He wasn't surprised when he saw Martha standing there. Despite his hurt, she looked radiant.

"Hey," she said softly. "I thought you were coming to collect me for my surprise."

"I thought you'd prefer to spend Valentine's Day with Hugo," he said without any emotion.

* * *

"So, what did you get up to today?" Zoe asked conversationally as they ate.

"I just hung out with the girls," Joey replied.

"And Charlie?"

Zoe was immediately suspicious. Joey sighed and closed her eyes. Why couldn't Zoe just leave it for a night?

"Yes, with Charlie."

Zoe didn't reply. She focussed on her food. Sometimes she didn't even know why she challenged Joey the way she did. It seemed to only get worse the longer they were together. She didn't want Charlie and Joey to spend any time together at all and she was insanely jealous that if and when Joey ever did decide to open up about her feelings, it wasn't her that she spoke to. It was usually Charlie. It hurt and it drove her crazy. She was also aware of projecting her own guilt onto her girlfriend and she knew it wasn't fair.

"Is that a problem?" Joey asked, knowing it was.

"No," Zoe lied.

Joey dropped her fork, frustrated.

"Can we not even mention her name without you going cold on me, Zoe? Not even today?"

Zoe wanted to apologise but she just couldn't manage to say the words so she said nothing. Joey felt herself beginning to lose her temper. Tears burned her eyes. She chewed her lip and looked away.

"This isn't working, is it?" she asked.

* * *

Leah was having a wonderful time. Vinnie was funny and charming and possibly the best looking guy she had ever met. His eyes never wandered from her; she had his full attention. He made her feel special in a way she had never experienced before.

* * *

"What do you mean?" Martha asked.

Her heart was pounding. Jack looked so broken, perched on the sofa, clasping his hands together. He was looking directly at her, not quite accusatorily.

"I mean, wouldn't you rather be with Hugo?" Jack asked. "I mean I know about you two."

"Jack, it didn't mean anything!" Martha burst out, rushing to sit beside him.

She tried to touch him but he pulled roughly away.

"When did it happen?" he asked.

"While you were away," she admitted quietly.

"When?" he demanded.

"January last year."

"Over a year ago and I knew nothing about it?"

"I didn't… I just wanted it to be over. I want to be with you, not him."

"Shame you didn't remember that before."

"Jack…"

"So was it just one time or did you have an affair?" he asked.

"I…"

"I have a right to know," he said firmly.

"Until... until you graduated."

"Seven months?" Jack yelled, jumping to his feet furiously.

"On and off," she added quietly, full of shame.

"How could you do that to me, Martha? I waited for you."

"I was waiting for you too but…"

"But you got bored so you screwed my cousin instead?"

"I didn't… it wasn't…" she faltered tearfully.

She noticed the ring in his hand. Once she had, she couldn't tear her eyes away. He noticed.

"I was going to ask you to marry me," he said bitterly. "Charlie helped me choose the ring in July but I held off because things didn't seem quite right between us. I thought now, finally, things were okay and then I find out about this."

He didn't bother to fight his own tears.

"How did you…?"

"Does it matter?" he asked.

She held her head in her hands. They remained in broken silence for a while. Finally, she looked up at him.

"I hope you like the ring," he said sadly, tossing it at her.

She watched him storm into his bedroom, slamming the door behind him. After a few moments, she got up and left the house, taking the ring and her broken heart with her.

* * *

Aden and Belle walked along the beach together, holding hands and enjoying the moonlight and the warm breeze.

"I had a wonderful time," Belle said, smiling at him.

"So did I. Thank you for saying yes."

Belle stopped and turned to face him.

"I really like you, Aden," she said.

He was different to any guy she had ever met before. Aden was sweet and shy, sometimes infuriatingly so. If he wasn't going to make the first move then it was up to her. She found his blush adorable.

"I… I like you too, Belle. I've liked you from the moment I met you."

She smiled, drawing closer to him. She reached out and stroked his face, leaning in and placing a soft kiss on his lips. The moment he felt her, he wrapped his strong arms around her, kissing her back and feeling like all his dreams had come true.

* * *

Joey and Zoe looked at each other sadly across the table. They both wanted it to work but neither could see a way forward.

"I just can't bear you and Charlie," Zoe said.

"And you won't stop me and her being friends," Joey told her firmly. "She's been my best friend since before I was even born, Zoe. You can't take her away from me."

"Shouldn't you want to make me happy?"

"Well if that's how it works, why won't you let us come out?" Joey challenged. "That would make me happy!"

"You know I can't."

"I know you won't."

"So, if I told people about us, you'd stop spending time with Charlie?" Zoe asked.

Joey swallowed and eventually shook her head.

"I can't," she said. "I need her."

"You mean you love her!" Zoe accused.

It was a familiar argument.

"As a friend," Joey said calmly.

"How would you feel in my position, Joey?" Zoe asked. "It'd drive you crazy too!"

"No, it wouldn't! I'd have a little faith in you! I do have faith in you!" Joey snapped, finally losing her temper.

Zoe lost control too. The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Well, you shouldn't!"

Silence descended between them.

"What?" Joey finally asked. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing," Zoe said quickly.

"Why shouldn't I trust you?"

Zoe got up and began to tidy their plates away. Joey followed her hurriedly into the kitchen.

"Why shouldn't I trust you, Zoe?" she demanded.

Zoe continued to ignore her. Joey continued to ask. Finally, she grabbed Zoe's arm and spun her around.

"What did you do?"

"I slept with my ex!"

Joey swallowed and stared at her as Zoe broke down, relieved to have unburdened herself but devastated that it was probably the end of the road now.

"Get out of my house," Joey said quietly.

"Joey…"

"Get out!" Joey shouted.

Zoe looked at her one last time, grabbed her bags and fled. Joey broke down on the kitchen floor.

* * *

Vinnie drove Leah home and walked her to her door.

"Thank you for accepting my spontaneous date," he said.

She smiled. She had been expecting a night of nothingness and she'd had a night of joy instead.

"Thank you for asking me," she replied.

Vinnie leant in and kissed her. She let him. Drawing away, he asked her if they could see each other again. Leah was more than keen.

* * *

Charlie and Angelo had retired to the sofa. She felt his lips on hers and kissed him back, closing her eyes. His lips found their way to her neck and his hands to her breasts. Dinner had been nice and the company had been great as usual. This was the part that she struggled with. It wasn't that she didn't like being with him. It was just that she didn't particularly enjoy being with him. And she felt terrible about it. As Angelo kissed her, he began to feel nervous about asking the question that he wanted to ask. His fingers found the button of her shirt and decided to rearrange his plans slightly. He kissed her mouth one more time, easing her onto her back.

Joey sat alone in her house, her mind reeling. One minute they had been having a meal and the next, they had broken up and Zoe had revealed that she had slept with her ex-girlfriend. Joey was starting to regret forcing her out of the house. She needed to know when and if it had just been once. She had spent such a long time feeling guilty for having feelings for Charlie that she wasn't planning on doing anything about and yet paranoid, controlling, suspicious Zoe had cheated on her. Her mind was reeling. Unable to cope, she got up and hurried out of the house.

* * *

Charlie lay on the sofa in her underwear. Angelo was in less than that. He kissed her passionately, his hands wandering and his breathing heavy. He was reaching around to unhook her bra when they both heard a noise in the kitchen. Charlie slid out from beneath him and leapt to her feet. She rearranged her bra and ran towards the kitchen. Angelo grabbed a cushion to cover himself while he searched desperately for his underwear and hoped that his body would calm down quickly.

"Joey!" Charlie exclaimed when she saw her friend looking devastated.

Joey took in the sight of Charlie in a black thong and bra. She didn't even have the energy to seriously acknowledge how hot she looked.

"What are you doing here?" Charlie asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Angelo appeared in a pair of boxer shorts. Joey suddenly realised how inappropriate her visit was and started to backtrack, apologising.

"No, it's fine," Charlie said, reaching for her.

"No, it's not," Angelo corrected her.

He turned to Joey.

"I'm sorry about whatever it is that's happened but Charlie and I are kind of busy so if you could just…"

He nudged her towards the door. She obeyed. Charlie stopped her, holding onto her arm. She whirled around to face Angelo.

"Don't you dare tell her to leave! She's upset!"

"And we're trying to have Valentine's Day, in case you'd forgotten."

"Some things are more important."

"You mean some people are more important! Like _her_! If you let her stay and take over our night, that's it, Charlie. It's over."

Charlie looked between her boyfriend and her best friend.

"Bye," she said to him.

He looked hurt and angry.

"I don't know why I've wasted the last year on you," he muttered, storming back into the living room.

Joey looked guilty and helpless. She stared at Charlie. Dressed, Angelo stormed past them.

"I can't even believe I was thinking about asking you to move in with me!" he yelled, charging out of the house.

"Charlie, you shouldn't have told him to leave…" Joey said. "I… I would have been okay."

"You don't look okay."

"Thanks!" Joey said, bursting into tears.

Charlie held her tightly. Crushed against her breasts, both girls suddenly realised that Charlie was still in her underwear. They pulled apart and Charlie led her friend into the living room so that she could get dressed.

"I really do have lousy timing," Joey commented.

"We were only really getting started," Charlie said. "It doesn't matter. I wasn't missing much!"

She felt bad for criticising Angelo and she didn't really mean it but she was upset with him for his outburst. Joey perched on the armchair, guessing that they had been at it on the sofa.

"What happened?" Charlie asked, finally dressed.

"We split up," Joey said tearfully.

Charlie sank to her knees in front of Joey and let her cry in her arms.

* * *

An hour later, Charlie and Joey were curled up in bed. Joey had cried herself into a state of exhaustion. She'd tearfully explained that Zoe had confessed to cheating on her and that hiding in the closet and her hatred of her friendship with Charlie had finally proved too much for them. Charlie welcomed Joey into her arms.

"Everything's going to be okay," she said soothingly.

She stroked Joey's back and held her as close as possible.

"I just can't believe that she'd do that to me," Joey said. "I know we had our problems but I didn't think..."

"I know. I know. She's an idiot, Joey."

"Hardly," Joey said, disbelieving. "She was probably right to leave me. She's better off without me. I've never been any good to anyone."

"Hey, that's not true!" Charlie said firmly.

She tilted Joey's head so that she was looking up at her.

"You are the most beautiful and incredible person ever. She was lucky to have you and she was an idiot to let you go. Anyone would be lucky to have you, Joey. Anyone. You're amazing."

Joey sought her lips, kissing her tenderly. Charlie responded without thinking, immediately losing herself in the shape and softness of Joey's lips. They clung tightly to each other, passion building and hands roaming. Eventually drawing away, they gazed at each other and kissed each other's lips a couple more times. They rested their foreheads together, neither knowing what to say.

"Goodnight, Charlie," Joey managed.

"Goodnight."

They continued to hold each other.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter Twenty-One**

**February 2004**

The following morning, Joey woke with a heavy heart. Memories from the night before with Zoe and with Charlie rushed back to her. She looked at her best friend who was just coming round beside her. She studied her face and watched the memories dawn on Charlie. Joey recognised the concern on her face and sighed. She lifted the covers and climbed out of bed, scrambling to find her clothes. Charlie sat up, blinking sleepily, confused as to why Joey seemed to be leaving so soon. They always hung out at their leisure whenever Joey stayed over. Grief overwhelmed her as she decided that Joey regretted their kiss. Why else would she be running away?

"Are you leaving so soon?" she asked meekly.

Joey turned to face her, zipping her jeans and nodded.

"I've got a lot of cleaning up to do at home so…"

Her voice trailed off. She sat on the edge of the bed and shoved her shoes onto her feet. Standing and ready to head for the door, she watched Charlie rush over to her. They stared at each other, searching each other's faces.

"Look, about last night…" Joey finally said. "I know it was a mistake. I'm sorry if I took advantage or something. We were both upset and hurting over Zoe and Angelo. It shouldn't have happened."

Charlie fought tears. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of Joey now.

"Yeah," she agreed.

Her heart hurt.

"It was… it was just one of those things. Let's just forget it ever happened."

"Right," Joey said.

The lump in her throat seemed to ache worse every time she and Charlie ended up in this place.

"Well, I'd… I'd better…"

She gestured towards the door. Charlie reached out to hug her and they clung to one another like their lives depended on it. Joey began to cry quietly into Charlie's shoulder while Charlie felt her own eyes becoming moist. She fought hard not to lose control until Joey had left. Pulling away, her heart lurched when she saw the state Joey was in. Joey roughly brushed the tears away and apologised.

"I'm just… you know, with Zoe and everything."

"Right," Charlie said sadly.

"And I was worried that I might have lost you and… just everything."

Charlie nodded, wanting to reassure her but she couldn't find the words.

"I'm going to head out," Joey said, leaving Charlie's arms and rushing towards the door.

**

* * *

**

April 2004

Joey, Robbo, Aden and Gibsy were out on the water. Gibsy had been Paul's second in command so Brett had promoted him to manager of the boat. It had put Robbo's nose out of joint but Joey had been relieved beyond belief that Robbo had nothing but experience on her. Working on a daily basis with him was torture. She didn't know how she was going to cope with a lifetime of seeing him every day. He was unbearable and without her Dad to protect her, she felt vulnerable. Aden was doing his best but sometimes, a girl needed her parents. The tragedy for Joey was that she didn't have any parents left. She felt like she didn't have much left at all. She and Brett hardly spoke or even saw each other these days. Her dream of working on her father's boat seemed completely destroyed the worse Robbo's behaviour got. He had no respect for women at all and was forever finding fault with her and trying to humiliate her in front of Gibsy. She was only relieved that with Brett owning the trawler that she wasn't likely to get fired. He at least knew what she was capable of. On top of the criticisms, Robbo make comments about her looks and what he'd like to get up to with her. It made her skin crawl. She'd nearly hit him the previous week when he'd walked past and grabbed her backside. And when she was on land, she had Robbo's sister to contend with. Since they had broken up, Joey thought she had coped surprisingly well. With Charlie going through a break up of her own, the two had drawn together and supported each other. They had swept their kiss under the carpet, just as they had always done. After their initial awkwardness the following morning, they had recovered and continued as normal, although it still played on Joey's mind. But they needed each other. They always would. If nothing else, Charlie protected her from Zoe, who wasn't coping as well with the break up as Joey was. Zoe had pleaded with Joey almost on a daily basis to take her back. She'd made promises of coming out and not being jealous of Charlie and she'd apologised profusely over her infidelity. Joey had satisfied her painful curiosity by forcing Zoe to explain to her what had happened and when but it hadn't really made her feel any better. If there was a family she disliked more than any other in the whole town, it was the Cruze family.

"You slacking, girlie?" Robbo asked, snapping Joey out of her thoughts.

She glared at him and continued with what she was doing.

"No, I'm not slacking," she snapped. "I was taking a second to breathe if that's perfectly okay."

"I'd make you breathless any day, babe," he commented, walking away.

She shuddered and focussed on the task in hand.

* * *

"Sorry!" Charlie said when she bumped into someone at reception.

She looked up and her heart sank. It was Angelo. They looked at each other for a couple of seconds too long and then hurried away. Charlie wanted to be friends but since he had stormed out on her on Valentine's Day, they had hardly spoken, except for a few shouting matches, which she had lost. All his hurt over her constant lack of interest in him, the fact that she had never told him that she loved him, the fact that she _hadn't _loved him and the way she dropped him for Joey all the time was all coming out now. He had spent such a long time trying to be happy with Charlie, trying to love her enough for the both of them that he had swallowed his anger and frustration. Now it wouldn't stop spilling out and it was making life difficult. Every time he saw her, he just wanted to shout and scream and make her realise how much she had hurt him. But she never reacted, except to apologise and ask if they could just move on. That infuriated him more than anything.

* * *

After work, Joey hurried off the boat and to the Diner. She was starving and couldn't be bothered to cook. Entering the restaurant, she spotted Jack sitting alone and went to join him.

"Hey, do you mind some company?" she asked.

Even though Joey's recent trauma was a secret, Jack's wasn't and she empathised, as well as felt a little guilty for keeping her mouth shut. Now she knew what it felt like to be cheated on and find out so long after the event, she wished she could have changed that situation for Jack, although she wasn't sure finding out at the time would really be any better. He nodded and gestured for her to sit.

"How are you?" she asked.

Jack had been moping around for two months now. It seemed like everyone was unhappy these days. He and Hugo had got into a bitter argument the day after he and Martha had split up and not spoken since. He avoided Martha like the plague, although she didn't make it easy for him. It hadn't escaped his noticed that Martha and Hugo also weren't speaking and that made him feel better but not enough to forgive them for what they had done. He thought back to his time at the police academy. He'd had temptation dangled in front of him on more than one occasion and yet he had always resisted, even when the loneliness was really getting to him. Each time, he reminded himself that the reason he felt so lonely was because he loved Martha so much and that was enough to make sure he never ever sought comfort in another person. It broke his heart that she hadn't been able to do the same thing.

"I'm okay," he replied. "You just have to get on with things, don't you?"

"Yeah," Joey said, nodding.

That's all anybody could do with whatever life threw at them.

"How's everything with you?" Jack asked. "I know things have been hard since your Dad…"

Joey took a breath and nodded, plastering a smile on her face.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I mean, I've adjusted. I miss him. Of course I miss him but I'm coping. And Elsie and Charlie help out a lot. They keep me strong."

Jack smiled, glad that she had support.

"Speak of the devil," Joey said, noticing Charlie entering the Diner.

She was wearing her uniform, on a break from work. Joey could never help noticing how sexy she was in that thing. Spotting them, Charlie waved and headed over.

* * *

Sitting round the table, Charlie and Joey kept Jack company with Watson joining them once she had finished work. It felt very strange, after the last year, for Watson to be the only person in a relationship. For as long as she had known Jack, he had been besotted with Martha. Charlie had been in her complicated little relationship with Angelo for much of the time Watson had known her and now even Joey and Zoe, the secret but long standing couple, were over. And Watson, the commitment-phobic police woman had been dating Carol the paramedic since the end of January. It felt surreal. She felt sorry for all of them, although Charlie seemed a hell of a lot happier since she'd been single. Watson had tried and failed not to comment on the reason being that it meant she got to spend as much time with Joey as she wanted. Back in February, after Valentine's Day, Charlie had tearfully called Watson and asked her to take a drive. Out for a pub lunch, Charlie had broken down and told her all about the kiss and Joey's rejection. She still wasn't quite prepared to admit what she wanted from Joey but she seemed to be making progress on her journey. Watson yet again marvelled over the two girls' abilities to ignore the facts and their feelings. She didn't know exactly what had happened between them the morning after, but she was certain that Joey was into Charlie as much as Charlie was into Joey. But since then, they had fallen back into step with each other as normal and behaved as best friends. They were inseparable and friendly and in love without allowing themselves to speak the word.

"We should all go and party this weekend," Watson decided.

Charlie and Joey perked up but Jack didn't look terribly interested.

"I'm not really in the mood," he said.

"That's exactly why you should come," Watson told him.

He sighed and sat up straighter, contemplating the idea. Just as he looked up, he spotted Martha entering Crumble. He sighed and stood up to leave as soon as she spotted him. She called his name desperately but he ignored her. Martha looked helplessly at Charlie, Joey and Watson. Joey wasn't feeling very forgiving but she knew that was about Zoe, not about Martha. Charlie took compassion on her friend and called her over.

"Sorry," Martha said. "I didn't mean to interrupt."

She looked as sad as she felt. Life was so empty now that Jack hated her. She couldn't bear walking around town being able to see him for fleeting moments and then have him run away from her. As soon as they had split up, Hugo had tried to comfort her and she knew instinctively that he wanted them to get back together. She'd pushed him away, as much as it hurt, and she had hardly spoken to him now for two months. If she stood any chance of getting Jack back, she had to keep away from Hugo. She had to prove herself.

"It's okay," Charlie said.

Watson gestured for her to sit down. Martha accepted gratefully.

* * *

Charlie and Joey walked out of Crumble together. Everything amongst their friends had been strange since February. Jack and Martha who had once been so inseparable, could no longer be around each other, Zoe kept following Joey around and pleading with her to get back together and Charlie and Angelo kept fighting. The girls were just glad they still had each other and that nothing had been destroyed between them because yet again their lips had got in the way of their friendship.

"What are you up to now?" Charlie asked.

"Just going to head home. I'm in desperate need for a shower," Joey complained.

"Yeah, you reek," Charlie teased.

They embraced, holding on a little too long like they always did.

"So are you screwing her now?"

Joey deflated in Charlie's arms as she heard Zoe charging up to them. They pulled apart and Joey prepared to face to her ex.

"Are you?" Zoe demanded.

"No, Zoe," Joey said tiredly.

She turned to Charlie.

"I'll catch you later," she said.

"Are you sure you don't need me to…?" Charlie asked.

She was worried about Joey having to deal with Zoe alone.

"No, she doesn't need anything from you!" Zoe snapped.

Joey told Charlie more gently that she'd be okay and then she started walking quickly, hoping that she might shake Zoe off. Zoe followed.

"Well?" Zoe asked.

"Well what?" Joey wanted to know.

"Are you and her…?"

"No! For the millionth time, no! And even if we were, what business is it of yours?"

"But you're my…"

"I'm your ex, Zoe. And hardly anyone even knows that. The more you chase me around, the more people will start suspecting you so it's in your best interests to leave me alone."

"I just can't bear the thought of…"

Joey stopped and turned to face her.

"Even if I was with Charlie or anyone else for that matter, it would still have nothing to do with you. All you can do is rest safely in the knowledge that at least I waited until I was single before I spread my legs."

She resumed walking, ignoring Zoe's heartbroken face.

"I'm sorry! How many times can I apologise and beg your forgiveness?" Zoe asked.

"If you want me to forgive you, the best thing you can do is give me space to heal," Joey said.

She didn't want to fight. She didn't want to have anything to do with Zoe anymore. She just wanted to move on with her life. Zoe tugged on her hand.

"Will you ever take me back?" she asked tearfully.

"I don't think so," Joey said sadly.

She turned and walked away.

* * *

Belle lay in Aden's arms in her bedroom. He was topless. She ran her hands over his muscles, kissing him passionately. It had been a slow building relationship but Aden really felt like 'the one'. She unhooked her bra to nudge him along. Aden reached for her tenderly.

* * *

Joey was just arriving home when she spotted Elsie bent over in the front garden, leaning on the handle of the lawn mower.

"Aunt Elsie!" Joey cried, jogging over.

Elsie straightened up, catching her breath.

"What are you doing?"

"Oh, Ross left the mower out after he cut the grass this morning," Elsie explained. "I was trying to shift it back into the shed."

Joey tutted.

"You should have waited for one of us to get home," she insisted. "We would have put it back for you."

She nudged her mother's best friend out of the way and picked up the machine, carrying it easily round to the back of the house. Elsie followed gratefully. Once the shed was locked up safely again, Joey turned to Elsie with her hands on her hips, giving her best disapproving look.

"Don't let me catch you doing heavy lifting again, please," she warned.

"I promise," Elsie smiled. "Can I treat you to some apple pie? I made it for Ross, Charlie and Ruby for after dinner but I don't think anyone will mind if we have a piece now."

"Are you sure?" Joey asked.

"It's the least I can do," Elsie said, leading the way back to the house. "And besides, I don't get to spend nearly enough time with you these days."

* * *

Seated at the kitchen table, Joey tucked into possibly the best apple pie she had ever had.

"Elsie, you outdo yourself every time," she said.

Elsie beamed. Joey was always forthcoming with compliments and affirmations for the people around her. She admired the girl's strength and the way she coped with school, running a house, looking after Brett who always seemed to be drunk, all while she grieved the loss of her parents.

"How are you, Joey?" she asked.

"Better now that I'm eating this," Joey giggled.

"I mean really," Elsie persisted.

Joey stopped eating. It was a question she never asked herself or bothered to answer for other people. If she spent too long thinking about all that she had lost in the last few years, she would break down and she didn't have time to do that.

"I'm alright," she said. "I mean, it's hard but what else can you do but keep going? You know that as well as anyone."

Joey had watched Elsie suffer as much as she had when Clara had died. The women had been the closest friends in the world and Elsie had been lost without her. She was still lost. But not once had she missed making a meal for her family, not once had she stopped looking after them and Joey and Brett. She had always kept going, always stayed strong. Joey thought it was an example to follow.

"If there's anything more I can do to help, you know I'm willing," Elsie said.

"And the same goes for you," Joey said sincerely. "I mean it when I say I'm happy to help you out with stuff, Aunt Elsie. I know Ross and Charlie are working a lot but I'm around more and if you need something, just let me know."

Elsie smiled.

"I love how you still call me Aunt Elsie," she said affectionately.

Joey blushed. She'd never really thought about it before.

"Well, that's who you are," she said. "That's who you've always been."

Elsie smiled and put her hand over Joey's. Joey suddenly felt sadness and guilt wash over her. Elsie saw it in her face.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Do you think it makes me a terrible person if I admit to missing Mum more than Dad?" she asked, sounding terrified of the answer.

Elsie looked into her eyes.

"No, it doesn't," she said.

"But doesn't that mean I loved her more? Aren't you meant to love your parents equally?"

"It doesn't mean that you loved her more," Elsie said confidently. "It just means that you had a different relationship."

"My Dad and I got on so much better over the last year. We were really starting to get somewhere, get close," Joey said. "And I love him and I miss him so much. But I've got used to him not being around. As much as I adored him, he wasn't the biggest part of my life. I manage the house more now because I pretty much run it completely but I was doing almost all the same things before. But when it comes to Mum… I still can't think about her without… without…"

She took a deep breath, willing herself not to cry.

"I know, sweetheart," Elsie said, clutching her hand tighter.

Joey looked into her face. She really did know.

"Tell me about her," Joey requested.

Elsie looked puzzled.

"I only knew her as my Mum," Joey explained. "But what was she like as a person? You knew her better than anyone. Who was she?"

"Oh, she was incredible, Joey," Elsie said.

Her eyes immediately lit up.

"She was always so kind. Whenever we all used to go out for a night, Clara was always the one who made sure that everybody was okay. She never let anyone get too trashed without looking after them. She was always so well behaved," Elsie chuckled.

Joey liked the image of her mother always being the clucking mother hen, fussing over her chicks.

"Oh, and she was funny, Joey," Elsie continued. "She had the naughtiest sense of humour!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, but she was such a prude that every time she even thought something rude she'd turn all pink. You always got double the fun with her. She told hilarious one-liners and then you got her reactions to her own jokes… Oh, yes, she was a very funny lady."

Joey grinned, relishing in the idea of her mother being the adorable life and soul of the party.

"You guys really were lifelong best friends, weren't you?" she said.

"We really were," Elsie said wistfully.

She sighed, thinking more deeply about Clara. They had connected on so many levels that reached far deeper than mere friendship.

"Like you and Charlie," she added.

Joey looked down, doubting very much that Elsie and Clara had been as complicated as her and Charlie. Elsie kept hold of her hand.

"What is it?" Elsie asked softly, having a feeling that she already knew.

"Nothing," Joey said, shaking her confusion off and hoping they could breeze past it.

"Joey?" Elsie persisted. "You haven't had a fight, have you?"

"What? No. No, we never fight."

That was half the problem. Joey loved Charlie too much to ever fight with her. She didn't want to love her. Unrequited romance was not fun.

"You don't, do you?" Elsie said. "It's nice to see how much you love each other."

Joey smiled sadly, thinking that her best friend's mother had no idea.

"Are you sure there isn't something on your mind?" Elsie probed.

"I'm sure."

Part of her so desperately wanted to tell the truth but as much as she loved and trusted the woman, she wasn't sure how well Elsie would react to Joey confessing her feelings for her daughter. She couldn't handle that kind of rejection and she couldn't cope with the idea that Elsie might then tell Charlie what she had said.

"Okay," Elsie relented.

She smiled brightly.

"So, how are other things in your life, Joey?" she asked. "School? Romance?"

"School's fine. I can't wait to finish. And romance…"

She laughed.

"You don't want to know."

"Try me."

"I was seeing someone," Joey admitted, wondering how much she ought to reveal. "But we split a couple of months ago."

"Sorry to hear that."

"It's fine. We hadn't been getting along for a while. We kept rowing and then I got cheated on."

"Oh, Joey…" Elsie said sadly.

The fact that her younger companion hadn't mentioned a gender was not lost on Elsie.

"It's fine I'm better off without her… him… um, them."

Joey's frightened eyes met Elsie's, searching for condemnation. She didn't find any.

"You sound like you are better off without her."

Joey smiled, grateful that Elsie hadn't made an issue out of it. Then she sighed, feeling bad that she had made Zoe out to be a bad person when she was hardly blameless.

"I was at fault too," she admitted.

"How so?"

"I…"

Joey rested her head in her hands, wondering why she had ever started talking about this.

"I never loved her best," she admitted.

She looked up and met Elsie's gaze.

"I tried to. I thought she was wonderful. I was faithful to her and I loved her. But we could have spent our whole lives together and she would never have been my soul mate. She would never have been the one who made my heart race, who made me complete."

"But there's someone else who does make you feel that way?" Elsie asked.

Joey nodded.

"But she's not mine. She'll never be mine. I'll never be complete because I'll never have more than a really wonderful friendship with her."

"Why not?"

Elsie was sure Joey was talking about Charlie. And Joey's words were eerily similar to her own thoughts about Clara.

"Because she doesn't love me."

Joey's voice sounded hollow.

"She's straight. She might think the world of me. I know she does but it'll never be more than that."

"Have you talked to her about how you feel?"

Joey shrugged.

"Kind of. Not really. To be honest, I don't really understand what we've talked about and what we haven't."

"Maybe talking is what you need to do," Elsie suggested.

"I can't," Joey said firmly, shaking her head. "I can't wreck what we have."

* * *

Aden felt Belle's hand slip down to the button of his jeans. He tensed as she undid it and then unzipped them. He looked into her eyes but the more desire he saw there, the more afraid he was. He froze.

"Aden?" she said, concerned.

He pulled roughly away from her, zipped himself up, grabbed his t-shirt and fled the room. Belle sat back on the mattress feeling confused and rejected.

* * *

Joey sat in her room listening to music, thinking about her conversation with Elsie. She hoped that she hadn't seen through her and worked out who Joey had been talking about but she was comforted by the fact that she hadn't reacted at all to Joey's sexual preference. She also hadn't broken physical contact with her. It meant a lot to her to be accepted by a woman she thought so much of. Talking to Elsie had almost felt like what she imagined it would like to tell her mother. She'd told her mother's spirit and her headstone already but to sit there and tell a mother figure that she was gay, face to face, was a whole different thing. To not have been rejected even a little bit, meant the world. It also made her wonder if Elsie already knew. She figured that if her own mother had figured it out, she had probably shared it with Elsie. So, perhaps it hadn't been such a shock. It might not solve any of the thoughts rushing through her mind but it had been a good and comforting experience.

* * *

Aden walked along the beach feeling alone and regretful that he had run out on Belle. He wanted to consummate their relationship. He wanted to be close to her and show her how much she meant to him but it seemed impossible. He wondered why things had been so easy with Joey and not with Belle. He had been attracted to her the same. He had trusted her the same amount. Maybe it was because he knew she liked girls and was therefore a safe option. No, he decided, it was more than that. It was because she knew every part of his soul and she loved him anyway. He resolved to take a risk and tell Belle the truth.

* * *

Belle sat in the Jukebox feeling miserable.

"Bad day?" said a voice behind her.

She turned and smiled at Angelo who came to sit down beside her.

"You have no idea," she replied. "Why are men so confusing?"

"Men? I think you women have a lot to answer for," Angelo replied, thinking of Charlie.

Belle smiled. Maybe he was right.

"How about I buy you a drink and we can cheer each other up?" Angelo suggested.

She held out her empty glass in acceptance.

* * *

That night, Elsie lay in bed. Ross snored quietly beside her. She thought about Joey and how brave she had been to come out to her today, even though she hadn't really meant to. She hoped that she had been a good listener and she hated the pain she was enduring because she was so confused about love. Her words had hit a nerve and now all Elsie could think about was Clara. Both Elsie and Clara had done exactly what Joey was afraid of. They had let other things than their hearts govern their choices in life and they had settled for people that they would never love best of all. Clara's marriage to Paul had been empty from the start. Elsie's had been better but never quite good enough. Clara was her soul mate. She was the person she was always meant to be with and they had let each other slip through their fingers. Now she had a life left wondering what if. She hoped that Joey and Charlie would learn from their parents' mistakes.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

**July 2004**

Charlie sat completely rigid in her boss's office. Their final monthly progress review had come up, signalling that she, Watson, Angelo and Jack were no longer new recruits to the station.

"Well, Charlie, I certainly can't fault your work," Matthew said, smiling at her. "You're dedicated and efficient. I don't think I've ever known a harder worker than you."

She smiled back, feeling encouraged.

"My only criticism is your personal life getting in the way on occasion. And I've said that to Angelo too."

"I know the arguments haven't been very professional," Charlie agreed. "I'm really sorry and I'm determined to stop them from happening."

She was annoyed with her ex-boyfriend for being the only dirty mark on her pristine record. It wasn't as if she ever started the arguments. Angelo just seemed to lose control of himself and let his anger tear through her when he saw her. She had hoped they would be in a place where they could be friends again by now but he wasn't having any of it.

"Aside from that, you've passed your probation with flying colours. Well done."

"Thank you, Matthew," she said gratefully, leaning across the desk and shaking his hand.

* * *

That evening, Charlie and Joey sat in the Jukebox celebrating Charlie passing her probation. They clinked their glasses together.

"I am so proud of you, Constable Buckton," Joey declared.

Love and admiration filled her eyes. She thought it was incredible that Charlie had discovered her dream and chased it.

"I'm just so relieved," Charlie admitted. "I was so nervous that I wouldn't pass."

"Oh, as if!" Joey laughed, swatting her leg. "Of course you passed. You're an amazing cop."

"I try my best," Charlie said bashfully.

"You're amazing," Joey confirmed.

"Hello, ladies," Hugo said, appearing as if from nowhere.

Charlie and Joey turned and smiled politely. Neither of them particularly liked the guy. With Martha and Jack both being their friends, it was easier to blame Hugo for the breakdown of the relationship that didn't look like it was going to be fixed any time soon.

"Are we celebrating something?" he asked.

"I passed my probation at work," Charlie informed him.

"Congratulations!" he enthused. "Maybe I could take you out to dinner sometime to say well done."

Joey felt her heart sink, although she had been trying to psyche herself up for the inevitable moment that Charlie started dating again for months. Since February, the two of them had been inseparable, much like they had been back when boys and girls hadn't got in the way.

"Um… no thank you," Charlie said politely without even pausing to think about it.

He looked disappointed and Joey tried not to look relieved.

"Why not? You don't have a boyfriend anymore, do you?"

"No," Charlie said, ignoring how blunt he had been. "And I don't want one either."

"I'm not asking for a relationship Charlie," he said, leaning close to her. "Just dinner. And then we can see what else comes up."

Catching the double meaning, Joey pulled a face and sipped her drink. Charlie shook her head.

"I'm really not into the dating scene right now, Hugo. But thanks," she said firmly.

Sighing, he walked away. Once he was gone, Charlie turned back to Joey.

"Why do people assume that when you're single you don't want to be?" she asked.

* * *

At work the following morning, Joey tried to concentrate on what she had to do and was determined to ignore Robbo. It wasn't easy. He had quite a presence on the boat and he and Gibsy seemed to be best mates these days. She dropped a rope by accident. It clattered into a pile of crates, knocking several of them to the floor loudly. She hurried to pick them up. Robbo was behind her before she'd even bent over.

"I keep telling your brother that you're useless on here," he said.

She turned and glared at him.

"You're a waste of time on this boat, Joey," he told her. "All women are. This is a man's world. You're not part of it so why don't you take your cute little hobby and go be someone's wife?"

"I work just fine on here," Joey snapped back.

She turned and bent over to pick up the crates. Robbo whistled.

"With that view, maybe I'll consider changing my mind!"

Joey made a disgusted noise in the back of her throat and ignored him.

* * *

After work, Joey and Aden escaped as soon as they could.

"You have to talk to Brett, Joey," Aden told her yet again.

"He won't do anything," Joey protested. "Robbo's his best friend."

"You're his sister!"

She just looked at him. Sibling bonds between her and Brett had died a long time ago. They'd been fine as children but as they had entered their adolescence they had begun to argue. Then, after Clara had died, Brett had completely shut down. When he'd decided not to work for the business and Joey had stepped up, their loving sibling relationship had ended completely. Now, they were just two people who happened to live in the same house.

"Joey, I know you don't really get along but he's still your brother. He loves you and if he knew what was happening, he'd put a stop to it," Aden insisted.

"I don't think so," she sighed. "Anyway, do you want to come over for dinner?"

"Oh, yeah, great. Thanks. Maybe I can nag you a bit more while I'm there."

"Nag me and I'll poison you!" she warned with a grin.

* * *

It had been a long shift and Charlie was ready to go out for several beers to wind down. Dragging Watson with her, she headed to the Jukebox.

"I thought things were supposed to get easier once we'd passed," Charlie frowned.

Watson shook her head.

"I don't think the police work like that unfortunately," she said.

Entering the bar, they spotted Martha serving and approached.

"Hey, how's it going?" Charlie asked, leaning on the bar top.

"I'm exhausted," Martha said. "We've been so busy all day."

"I empathise," Charlie said seriously.

They ordered their drinks and took a corner seat.

"So, did you spend your review getting told how perfect you are?" Watson teased.

All through training and now for the last year, nobody had been more dedicated to her job than Charlie. Watson was committed but Charlie was in love with it.

"Almost," Charlie grinned. "His only criticism was the arguments with Angelo."

"How's that going now?" she asked.

"He's been a little nicer since he and Belle got together. But he seems to think that I'm jealous or something. I'm not. The only reason I don't want them to be together is for poor Aden's sake."

"He doesn't have much luck, does he?" Watson said sympathetically. "Has he ever had a girlfriend?"

"Only Joey."

Watson nearly spat her drink out. Charlie protested and laughed.

"Joey?" Watson asked. "Really?"

"Yeah, they were together when they were younger," Charlie explained. "From about twelve to fourteen. Why is that so funny?"

"I don't know," Watson admitted. "I just didn't think she would ever have been the boyfriend type."

"Don't a lot of gay people dabble with the opposite gender at some point?" Charlie asked. "Didn't you?"

"No," Watson said.

"Seriously?"

"I kissed a boy when I was eleven to confirm that I didn't want to do it ever again and it's been girls all the way since then," Watson told her.

"How could you have been so sure of yourself?" Charlie wondered.

Watson shrugged.

"I don't know. I just knew I liked girls."

She sipped her drink and studied Charlie curiously.

"But didn't it freak you out?"

"Not really. I mean, I was nine when I started realising that I was gay, although I didn't have a word for it then and I came out when I was eleven. I don't think I was old enough to care about being different," Watson said.

Charlie looked fascinated.

"Trying to figure out how to come out yourself?" Watson asked.

"I'm not gay!" Charlie hissed quietly.

Watson just smirked.

"So, how is Joey these days? Seen much of her?"

"Yeah, we see each other every day," Charlie said. "We had drinks and dinner last night."

"Uh huh," Watson said knowingly.

"We were celebrating!" Charlie protested, catching on.

"I'm sure!"

"We… oh, shut up," Charlie sighed.

Since both their break ups, the girls had become inseparable. Nothing more had happened since their kiss and they had been careful not to let it. They focussed on their friendship and pretended that they weren't closer than they ought to be or in the least bit co-dependent.

* * *

Joey and Aden sat down to dinner.

"Is Zoe still hassling you too?" he asked.

He hadn't stopped banging on about Robbo since they'd left the boat. She shrugged.

"Sometimes," she said. "Not as often as before. I hopefully won't keep bumping into her all the time now we've got such separate lives."

Aden nodded. He'd been sad when Joey and Zoe had broken up, having believed them to be the perfect couple, aside from all the domestics. He felt a little guilty to have chosen one over the other but once he'd heard that Zoe had cheated and that she had tried to force Joey to stop being friends with Charlie, his loyalty to his first best friend since he'd moved to town had kicked in. Joey still meant the world to him and he believed she always would. She was the only person he had ever trusted with his past, aside from his Dad who had eventually let him down. Having left the rehab clinic, Aden's father had left Aden in the care of Tony Holden, saying that he was better off there. While they exchanged the odd phone call now and again, Aden felt almost estranged.

"How are you anyway?" Joey asked.

He'd been devastated since he and Belle had split up and now, having to watch her swan around town with Angelo was hard. But he hadn't really talked about it much. Joey didn't know what had happened.

"I'm fine," Aden said. "I mean, I get on better at work than you do."

The statement was extremely pointed. Joey ignored it and let Aden continue talking.

"And home is great, although I really should be thinking about finding a new place to live. I'm not family. The Holden's can't put me up forever."

"Have you talked to them about that?" Joey asked.

He shook his head.

"I've been avoiding it," he said.

"You avoid most things," she pointed out in a way that only she could get away with.

"I do not!"

"I ask you how you are and you don't once mention your broken heart?" she probed.

Aden sighed and focussed on his food.

"This pasta is really good, by the way," he said, changing the subject.

"Aden…" Joey pleaded.

"Okay, I miss her like crazy and I hate myself for letting her go," he admitted a little more passionately than he'd intended.

It was more than she'd got since the first night he'd shown up at the house, burst into tears and told her it was over. Since then, he'd closed up.

"What happened, Aden?" she asked. "You guys were so cute together."

"I couldn't do it," he said quietly.

"Do what?"

"You know… _it_."

"Oh."

He hung his head.

"We were just about to and I freaked out and ran away. The next time I saw her, I'd decided just to be honest. I thought maybe if I explained myself, she'd understand and maybe she'd still care about me like you did. But I was too late. She told me it was over and that she'd met someone else before I could ever open my mouth."

Joey put her fork down and reached to put an arm around him.

"I'm sorry, Aden."

"Why can't I just be normal, Joey?" he asked sadly.

"You are normal," Joey insisted. "You've been through so much. Of course you're going to find it hard to be with someone. And if Belle can dump you without even talking about it and move onto Angelo of all people, then maybe she's not the one for you."

She'd said Angelo's name like she had a bad taste in her mouth.

"I just… I thought she was," he sighed.

She kept her arm around him, wishing that she could offer more comfort.

"Anyway, talking about 'the one' – how's Charlie?"

"Inappropriate," she warned him.

"You made me talk about my pain!"

"Charlie is perfect. She is always perfect. And I can never have her."

She suddenly felt miserable.

"How do you do it, Joey? How can you be in love with your best friend and stay close to her when you don't think there's a future there?" he asked.

"I'd rather have her as a friend than as nothing at all."

"I still think you should tell her how you feel."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Joey said quickly.

She withdrew her arm and started eating again.

"I'm just saying that she might feel the same way," Aden said.

"She doesn't feel the same way."

"She's kissed you three times now!"

"Actually, the last time it happened, I kissed her. And the other two times were mutual."

"She still kissed you back."

"She was probably just being polite."

Aden laughed and almost choked on his food. He grabbed his glass of water.

"And she regretted it in the morning," Joey reminded him.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

**December 2004**

It was New Year's Eve and Charlie and Joey were at Charlie's house setting out food for their party. Ross and Elsie had gone away, taking Ruby with them, despite her protestations that she wanted to spend New Year with Xavier. Charlie swore that her little sister was too mature to be eleven. In the absence but with the somewhat reluctant permission of her parents, Charlie was hosting her own house party. It would have been easy enough to have it at Joey's but there was something fulfilling about having it at her own house.

"Oh, I hope this is a success!" Charlie said worriedly.

"It will be," Joey assured her. "Stop worrying."

She had been fussing around all day. Joey had found it largely entertaining.

"I hope Jack and Martha don't fight."

"They'll probably just ignore each other," Joey said.

"What about midnight?" Charlie suddenly exclaimed.

"What about it?"

"What if one or the other kisses someone else? That would be horrible."

Sensing she was about to launch into yet another full scale flap, Joey grabbed hold of her hands and held her still. She made eye contact and smiled.

"Breathe," she instructed.

Charlie breathed more normally.

"And repeat after me: this party is going to be fantastic."

Charlie nodded.

"This party is going to be fantastic."

"And Joey is the most amazing person that ever drew breath," Joey added.

Charlie laughed and hugged her.

"You're certainly that," she confirmed. "Oh, did you put the note on the bathroom door about only pulling it to because the handle's busted?"

"Yep. It's blu-tacked on," Joey assured her.

* * *

Martha, Rachel and Leah got ready for Charlie and Joey's party together. Leah was thrilled to finally have a boyfriend at the turn of the year. She and Vinnie had been dating since Valentine's Day and she was smitten. He was cheeky, funny, good looking and very thoughtful. Rachel was moderately excited. She was looking forward to kicking back and enjoying herself but things with Chris weren't easy these days. Medical school was hard work and she hardly saw him or any of her friends anymore because she was working too hard. Martha was terrified of the party and considering not attending. She knew Jack was going to be there, although Charlie and Joey had assured her that Hugo was not invited. She was torn between wanting to chase Jack around any room she found him in and begging him to love her again and not wanting to see him at all. Every time he rejected her, it hurt that little bit more, although she knew she deserved it. He had gone on a few dates since her but so far, she didn't think he was dating anybody for the long term. His inability to commit to someone new gave her hope that they might get back together again. If he wasn't over her, then there must still be something there.

* * *

Elsie and Ross were not having a good time. They were glad that Ruby was having fun but they were miserable. Their plan wasn't working. They had decided to go to a kid's holiday park for the weekend. That way, Ruby was entertained the entire time by staff and other children and the two of them could try and put some life back into their marriage. But so far, they were failing. Stuck alone together, they had nothing to say. They hardly knew each other anymore.

* * *

By nine thirty, the party was well underway and Charlie was just about able to relax. The spirits she was downing were helping with that. Standing in the corner of the room, she smiled, observing her friends. The girls had shown up and so had Aden and Jack. Watson was there with her girlfriend, Carol. Other friends from work and town had also arrived. The music was pumping, the drinks were flowing and everyone seemed happy. Even Jack and Martha didn't look sad, although they hadn't spoken to each other.

"Having fun?" Joey asked, appearing next to her.

"Yeah," Charlie grinned. "Everyone seems to be having a good time, don't they?"

"They do, just like I told you they would."

"And no disasters or anything!"

"Don't tempt fate, Charlie," Joey warned.

"Happy New Year!" a male voice bellowed.

Robbo appeared in the living room with a crate of beer, followed by Brett, Tanya and Zoe.

"See?" Joey said to Charlie.

"Hey, they must have been already on their way before I said that," Charlie told her, sighing and approaching the new but uninvited guests to say hello.

"I brought beer," Robbo declared.

"I can see that," Charlie said. "You can put it on the table."

He obeyed instruction and then caught sight of Joey.

"Hey, Joey, maybe you and I can put our issues behind us tonight," he suggested with a leer. "We could get to know each other better."

"I don't think so," Joey said, hurrying over to speak to Aden.

She didn't want to see Robbo or his sister.

* * *

Martha stood with Leah and Rachel, anxiously eyeing Jack.

"Would it be awful if I tried to speak to him?" she asked.

"Yes," they replied in unison.

"But… I need him to know how much I love him," Martha protested.

"Look, Martha, he's having a good time. He's relaxing and enjoying himself. You should be too. You need to leave it tonight," Rachel told her firmly. "If you and Jack are going to get back together, it needs to be on his terms."

Martha sighed unhappily. She felt like she would never smile again.

* * *

"Hi, Charlie."

Charlie whirled around to see Angelo standing close to her. Belle was on his arm. She sighed. Neither party had been invited and there had been reasons for that. Angelo was an ex that couldn't stop yelling at her and Belle had broken Aden's heart.

"Angelo…" she said.

"Oh, come on, you're not going to chuck us out are you?" he asked.

Belle looked nervous. She scanned the crowd and immediately spotted Aden talking to Joey.

"I don't want any trouble, okay?"

"I'll behave," Angelo promised. "I'd like us to be friends again."

He looked sincere enough and Charlie didn't think that Belle would draw attention to her and Angelo. She might have hurt Aden terribly but she had tried to be discreet about it.

* * *

Elsie was tense and frustrated. She longed for the days when she, Clara, Ross and Paul would go out for New Year's parties. The men would inevitably get caught up with talking about fishing, leaving Elsie and Clara to spend as much time together as they wanted. And when the bell tolled, they would all four get together to celebrate. Husbands would kiss wives, then husbands would shake hands in an overly exuberant manner and wives would kiss each other just once on the lips under the guise of it being platonic. It was never platonic.

* * *

Zoe took a deep breath, finished her drink and marched over to Joey. Her ex-girlfriend reluctantly pulled out of her conversation with Aden and let Zoe take her to one side.

"I'm not going to hassle you," Zoe promised.

Joey listened with caution.

"I just wanted to apologise one more time and accept that you don't want to be with me anymore. But I need you to know that I loved you and I always will. If you ever change your mind about me, I'm there. You just have to let me know."

Joey nodded. She didn't think she would ever let Zoe know that. Life was so much simpler now that they weren't together. Joey felt happier, calmer and more content. But she appreciated the sentiment and she hoped that Zoe meant it when she said she'd stop hassling her.

"Well, thanks, Zoe," Joe ventured. "I accept your apology and I'm grateful that we can draw a line under everything and move on."

Zoe nodded. She had still hoped that maybe Joey would turn around and declare that she missed her and needed her. But she hadn't and now Zoe needed to move on. They smiled at each other and parted.

* * *

Watson dragged Carol by the hand, searching the house for a spare room to make out in. Carol caught hold of her in the corridor and kissed her, pushing her up against the doorframe of the bathroom. Watson giggled and pulled her back through the house. Neither one noticed the sign falling from the door.

* * *

"What are they doing here?" Aden asked, approaching Charlie.

He nodded towards Angelo and Belle who were in conversation with Watson and Carol. Charlie looked awkward.

"They just showed up. I'm sorry," she apologised.

He shrugged in acceptance but was clearly unhappy about it. He downed his drink and took a breath, searching the room for Joey. She was the only person who ever seemed to have a calming affect on him. He spotted her backed into a corner with Robbo. Immediately alert, he hurried over and saw the fright and anger in her eyes as their colleague blocked her in and wouldn't let her go. His arms were resting on the wall above her head, pinning her to it.

"Hey, mate, I don't think Joey wants you that close," Aden said, pulling on Robbo's shoulder.

Robbo turned and glared. Joey used his momentary distraction to push away from him.

"Hey, I was talking to you!" Robbo bellowed, slurring a little.

"I don't want to talk you, Robbo," Joey snapped. "I don't even want to look at you."

He started towards her but Aden stepped in the way. Charlie looked up at the sound of raised voices.

"Get the fuck out of my way," Robbo snapped at Aden. "I was talking to Joey."

Joey was rooted to the spot just ahead of him.

"Well, she doesn't want to talk to you," Aden told him.

Charlie and Jack headed over, their police instincts taking over.

"I think you'd better leave," Charlie told Robbo.

"I'm not doing anything!"

"You're causing hassle and you're intimidating one of my guests. Now leave."

"You think you can make me?" Robbo challenged, leaning over her.

"I think there are a lot of cops at this party and none of them will hesitate in arresting you if necessary," Charlie said, not missing a beat or showing any emotion but strength.

Robbo looked from her to Jack and noticed a few of her colleagues, including Angelo also stepping up. He glared at Joey, silently threatening her. She clenched her jaw and forced herself not to respond to him.

"Tanya!" he yelled. "We're going."

Looking awkward, his girlfriend followed. So did his sister and so did Joey's brother. They took their leftover beers with them.

"Are you alright?" Charlie asked Joey gently when the foursome had gone.

Joey nodded, shaking herself out of her mood. She smiled.

"I'm fine," she said.

"Are you sure?"

Charlie was obviously worried. Joey smiled more genuinely.

"I swear. Thank you."

She turned to Aden and thanked him too.

Martha decided to ignore the advice of her friends and approach Jack. Seeing her coming, he hurried away, pretending that he needed the

* * *

bathroom.

"Jack!" she called. "Please, please can we talk?"

"I don't see what else there is left to say, Martha," he replied.

He wished she'd stop trying to get him back. Any day now, she was going to succeed. His resilience was wearing thin and he hated himself for loving her so much. His Dad had said you never forget your first love but this need in him to be with Martha, despite what she had done was taking things too far.

"But…"

He headed into the bathroom. Martha hurried after him, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

"You're never happy these days," Ross commented sadly as he and his wife sat at the table of the little club.

Ruby was partying on the dance floor with her new friends.

"What are you talking about?" Elsie asked, surprised that they were even talking.

"Ever since Clara died, it's been like a part of you has died too," Ross explained. "It's like you're not really there anymore."

Elsie sighed. She could hardly deny it.

"You've just been going through the motions," Ross continued. "Now I come to think about it, you always have been."

"I'm not going through the motions," Elsie insisted.

"Have you ever loved me?"

"Of course I love you, Ross! You're my husband."

"Then what was she?"

"She was my best friend and I miss her."

"She was more than that," Ross said. "Do you think I'm blind? That I don't know?"

"Don't know what?" she asked worriedly.

"That the two of you were having some kind of affair," he accused.

She blanched. In their twenty plus years of marriage, he had never brought it up before. She couldn't help but wonder why it was an issue now.

"I never had an affair, Ross," she said.

She meant it. Aside from a couple of kisses, she and Clara hadn't done anything together. She wondered if a mental affair counted. She thought it probably did, which meant she had no defence.

"Didn't you?" he asked. "You loved her. More than me."

"Differently to you," Elsie said. "I didn't love her more."

It wasn't true.

"Did you sleep with her?"

"No."

"Kiss her?"

She closed her eyes and sighed heavily. She didn't want to talk about this now. She didn't want to talk about it ever.

"Well?" Ross asked.

"A couple of times," she admitted.

"If you loved her so much, why have you stayed with me for this long?"

"Because I love you," she replied immediately.

She did mean it. He might not be the love of her life but he was her husband, the father of her children. He still meant something to her. He always would.

"I had an affair too," he told her.

She wasn't surprised.

"I felt terrible about it at the time but I also knew that your heart didn't belong to me. I think you want it to but I don't think it ever has."

"I do love you, Ross," Elsie said. "I'm sorry I could never be the wife you wanted me to be."

"I'm sorry I couldn't be the husband you wanted."

They looked at each other sadly.

"Where do we go from here?" Elsie asked.

"We carry on," Ross told her. "And I guess if the other one of us ever meets someone, the other isn't allowed to mind."

Elsie knew she would never fall in love again. Clara was her one and only and she would never taint her memory. If Ross wanted to be with another woman again, so be it. She understood that men had needs, the same as women did – perhaps more so. He wasn't getting what he wanted from Elsie. Their romantic life was over. If he needed to go elsewhere, she would resign herself to the fact.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing?" Jack demanded.

Angrily, he pulled the handle of the door. It came off in his hand. He stared at the handle and then glared at Martha.

"Now look what you've done!" he yelled.

Furiously, he turned back and started banging on the door, yelling for help. Martha stepped up beside him and started banging too.

* * *

"Aden?"

Aden turned, surprised by the small voice, barely audible above the music. Belle stood there, looking stunning but shy.

"Can we talk?"

He looked around, searching for Angelo. He was busy talking to Charlie. Settling his eyes back on Belle he was receptive to her.

"I'm sorry for hurting you," she ventured. "I just… you hurt me."

"I know," he said, bowing his head. "I didn't mean to. It's… it's complicated."

"I've got time to hear an explanation if you're willing to give it to me," she said.

He nodded and led her by the hand out into the back garden.

* * *

"Angelo," Charlie sighed. "I don't want to talk about this. I don't want to argue with you. I just want to enjoy the party."

Since his arrival, Angelo had got very drunk very quickly. He was wobbling from side to side and his eyes weren't focussed.

"Well, I do want to talk about it!" he yelled.

She looked around desperately for an escape but every other guest seemed busy and involved with something or someone else.

"Why? How does going over old ground make things better?" she asked.

"I need to know why you couldn't love me," he said.

She sighed again, wishing he would just go away.

"We just didn't click," she said.

"I clicked with you! You just didn't click with me and I want to know why!"

"I don't know why!" Charlie said, raising her voice a little.

She saw Joey worriedly observing them from the other side of the room. Charlie would have willed her to come over if her friend hadn't already been so vulnerable since the incident with Robbo.

"I do," Angelo said.

She looked at him a little nervously.

"It's because you're a cold hearted bitch, Charlie."

She frowned, denying it to herself.

"You don't have the ability to love anyone. You're all business. You don't care about people and romance. I would have done anything for you but you're unreachable. You're cold and hollow inside and you will be alone for the rest of your life."

Charlie glared at him. He turned around, looking for Belle. Not finding her and already raging with alcohol and fury, he stormed out of the house alone.

* * *

Belle's mind was reeling as Aden broke down right in front of her.

"It wasn't my fault, I swear," he said desperately.

"I know," she said, tentatively reaching out to hold him. "I know. Something like that… it's never the victim's fault."

"Please don't think badly of me," he begged.

Right now she felt nothing but compassion – and guilt that she had gone off with Angelo without ever giving Aden a chance to explain.

"I don't," she promised.

He let her gather him into her arms.

"But it's messed me up," he said. "It's messed us up. I messed us up."

"I think I helped," Belle said sadly.

Aden looked into her eyes.

"Belle, I think I'm in love with you," he confessed. "I've missed you so much since we broke up and I hate myself for letting you go."

"I think I love you too," she admitted.

* * *

Frustrated, Jack sat down on the rim of the bath with his head in his hands.

"Jack…" Martha tried.

"Don't talk to me," he told her.

The last thing he wanted was to be trapped in a small room with his ex-girlfriend.

"I love you," she said, ignoring his request. "I think you're the most incredible man in the world. You're gorgeous and funny and smart. You're kind and loving. I think everything about you is wonderful. I can't believe I was such a fool and lost you. Please, Jack, if there is even the tiniest part of you that still loves me, give it a chance to breathe."

He looked up at her.

"We are so perfect together. I'm so sorry I forgot that. I'm so sorry I got lost. But we can get over this, Jack. We can get over anything. I know we can."

She sank to her knees in front of him, gazing into his face hopefully.

* * *

In Charlie's parents' bedroom, Watson and Carol had shed several more clothes than they meant to. They always got carried away.

"We'd better get back to the party," Watson said, kissing her girlfriend.

"Yeah, otherwise someone might start looking for us."

"And finding us like this," Watson said, gesturing to their distinct lack of clothes, "could really be embarrassing."

Carol giggled and pulled Watson close again, kissing her. Watson nuzzled into Carol's neck, knowing full well that they were going to get carried away for a third time.

* * *

"Hey, you," Joey said gently, nudging into Charlie who was putting more crisps in bowls for her guests.

Charlie turned to her, feeling and looking sad. Joey wrapped her arms protectively around her friend.

"Ignore Angelo," she advised. "He's a jerk."

Charlie nodded, getting caught up happily in Joey's hair. Pulling away again, they smiled at each other.

"It's nearly midnight," Joey said. "We should round up the guests for the countdown."

They both set to work.

* * *

Jack was bordering on giving in and forgiving Martha. He missed her so much. He needed to be with her.

"How can I trust you again?" he asked, desperate for her to give him the right answer, although he didn't know what that was.

"I will never even so much as look at another guy again, Jack. Now that I know what it's like to lose you, I'd never risk it again. I love you. I need you."

He looked into her eyes. She seemed so sincere. He leant forward and kissed her lips. She kissed him back immediately, surprised and delighted. Drawing away from her, Jack looked at her seriously.

"Please don't ever hurt me again," he pleaded.

* * *

Charlie wandered through her house, going from room to room to bring all the guests into the living room. She knocked and entered her parents' room, emitting a loud scream when she realised what she had walked in on.

"Watson!" she said, covering her eyes.

Watson and Carol scrambled to get dressed and make themselves decent.

"In my parents' room?" Charlie asked, horrified.

"Sorry, Charlie!" Watson said.

"Yeah, sorry," Carol added.

Having sorted themselves out, the girls followed Charlie through the hall.

"I'm just going to head to the bathroom," Watson announced.

"Hey, why is the door closed?" Charlie wondered, stopping outside. "The handle comes off inside and people get locked in if you close the door properly. There was a sign."

Carol located the sign on the floor. Charlie knocked and called through the door. There was no answer. She shoved the handle, opened the door and screamed again.

"What is up with people having sex all over my house?" she asked herself, hurrying away.

Jack and Martha rushed to sort themselves out.

"Congratulations by the way," Charlie yelled back over her shoulder.

Giggling, Watson, Carol, Jack and Martha followed her into the living room.

* * *

Joey arrived back from the garden. She had gone to find Aden, only to find him kissing Belle on the swing bench and decided to leave them to it. Wandering through the room, she looked around at all the couples, specifically spotting Jack and Martha. She beamed at them but they were too wrapped up in each other to notice. Leah was with Vinnie, Rachel was with Chris, Jack and Martha had reunited and Watson and Carol were in each other's arms. Aden and Belle were wrapped up in each other outside and most of the other party goers had coupled up. Still smiling, Joey located Charlie, standing alone and leaning against the kitchen door. They stood side by side.

"I'm suddenly feeling very single," Charlie admitted, looking out at the crowd.

"Me too."

"That's one thing Angelo was good for."

"And Zoe."

They both sighed.

"Do you think I'm cold, Joey?" Charlie asked, turning to face at her.

"You want me to check your temperature?" Joey said with a grin.

Charlie rolled her eyes and then looked serious again.

"Angelo said I was going to end up alone because I don't let anyone in and I don't care about anyone. I do care about people."

"I know you do. Charlie, he's a jerk. I've already told you that. You're not cold and you're not going to end up alone."

They looked at the counter on the television. There were twenty seconds to go.

"I wish I had someone to kiss at midnight," Joey said, sighing dramatically.

Charlie chuckled and studied Joey's face. She really was the prettiest girl in all the land as far as Charlie was concerned. A thought occurred to her.

"Well, maybe we could…"

"We could what?" Joey asked curiously.

"We haven't got anyone else. And it's not like there would be any surprises…"

"You want to kiss me at midnight?" Joey teased.

Charlie blushed.

"Just as friends," she said firmly. "Because we have nobody else."

"Well, with an offer like that…" Joey laughed.

"Sorry. I didn't mean it quite that way."

Everyone else began to bellow a countdown from ten. Joey smiled at Charlie.

"Okay," she agreed, wondering all the while why she was doing this to herself.

They slipped into the kitchen and shyly put their arms around each other. As the clock struck twelve, Charlie bent her head slightly. They both felt their bodies surge with excitement as their lips met. Holding each other closer, their mouths worked together in passionate unison. Joey tentatively pressed the tip of her tongue against Charlie's lips. She welcomed her in. Keeping her eyes closed, Charlie absorbed all her senses, loving the feel of Joey's body in her arms and her searing kiss. Reluctantly pulling away, they gazed at each other, blushing.

"Happy New Year," they whispered to each other before coming back together for another kiss.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

**January 2004**

The following morning, Charlie and Joey were up and tidying by noon. It had been a long but interesting and mostly entertaining night. Joey observed Charlie clearing the cluttered table of rubbish. She admired her lean body, clad in a white vest and black shorts. She had long, shapely legs that seemed to go on forever. Her hair cascaded down her back and Joey could occasionally see glimpses of her face and the curve of her breasts. Yet again, she could feel Charlie's body pressed against hers and her mouth on her lips. It was possibly the best moment she had ever had in her life. Somehow it seemed different to their other kisses. It had been planned, suggested by Charlie and there had been no panic afterwards. Following the second kiss, they had just gone back to their normal friendship again. They had slept beside each other all night, as they so frequently did. Neither of them had talked about it and Joey reminded herself constantly that it had been borne out of friendship and loneliness. They weren't feeling awkward or shy of each other, like they had those three times before. That felt good, although Joey couldn't help but wish it had developed into something beyond friendship. She felt like she would give anything to be able to call Charlie her own. But then, she counted herself lucky to have her as friend, especially a friend that was willing to kiss her on New Year's Eve. She jolted back into life when Charlie turned around and smiled at her. Joey got on with the task in hand, helping Charlie dump rubbish into bin bags.

***

Aden woke up in Belle's bed feeling happy. They hadn't done more than kiss but it was enough for now. He felt like there was a way forward. He could see light in the dark. Belle's phone rang, breaking the mood in the room. Sleepily, Belle answered.

"Angelo?" she said tightly.

She glanced at Aden worriedly. In her rapture at getting Aden back, she had forgotten to end things with Angelo.

"Um… yeah, sure I can meet you," she said. "I need to talk to you actually. Okay, I'll see you then."

She hung up and flopped back on her pillow. Aden put his arms around her.

"Are you going to break it off with him?" he asked.

"Yes," Belle said. "I'll do it today and then you and I are free to be together."

She smiled and kissed him.

***

Charlie and Joey reached for the same empty cup. Their fingers touched. Charlie felt her heart lurch. Memories of their kiss were etched into her mind. She was certain that Joey's kisses just got better and better. Even though Joey only thought of her as a friend, Charlie figured she would take whatever she could get. She felt proud of herself for initiating it. Watson would be proud too. Perhaps she was slowly beginning to accept how she felt about her best friend. The girls looked at each other and smiled shyly.

***

Martha and Jack never wanted to get out of bed. There couldn't have been a more perfect way to start the New Year. They kissed softly.

"I love you," Martha said sincerely.

"I love you too," Jack replied.

***

"Hello girls," Elsie greeted warmly.

"Hey, Mum!" Charlie replied.

"Hi, Aunt Elsie," Joey said.

Ruby hurtled past her mother and threw herself into Charlie's arms, kissing her cheeks. Charlie beamed at her and held her tightly.

"Did you have a fun time?" Charlie asked her.

"The best!" Ruby declared. "I made tonnes of friends and they had a big New Year party and Mum and Dad let me stay up until ten past midnight!"

"Wow!" Charlie enthused. "I wish I'd have been there."

"I wish you'd been there too," Ruby said.

She turned and wrapped her arms around Joey.

"And you!" Ruby added.

Charlie smiled at her sister and then looked up at her parents. Her father was peering round the room looking for damage. There was none. Charlie and Joey had even changed the bedding in Charlie's parents' room after Watson and Carol's exploits. She noticed her mother's pale face and grew concerned.

"Mum, are you okay?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Elsie said. "It's just been a long drive, that's all."

She smiled and began fussing around and offering everyone lunch.

***

**March 2004**

Charlie, Joey, Martha, Jack, Leah, Vinnie, Aden Belle and Rachel were in the Jukebox. Rachel was trying to be cheerful but it was hard to be surrounded by couples when she and Chris had just split up. She could empathise with Martha and Jack more than ever now. With Rachel so engrossed in her studies, Chris had been feeling left out and so decided to end things between them. It had been mutual and peaceful but she still felt sad. Joey looked up from giggling with Aden and her heart sank when she saw Robbo, Tanya and Brett arrive. Even after so long, Robbo hadn't stopped hassling her at work. If anything, since New Year's Eve, he had got worse. She'd started off feeling annoyed but now she was beginning to feel intimidated. The more Aden nagged her, the more tempted she was to tell Brett, although she didn't think he would help. There had been so many times when she felt tempted just to leave but she didn't want Robbo to have the satisfaction of pushing her out. Robbo and his little group walked straight over. Joey immediately noticed Tanya's black eye. She couldn't help but jump to conclusions. Tanya was always so withdrawn and quiet. She always seemed in a subordinate role to her boyfriend. The trio headed over uninvited and made themselves comfortable.

***

"Hey, Charlie, how's it going?" Brett asked.

Charlie could smell beer on his breath and he was slurring. It seemed like he was always drunk these days. She wondered how he ever got anything done.

"Pretty good thanks," she replied politely.

"How's work?"

"Yeah, I'm enjoying it."

Brett had figured out long ago that the way to get Charlie talking was to engage her in conversation about her job. She lit up when she talked about it. He still remembered her being a child and declaring that she wanted to be a cop just to impress her Dad. She must have convinced herself it was true over the years.

"It's interesting and exciting and I've learnt so much. How's the business world?"

"It's okay. I mean, it's the best work I've done. I'm not sure it's my dream though."

"What is your dream?"

"I have no idea."

Silence fell between them and Charlie looked for an escape route.

"Charlie, do you ever think about us?" he asked.

She pondered a polite way to say no. Their break up had been a joyful escape as far as she was concerned. Her silence told him what he didn't want to know. He looked disappointed and walked away. She felt guilty.

***

Hugo entered the Jukebox and looked around. He pulled a face when he spotted Martha and Jack laughing together in the corner, holding hands. Life had been hard since Jack found out about the affair and Martha had cut Hugo out of her life but it had been unbearable watching them get back together. Ever since New Year, his cousin and his fling had been all over each other. He hated it. Bracing himself, Hugo spotted a beautiful blonde girl standing at the bar waiting to get served. He considered it his lucky day and sauntered over. Standing beside her, he noticed her black eye.

"Did that injury happen when you fell from Heaven?" he asked.

She looked at him and laughed.

"Cheesy line," she told him. "But good use of your material."

"I try my best," he grinned. "I'm Hugo."

"Tanya."

They shook hands.

***

Robbo plonked himself beside Joey. She grabbed her drink, stood up and moved away from him. He was about to follow her when he caught sight of Tanya laughing with Hugo at the bar. Immediately enraged, he charged over, shoving forcefully into Hugo, spilling his beer.

"Hey!" Hugo protested, immediately squaring up to him. "What's your problem mate?"

"You're my problem!" Robbo shouted.

Charlie and Jack headed over, preparing to break it up.

"What have I done?" Hugo wanted to know.

"Hitting on my girlfriend for starters!"

"Robbo…" Tanya pleaded

She didn't want a scene.

"How the hell did I know she was your girlfriend?"

"I think you need to calm down," Charlie warned them both.

"I think you need to keep your nose out of my business," Robbo snapped at her.

"Robbo, let's just go," Tanya begged.

"Yeah, let's," he told her, grabbing her roughly by the arm and dragging her out of the bar.

Jack glared at Hugo.

"Nice one," he said. "Wrecking yet another relationship. Don't you like single girls?"

Even though he knew it had been Robbo that was out of order, not Hugo, his continued bitterness over what had happened with Martha sprung forward. His cousin just stared after him as he walked away. Charlie looked awkward for a few moments before heading back to her friends.

***

Tanya was frightened on the way home. Robbo had not let go of her arm and he had not stopped shouting, insisting that if he hadn't spotted her, she would have cheated on him. Once inside the house, he finally let go of her. She glanced down briefly at the angry red marks his fingers had left on her. Then she returned to his face. His furious eyes burned into hers. She visibly shrank and was starting to feel sick.

"Do you think it's funny to humiliate me, Tanya?" he demanded.

"No," she said meekly. "I didn't mean to…"

He slapped her hard across the face. Everything stung, especially her already injured eye. She forced her soul to leave her body as she awaited the rest, whatever it might be this time.

***

"Hey, are you okay?" Charlie asked.

Joey nodded unconvincingly as she sat in the corner, sipping her drink. Furrowing her brow, Charlie came to sit beside her, leaning close and putting a hand on her knee.

"What is it?" Charlie urged.

"I'm worried about Tanya," Joey admitted.

She looked almost tearful. Charlie was growing more concerned by the minute.

"Did you see the way he dragged her out of here? And she already had a black eye, Charlie. What if he hurts her?"

Genuine tears began to flow.

"And you're basing this just on that?" Charlie asked.

"He bullies me at work," Joey said.

Charlie vaguely knew the story but for some reason, Joey had kept a lot of the details from her. She had shared events and told her about his disregard for women on boats and his smarmy comments but Charlie had really only seen the angry reactions. She hadn't witnessed Joey's fright and vulnerability, aside from brief glimpses at the Jukebox and at New Year. Sitting there now, Joey wondered why she had ever kept it from her at all.

"You said he was just unpleasant," Charlie said.

"He's horrible," Joey revealed. "He makes me feel horrible. But that's not what's important. I'm worried about Tanya. He was so angry, so rough with her. We don't know what he's capable of."

Her terror made Charlie leap into action. She pulled out her phone and called work, keeping her hand on Joey's knee. Joey listened as Charlie called a patrol car around to Robbo and Tanya's house. Hanging up, she leant into Joey and said that she would go and get dressed into her uniform, take Jack with her and follow them to the house to see what was going on.

"I don't want to ruin your night," Joey said.

"If you know that everything's okay, will it make you feel better?" Charlie asked.

"Well, yeah but…"

"Well then!" Charlie said firmly.

She stood up, looking around for Jack.

"I knew there was a reason I didn't fancy a drink tonight," she added.

Joey smiled gratefully as Charlie hurried away.

***

Charlie and Jack arrived ten minutes after Matthew and Lisa. An ambulance pulled up behind them just as they were getting out of the car. Joining the paramedics, Charlie and Jack hurried inside. Charlie felt a wave of nausea hit her as she saw Tanya lying battered and unconscious on the floor, her clothes torn. It was a sight she had seen once before in the last year but it was somehow different now that it was someone she knew, even someone she didn't know that well. Tanya had always been a private person but Charlie knew her well enough to have a drink with her, to say hello and share a joke or two. She hurried over to speak to her superiors while the ambulance workers dealt with Tanya and prepared to take her to hospital.

***

Joey had escaped back to her house. She had stopped having fun anymore as she waited for Charlie to call. She leapt up to grab her phone the moment it rang.

"Charlie?" she said urgently.

"Hey."

She didn't sound happy.

"What is it?"

"She's um…"

Charlie sighed heavily.

"We had to take her to the hospital."

Joey fought a wave of tears.

"What happened?"

"I can't really go into details now. But she's going to be fine – thanks to you," Charlie told you. "If you hadn't said something, nobody would ever have known to go round there. You've been amazing today."

"Not amazing enough," Joey said weakly.

"Where are you?" Charlie asked.

"I'm at home."

"Okay, I want you just to go to sleep, okay? I need you to try and get some rest and forget about it if you can."

"I can't."

"Can you promise that you'll try?"

"Yes," Joey squeaked.

"I will be round in the morning, alright? I'm going to stay here with her tonight so she won't be alone when she wakes up."

"Okay," Joey said. "Have you called her parents?"

"I've tried but they're not reachable. I'll keep trying though."

"Thank you."

"Alright," Charlie said, her tone remaining gentle. "I'll see you in the morning, Joey. Take care."

"And you."

"I love you, Joey" Charlie told her sincerely.

"I love you too, Charlie," Joey replied.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter Twenty Five**

**March 2004**

It had been a long night of spontaneous work and Charlie was exhausted. She'd been told to go home on more than one occasion but she'd promised Joey that she'd wait and she wasn't prepared to break a promise. Judging by the state of Tanya and the medical exam that had been done on her, she had been beaten, raped and abandoned. It didn't take a genius to work out who was behind it. Matthew and Lisa had gone looking for Robbo but so far there had been no sightings and his car was gone. Charlie had no idea how she was going to tell Joey. She wasn't even allowed to tell her really but she knew she was going to break the rules on this occasion. She sat up when she heard the blonde girl stir.

"Tanya," Charlie said gently.

"Where am I?" Tanya asked.

"You're in hospital," Charlie told her.

Immediately, she began to panic and try to get up. Charlie hit the panic button that would call in a nurse as she tried to calm her herself.

"It's okay," she said. "You're safe. Nobody will hurt you now. You're safe."

"Where's Robbo?" Tanya asked, tears forming in her eyes.

***

Charlie let herself into Joey's house later that morning, still in her uniform. She walked past Brett asleep on the couch and trotted up to Joey's room, knocking softly on the door.

"Hello?" came a small voice.

Charlie poked her head round the door, finding her friend still tucked up in bed. They smiled at each other and Charlie came to perch on the edge of the bed.

"How is she?"

"She'll be alright," Charlie confirmed. "She has a lot of cuts and bruises and a broken rib but she should be out of hospital later today."

"It was him, wasn't it?"

"I don't have any evidence but I presume so."

Charlie looked and felt distraught.

"Charlie, what is it?"

"Nothing."

"There's something else. I know there is," Joey urged.

Charlie sighed and held Joey's hands.

"You can't tell anyone I've told you. I'm breaking confidentiality."

"I won't."

She sighed again.

"It looks like… It looks like he might have raped her."

Tears formed in Joey's eyes.

"What?" she asked quietly.

"We can't find him and she's not talking to us."

"What does that mean?"

"It means there's nothing we can do," Charlie said.

"Nothing you can… So he can rape somebody and get away with it because she's scared to open her mouth?" Joey asked.

"It's the way it happens sometimes," Charlie said sadly.

She looked away, unable to cope with the grief on Joey's face. She felt guilty for not having known how bad her best friend had been feeling about Robbo all this time.

"Charlie, you have to do something!" Joey ordered, her voice high pitched.

"I'll do everything I can," Charlie promised. "But I can't force her."

Joey nodded and sank back against the pillows.

***

**April 2004**

Over the next two weeks, Charlie worked diligently on Tanya's case, despite the girl's insistence that there wasn't one. Robbo had returned to town the next day and he and Tanya had told Charlie and Jack that they had argued on the way home. Robbo felt guilty apparently for storming off and leaving her to go on a drinking binge for a day to teach her a lesson. Alone in the night, Tanya had been jumped by a gang on guys who had beaten and raped her. She had just about managed to crawl home where she'd collapsed until Charlie had sent her colleagues in to find her. The story was shot with holes but with the victim not willing to make a statement incriminating her boyfriend for what Charlie and her colleagues were sure he had done to her, there was little they could do. Charlie had been trying to spend time with Tanya and convince her to press charges but Robbo had got wind of it and made a complaint so she had been forced to cease.

***

At work, things had only got worse for Joey. Robbo's personal problems were making him and even more unpleasant person than he had been before. He had developed a tendency for eruptions of anger, usually at Joey. He'd even gone so far as shoving her a couple of times. Gibsy defended him to Brett who was equally ready to excuse him, knowing what his friend was suffering but Aden was reaching boiling point. Both he and Joey were certain that he had attacked Tanya, although only Joey knew the details of the case and even she wasn't supposed to.

***

Charlie was sitting at her desk staring at the closed file in front of her. It was time to put Tanya's case away and try to forget about it now, as much as she didn't want to. She had called round first thing to try and talk to her one last time but had been met with an angry Robbo who had told her that Tanya ad left town. He'd even allowed her to look around and indeed, it looked like she had departed. To double check, Charlie had contacted her by phone. Tanya had reluctantly answered and told Charlie in no uncertain terms that she had decided to leave town and move in with her parents along the coast. Everything had got too much for her and she needed a fresh start. She thanked Charlie for her support and pleaded with her to drop the case and move on.

***

Joey was enduring another fraught day at work. Robbo had been late, delaying their trip out and was in a worse mood than usual. She looked up when she heard heavy footsteps storming towards her. Robbo had his head down as he charged along the deck and wasn't looking where he was going. She hurried to dodge out of the way. Looking up at the last minute, Robbo charged on anyway. He barged into Joey, knocking her sideways. She tried to grab onto anything she could to steady herself but she was too close to the side of the boat. Arms flailing, she fell, bracing herself to hit the cold water. It hurt when the waves hit her body and face, stinging her and the gripping her as she sank beneath them. She kicked up violently, beginning to panic, desperate for air. By the time she surfaced, Gibsy, Robbo and Aden were all leaning over the side. Gibsy looked concerned, Aden looked horrified and it was the first time Robbo had cracked a smile all day.

"Joey!" Aden yelled.

She wanted to tell him that she was alright but she didn't know if it was true. Besides, her lungs hurt too much from the shock for her to be able to call out to him. Back on the boat, Aden leapt into action. Watching his friend struggle, his manager remain inactive and Robbo find the whole thing a wonderful piece of entertainment was too much for him. He pulled his t-shirt off and dived into the water and swam for Joey in order to bring her to safety.

***

Back on the boat, Joey stood cold, shaken, soaking wet and furious.

"Nice day for a wet t-shirt competition," Robbo commented, still amused.

Joey launched herself at Robbo, screaming swear words and managing to slap him once in the face before the other two pulled them apart.

"I should do you for assault!" Robbo protested. "Get your hot little girlfriend to arrest you."

"I should do you for a lot of things!" Joey snapped, struggling against Aden's restraint.

"I wish you would, sweetheart."

His leer was the last straw. She turned to Gibsy, declaring that she was going home.

"Do you want me to come with you?" Aden asked.

"No, I need to be by myself," Joey said, walking away.

She stopped and turned back to him.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

Joey stomped towards home, listening to the squelching of her shoes through the water in her ears.

"Joey!"

She recognised Charlie's voice before she saw her. Looking up, she fought the urge to break down. Noting the state of her, Charlie hurried over. She was still on duty.

"Joey, what happened?" she asked.

"I went for a swim," Joey replied sarcastically.

She kept on walking. Charlie fell into step beside her.

"What happened?" she asked again.

"Robbo shoved into me and I fell overboard," Joey explained.

"What? I hope he's being sacked!"

"Of course he's not being sacked. What kind of world are you living in?"

She felt guilty for taking her anger out on her friend but she couldn't seem to help herself.

"Then I'm going down to talk to him right now," Charlie said, changing direction.

"No!" Joey protested, gripping her arm.

Charlie turned back to her.

"Joey, you can't keep ignoring this. It's getting ridiculous. You could have been really hurt."

"I don't want you to interfere," Joey argued. "Just let me handle it my way, okay?"

"But you're not handling it."

"I'm fine!"

Joey began to hurry away, forcing all her emotions to one side. Now wasn't the time to get lost in an abyss of sadness. She heard Charlie chasing after her.

"You know the most unconvincing way to saying you're fine?" Charlie challenged. "Yelling it!"

"Just leave me alone, Charlie."

"Joey, please don't do this again," she begged.

Confused, Joey turned to face her, looking into her eyes.

"Do what?"

"Get so stressed that you force yourself into isolation, close yourself off. Talk to me, Joey. I need to know what's going on so I can help you," Charlie begged.

"You can't help. Just… just focus on helping Tanya."

"She's gone," Charlie admitted.

"Gone? What do you mean, gone?"

"She's left town. Gone to live with her parents. She's asked me to drop the case completely."

Joey felt her resolve weaken, not for herself but for Tanya. She clenched her jaw as the first tears began to spill. Charlie reached out to hold her.

"You'll get all wet," Joey protested.

"It doesn't matter," Charlie assured her.

They held each other in the street for a few moments and Charlie brushed her hands through Joey's soaked hair.

"Let's get you home," Charlie said.

"Aren't you working?" Joey asked.

"You're in distress. Dealing with distressed people is my job."

They pulled apart and began walking.

"You really are getting creative with your job remit, Charlie," Joey commented.

Charlie laughed as they turned into their road and headed towards Joey's house. Joey let them in and headed upstairs. Even though it was the most inappropriate time, Charlie couldn't help but notice how well Joey pulled off the wet look.

"So, Robbo just gets to walk away?" Joey asked.

She perched on the edge of the bed and tugged at her sodden shoes and socks before standing and peeling off her jeans. With Joey in front of her in nothing but underwear and a tight, wet t-shirt that revealed she was starting to get cold, Charlie hardly knew where to look.

"I'm afraid so," she said.

"It's not fair, Charlie," Joey protested. "He beat her. He _raped _her. Doesn't that mean anything? Can't you prosecute him anyway?"

"Not if she's denying it ever happened," Charlie said.

She watched Joey struggle with her t-shirt, getting stuck. Flinging it back down, she growled in frustration.

"For fuck's sake!" she shouted. "I can't even get my damn t-shirt off!"

She looked close to tears. Charlie rushed to her and helped her out of the top, slinging the sea drenched item on the floor. She turned Joey around and undid the strap of her bra, promising not to look. Keeping her word, she returned to the bed and covered her eyes as Joey rooted around for a clean t-shirt, briefs and tracksuit bottoms, skipping on the bra, having decided to vegetate at home for the rest of the day. She sank onto the bed, prompting Charlie to grab a towel, sit behind her and gently start to dry her hair. Joey appreciated her gentleness, the loving gesture of kindness that showed yet again that Charlie would always do everything she could to protect her.

***

**November 2004**

Elsie left the hospital, cursing herself for not learning from her best friend's mistakes. She remembered lying on the beach with Clara who had complained about fat ankles. It had been a symptom. Constantly she had been faint and breathless but she had ignored it until Joey had bargained with her to go and see a doctor. Now, with a heavy heart, Elsie wished she had remembered it at the time. Or perhaps, she had remembered it and chosen to ignore it, push it to the back of her mind and hope it would go away. Charlie took after her in that respect. Watching her daughter and her daughter's best friend was becoming torturous. She knew they loved each other but she hadn't seen an obvious shift in their relationship that suggested they had woken up to their feelings. Elsie felt sad about all the time they were missing out on as she came face to face yet again with the prospect that life was far too short.

***

Having finished work, Joey had headed straight round to Elsie's house to do the garden for her. It was something that Elsie liked to keep tidy and fresh but while Ross and Charlie tried to find the time during the day to keep it going, it wasn't easy to juggle it between shifts so Joey had taken on the task. Everyone had noticed Elsie's lack of energy since the start of the year. She didn't talk about it and shut people down when they brought it up but it was there and Joey was terrified. She could see her mother all over again. She wasn't ready to lose her second mother too. Surely it wasn't fair to lose so many parents by the time she was nineteen?

***

When Elsie arrived home, she saw Joey's bag in the kitchen, indicating that the young woman was mowing her lawn with dedication. It was one of those things that Joey insisted on, silently letting her know that she was aware that not everything was alright and that Elsie needed help. While Elsie hadn't allowed anyone to have a conversation with her about how unwell she was feeling, a couple of words of Joey's had sneaked through, mostly about how if Clara had gone to the Doctor sooner, she might had been saved and everyone's worlds might not have fallen apart. That had been the final thing to make Elsie go. Standing at the back door, she watched Joey work, catching her eye when she happened to look up. Joey waved and smiled cheerfully. Elsie made a gesture that she hoped meant 'do you want a drink' and Joey gave her a thumbs up. Elsie hurried away.

***

A couple of hours later, Charlie had arrived home exhausted from work but pleased that she and Angelo appeared to have genuinely called a truce. He had been a nightmare since New Year when not only was he dealing with Charlie dumping him but Belle dumping him too. After several months of being a very angry man, Watson had lost her patience and told him that if he didn't stop being an attention seeking, self-pitying cranky pants then she was moving out. His first job had been to apologise to Charlie and mean it and although it had taken a couple of days, he had now succeeded and they had achieved an afternoon of rare tranquillity. Lying on her bed now with Joey stretched out beside her, they listened to a chill out album and caught each other up on their day.

"Any more hassle?" Charlie asked, referring to Robbo.

"Just the odd comment," Joey said. "He's back to normal again now. Just commenting and stuff. I can deal."

Charlie still wasn't happy about it but as long as Joey was no longer frightened, she supposed that was an improvement. There was a knock at the door.

"Hello?" Charlie called.

It would presumably only be her mother or sister. Her father never really came to her room. Elsie poked her head round the door.

"Hey, girls. I really need to talk to you. Could you come down please?"

Immediately concerned, Charlie leapt off the bed and so did Joey, who shoved her feet into her shoes. Downstairs, Ross and Ruby were seated on the sofa.

"I'll um… leave you to it," Joey said, sensing a family occasion.

"No, Joey. I'd like you to stay if you don't mind," Elsie told her.

Joey and Charlie exchanged glances and sat down beside each other on the two-seater. Feeling vulnerable, Ruby hauled herself into her sister's lap.

"Elsie, don't you think this is a time for family?" Ross asked awkwardly.

He liked Joey. She was a nice girl and he thought a lot of her but this was serious now and whether she was Clara's daughter or Charlie's best friend or whatever his girls referred to her as, she wasn't related really. His wife looked at him sharply.

"Joey is family," she told him, warning him not to make a fuss.

"I really don't mind leaving you to it," Joey said, starting to get to her feet.

Elsie put a hand on her shoulder, guiding her back down.

"I need you to stay," she said.

Sitting back down on her own seat, Elsie turned back to Ross and hissed at him that it wasn't about him. Then she took a breath and prepared to face all three of her girls.

***

That evening, Elsie, Ross, Charlie, Joey and Ruby felt lost in their own worlds. Once Elsie had painstakingly explained that she had thyroid cancer, the small group had stayed together for quite a while. Elsie revealed that she had been to the hospital over the last few days to finally explain how unwell she felt. After an initial examination, the Doctor had been alarmed to find a lump in her neck that Elsie hadn't noticed before. She'd just thought she was putting on weight. Clara's ankles had flashed in Joey's mind at that point. Elsie had then gone for an ultrasound and had been told there and then that she needed to go and wait for her consultant. When she did, she was told that she had Medullary Thyroid Cancer, possibly from an unhappy gene further along in her family, alongside an under-active thyroid of her own which she had been treating with medication since she was twenty. She'd been told that she was at stage four of the disease, meaning that it looked like it had spread beyond her thyroid gland and so she was booked in for a scan at the end of the week to see what was happening. Ruby had burst into tears asking if her mother was going to die and Elsie had promised that there were options and treatments and that the Doctors were helping her. Unsatisfied, Ruby had flung herself into her arms and wept. Joey had forced herself not to cry. Charlie had managed no such thing but took comfort in Joey holding her hand. Ross had remained silent throughout. Since then, exhausted from the emotions of the day, Elsie had slipped away to bed early. Ross had spent a lot of time sitting out on the porch looking up at the sky in silence. Joey had left the house, deciding that as much as they were family to her, blood was thicker than water and the Bucktons' needed to be together without a Collins around. Charlie had focussed on helping Ruby deal with the situation. She'd held her while she cried and accepted the request of a bedtime story even though really she was too old for those now. In her pyjamas, Ruby had let Charlie brush her hair in a way that she found relaxing and soothing. Tucking her under the blankets, Charlie kissed her sister goodnight, turned out the light, shut the door and promptly burst into tears.

***

"Joey, are you okay?"

Joey looked up from where she was sitting on the beach when she heard Zoe's voice. She tried to smile but it was pathetic. Sensing Joey's grief, Zoe sat beside her.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"I'm not sure I'm allowed to tell anybody."

"It won't go any further."

Joey sighed. She looked at the moon and apologised to Elsie for spilling her secrets. She had to unburden her heart.

"Elsie has cancer," she said.

Her tears surprised her. She had suppressed them ever since she'd found out. She felt Zoe slip her arms around her, holding her close and letting her cry, offering gentle condolences, knowing how much Elsie meant to her ex-girlfriend.

"Hey, why don't you come back to mine for a cup of tea?" Zoe suggested. "You shouldn't be by yourself."

As if numb, Joey let herself be guided to her feet. It would be nice to have a cup of tea with someone who, despite everything that had gone on, she felt safe with – someone who wasn't connected to Elsie's suffering in any way.

***

Inside the house, Joey was disappointed to find Robbo watching television. After Tanya had left, he'd given up the tenancy on the flat they'd briefly rented together and moved back home. Zoe made their drinks and then led the way up to her room, realising that Joey probably wouldn't want to be hassled by Robbo right at this moment. Joey followed and perched on the edge of the bed, still numb with silent tears rolling down her cheeks.

"So, will she be okay?" Zoe asked.

"She says that there are treatments she can have but I just have this sick feeling inside. Because of my Mum, I guess."

Zoe nodded. She reached out to wipe Joey's tears away. Joey smiled weakly. Zoe slowly leant closer and brushed her lips against Joey's. Surprised, Joey pulled back but didn't resist when Zoe came back a second time. Kissing Zoe felt familiar and comforting. It made her feel safe, wanted and needed. Their kiss became more intense as Zoe ran her fingertips along Joey's still wet cheeks. Their tongues interacted gently and Zoe guided Joey's hands to rest on her breasts. Joey began to run her thumbs over the fabric, aware that this moment was out of feeling lost not lust. She pulled back guiltily.

"I… I don't want to complicate things," she said. "I don't think we should get back together."

Zoe titled Joey's face towards her.

"It doesn't have to be about that," she informed her. "It can just be about tonight if you want."

Joey agreed and kissed her again, fumbling with her shirt buttons, opening most of them and reaching inside. Easing Zoe back onto the bed, they kissed as Joey explored, slipping one hand inside her jeans.

"Zoe, are you still up?"

Robbo burst into the room without knocking. Joey and Zoe sprang apart.

"What the hell is going on?" Robbo demanded.

Joey managed a couple of vowel sounds and looked helplessly at Zoe.

"She attacked me!" Robbo's sister declared.

Joey just stared at her, hardly believing that she'd said those words. Zoe hurried to do her buttons back up, never looking away from her enraged brother.

"Elsie's dying and she was upset so I brought her back here to cheer her up and she just pounced on me. I'm so glad you came in, Robbo! I don't know what else she might have done. I couldn't stop her!"

The fright in her voice was genuine, if caused by something else. Joey just looked at her helplessly. She turned back to Robbo just in time for him to grab her by the throat and pin her to the wall. She struggled to fight back but he kneed her in the stomach, screaming at her to keep her dykey fingers to herself, that Brett would disown her when he found out and that she would pay for what she had done. Several kicks and punches and a short but painful trip down the bottom half of the stairs later, Joey found herself out on the street. Breathless and bleeding, she looked up at the house, still trying to figure out what had just happened. Zoe opened her window.

"I'm sorry!" she called desperately.

"No, you're not," Joey replied, walking away as quickly as she could.

***

At eleven o'clock, when Joey was tucked up in her bed, shaken and sad, she was startled to hear a soft knock on her door.

"Who is it?" she asked, her voice shrill.

"It's Charlie."

Joey physically relaxed and invited her in. She watched her familiar shape move through the room she knew so well and approach the bed. Joey was grateful for the darkness. It meant that Charlie couldn't see her cut lip and black eye.

"Could I sleep with you tonight?" she asked meekly. "I can't see to be by myself."

Joey smiled, even though Charlie probably couldn't make it out.

"Come on in," she said.

Charlie took her shoes off, having come over in her pyjamas and slipped into bed with Joey, curling up in her arms.

"They say that when you're scared you're meant to go to your safest place," Charlie said. "Well, here I am."

Joey held her a little tighter, ignoring the pain that the contact was inflicting on her body.

"You're my safe place too, Charlie," she said.

"Joey, please tell me that we'll be together forever."

"We will be."

"Even when we're old and grey, we'll still be doing this, right? We'll still love each other just as much, we'll still hold each other through the night when we need to. We'll never leave each other, will we?"

"Nothing could keep us apart, Charlie," Joey promised. "You're stuck with me always."

"I'm glad. I've never needed anyone like I need you. I've never loved anyone the same."

"Nor have I. You're my world."


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

**November 2005**

Sunlight began to peek in through the curtains, rousing Charlie who had clung onto Joey for dear life ever since she had arrived the night before. She shifted her body, which was wrapped around her, lifted her head that was nestled in her neck and glanced down at her hand, which she realised with a blush had come to rest on Joey's left breast. Jerking it away, she blushed further as Joey grinned, blinking awake.

"I didn't mind," the younger girl told her, her voice still thick with sleep.

Then Charlie noticed that Joey was sporting a severely bruised eye and a cut lip which could have easily needed stitches.

"Joey!" she said.

"I was joking!" Joey said defensively.

"Your face..."

"I can't help my face, Charlie."

Joey always cracked jokes when she was avoiding the issue but there was no way she was getting out of this one. Charlie drew away and watched Joey painfully pull herself into a sitting position.

"What's wrong with the rest of you?"  
"I just have a few bruised ribs or something," Joey confirmed.

Charlie pulled the covers down and lifted Joey's pyjama top revealing a definite set of bruises.

"Joey! What the hell happened to you?"

She felt terrible. Here she was thinking about her own pain, having come over to be comforted by her best friend who had just done exactly what she needed and wanted, never once mentioning the fact that she was in agony.

"I had an altercation," Joey said vaguely. "It's no big deal. Stop fussing."

"Stop fussing? You have a black eye, a split lip and bruised ribs. Of course I'm fussing, Joey. Who did this to you?"

"It was kind of a team effort."

"Who?" Charlie demanded.

"Zoe and Robbo."

"Right," Charlie said, leaping off the bed.

Joey watched with horror as she put her shoes on, obviously about to charge over and give them a piece of her mind.

"Charlie!" Joey protested.

"You think I'm going to let them get away with that?" Charlie asked.

"Yes!" Joey told her. "Because I'm asking you to. Also, you're in your PJ's."

Charlie looked down and managed to crack a smile.

"I'm dealing with them later. I'll either scare the crap out of them when I'm in uniform or I'll beat the crap out of them when I'm not," she said, grumbling under her breath.

"I'd vote for neither," Joey said, lifting her arm and welcoming Charlie back into bed.

"So, what happened?" Charlie asked, still certain that she had to do something.

Nobody treated her Joey like that and got away with it. Joey sighed, barely able to relive it.

"After I left you I went for a walk. I got all teary and Zoe found me. I admit that I told her. Sorry."

"It's okay."

"She invited me in for a cup of tea," Joey explained. "And Robbo was in the lounge so we went upstairs. I was all sad. She kissed me. We started making out."

Charlie's heart sank. They had both been single for a while now. She didn't want Joey to be making out with her ex.

"I wasn't sure but Zoe said it could be a one night comfort kind of thing. Robbo walked in and the next thing I knew she was shouting about me assaulting her, forcing myself on her."

"What?" Charlie bellowed.

"My thoughts exactly. She's so paranoid about being found out that she'd try and turn me into some kind of sex offender. Nice, hey?"

"Please let me go and 'talk' to her?" Charlie begged.

"No."

Charlie sighed.

"Robbo lost the plot, which I guess I can't really blame him for if he thought I'd abused his little sister in some way," Joey said sadly. "But I didn't!"

"Joey, as if you need to tell me that! Obviously you didn't."

Joey frowned. Unnecessary guilt had been hurtling round in her mind ever since it happened.

"She really did that to you?" Charlie asked, barely able to believe it.

"Yep."

"Why didn't you say anything last night?"

"You had enough going on."

Charlie closed her eyes and snuggled in tighter, careful of her ribs this time.

"How are you anyway?" Joey asked.

"I'm okay," Charlie said. "I'm better than I would have been if I'd have slept alone. Thank you for being there, even though you were in such a state yourself. I can't believe you stayed quiet."

She tutted in such a disapproving fashion that Joey laughed.

"Is there anything I can do to make you feel better?" Charlie asked.

"Well, you could put your hand back where it was!" Joey giggled.

Charlie began blushing again.

"You were making some amazing patterns in your sleep," Joey continued to tease.

"Shut up!" Charlie whined.

Joey continued to giggle, although it was becoming painful.

"Or, wait, this is better," she said, rolling over and burying her head in Charlie's cleavage.

Both girls laughed, although both were privately and secretly aware of the enjoyment they were getting out of it. Joey pulled back and rested against the pillow again still chuckling and reminding herself not to forget the feeling and scent of being crushed against Charlie's chest. She thought she must be delirious from the head injury to have the audacity to do such a thing. Whatever it was, she was glad.

"You are absolutely terrible," Charlie accused gently.

"But you love me."

"But I love you," Charlie confirmed.

"That was okay, right? I mean, I haven't um..." Joey suddenly asked worriedly. "I'm getting nervous about sexual propriety now."

Charlie put her arm around her.

"Joey, you have the sexual predatory prowess of a tiny puppy."

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Joey asked.

"It's a good thing. It means you're totally incapable of sexual offences and you're really, really cute."

Joey grinned.

"I can live with that."

* * *

"Zoe, you need to report her," Robbo said urgently for the millionth time.

He had taken the morning off work and was determined to seek justice for his little sister in any way he could. Joey Collins was trouble. He had always known it and she was going to pay.

"I don't want to," Zoe said firmly. "Why aren't you listening to me?"

Zoe hadn't slept a wink all night. She was guilt ridden as she knew she should be. Ever since Joey had fled the house, betrayed by Zoe and battered by Robbo, she had turned her phone off and was unreachable. Robbo now had Zoe under constant guard so she couldn't creep over to see her and try and explain and really, how could she explain something like that anyway? She had left a few garbled voice mails and sent a couple of texts but after what she had done, she didn't think it would do any good. The whole thing had been an accident. The words had fallen out of her mouth and into the air in a matter of seconds, before she'd really managed to think them through and by then, it was too late. She had panicked when Robbo had appeared in her room. All she had been able to think was that he couldn't know that there was anything mutual going on and it was too developed for Joey to just be making a pass at her. But it had gone too far too quickly and now, for the second time, it seemed that she was going to lose the best thing that had ever happened to her.

"I want to protect you, Zo," Robbo insisted. "That bitch assaulted you. She attacked you. She put her lesbian hands all over you. Down your pants! It's disgusting, is what it is! Don't you want some justice for that? Don't you think we need to go to the police? Get that little girlfriend of hers to lock her up and throw away the key for what she's done?"

Zoe shuddered at the thought of what Charlie might do when Joey inevitably told her what happened.

"No, I don't. Look, I overreacted. It probably wasn't assault."

"Did you want her to touch you?"

"No! Of course not. I'm not gay."

"Well, of course you're not gay, Zoe. You're my sister. You're normal. So, if you didn't want it and she touched you anyway, she's a sex offender and she needs to be put in her place. And if you don't do it, I will."

The darkness of her brother's eyes frightened her. She feared what he would do and wondered if pressing charges would be the safest option.

"I don't want to go to the police and I want you to leave her alone, Robbo," Zoe begged. "Please?"

* * *

Charlie spent her day off with her mother. Facial injuries caused Joey to stay away. The last thing Elsie needed was something new to worry about. The girls pretended that Joey was going to work as normal, when actually she was taking the day off sick. Hard labour with bruised ribs didn't seem like such a good idea and she didn't particularly want to face Robbo. Joey promised that as soon as her black eye had gone down, she would come over. She could explain her cut lip as a work injury and hide her ribs easily enough and she desperately wanted to spend time with Elsie and Ruby. As day became evening, Charlie headed out to get take away. Elsie had typically wanted to cook but Charlie wanted to take the pressure off and treat them all. On her way out of Crumble, she spotted Zoe looking pale and forlorn. She charged up to her.

"I'm surprised you've got the guts you show your face around here after last night," she said, almost spitting her words.

Zoe blanched and tried to look for an escape.

"Charlie..."

"How could you do that to Joey? How could you just lie like that and accuse her of assaulting you?"

"I didn't mean..."

"Mean what? Mean to call her a sex offender? Mean to blatantly lie, get her beaten up by your brother, a bully she has to work with five days a week, charge her with a hideous crime when actually it was you trying to get her into bed after you dated and slept together for how many years?"

"Could you keep your voice down?" Zoe begged.

"No!" Charlie said louder. "How dare you do that to Joey? I have a good mind to charge right over to your scum of a brother and tell him exactly what I know about you, Zoe, to share all of your dirty little secrets. He thinks he knows you so well but he doesn't know that you're a raving lesbian, does he? He doesn't know that you had a girlfriend at a boarding school. He doesn't know that you were sleeping with Joey for years. He doesn't know that you were doing both of them at the same time. And he doesn't know that far from Joey forcing herself on you last night, you took a vulnerable woman and lured her into your bed."

"I didn't... That's not what it was! Did Joey say that?" Zoe asked worriedly.

"No, because Joey only ever sees the good in people and she has no idea that you were taking advantage of her before you betrayed her. It was me who connected the dots."

"It's not what I mean to do," Zoe said. "And I didn't mean to say that to Robbo. It just came out."

"Well, you need to fix it or the truth will out. I'll make sure of it."

Charlie began to walk away.

"What about the truth about you?" Zoe challenged.

Charlie walked back to her, clutching her large bag of take away.

"Excuse me?"

"Oh come on, you're as in love with Joey as I am. It's obvious. Do you want the world to know that?" Zoe asked.

"I am not in love with her," Charlie denied. "But you can tell the world your theory if you like. As long as people know what kind of bitch you are, they can say whatever the hell they like about me. The difference between you and I is that I would do anything for Joey. I'd lay my life down for her. I certainly wouldn't sacrifice her to save my pride or escape my own stupid fears."

She marched away, her take away bag trembling in her arms as her limbs shook.

* * *

Two days later, Joey was preparing to go back to work and she was not looking forward to it in the slightest. Her eye had rapidly gone down and she had been able to see Elsie again the day before, explaining away her cut lip without trouble. She'd spent an agonising and surprising evening in with Brett, fretting over whether he knew anything over the altercation with Zoe and Robbo and Charlie had awkwardly confessed to a small but intense argument with Zoe in Crumble where she had warned her to tell the truth. As far as Joey knew at least, Zoe had done no such thing. She hadn't expected her to. Charlie was itching to do the job for her. Joey didn't think it would help. There also appeared to be a battle of wills between the girls as Joey wanted to ignore her situation and focus solely on supporting Charlie and Elsie and their family as they faced Elsie's cancer. Charlie did not want to ignore Joey's situation at all. Both were as stubborn as each other. Bickering had ensued.

* * *

Ruby and Xavier sat side by side at school. Xavier had been doing everything he could to cheer Ruby up but she was too sad. Her Mum was going into hospital to lie inside a gigantic tube to find out how sick she was. Ruby was terrified that she was going to be as sick as her Auntie Clara had been. She wondered why everybody kept leaving her and how she could make them stay.

* * *

Joey spotted Robbo already on deck. Taking a breath, she climbed on board.

"Hey, pervert," he snarled at her as she approached him, Gibsy and Aden.

She ignored him and said hello to the others.

"I was talking to you," Robbo said.

"And I'm not talking to you," Joey snapped.

"Joey, what happened?" Aden asked, noticing her lip.

"Walked into a wall, didn't you, sweetheart?" Robbo chipped in before she could answer.

Joey just glared at him.

"Did you do this to her?" Aden demanded, immediately feeling protective of his friend and first love.

"I don't know what you're talking about, mate," Robbo said, feigning innocence.

Aden clenched his fist. Joey put a hand on his arm to still him.

"Just leave it," she begged.

Gibsy watched them all interact for a few moments before snapping them all into work mode.

* * *

Elsie lay in the MRI scanner feeling claustrophobic and lost. Ross had taken the day off to be with her and was sitting in the waiting room. Her whole body was in a huge, shuddering, noisy tube. They were attempting to play calming, classical music but it wasn't quite loud enough so really she was just listening to the machine as it juddered over her, snapping photographs over the internals workings of her body. She was being firmly held in place and the whirring and faint music would occasionally be interrupted by the radiographer talking to her. She had a panic button in one hand, which was nervously clutching and fretting about holding too tightly and while she was still wearing her clothes, she'd had to remove her bra, belt and all her jewellery in case they interfered with the machine. That meant taking off her wedding ring but most importantly, it meant removing a ring that Clara had given her. She felt naked without it. She just hoped that the five days it would take to get her results would past quickly.

* * *

The day had been hell. Robbo had told Joey that he wouldn't tell Brett but he had made it obvious that life wasn't going to be easy from now on. Just when Joey hadn't thought his jibes, comments and little shoves couldn't get worse, they had and he was playing a dangerous game with outing her in front of Gibsy, which would quickly get back to Brett. She considered just telling her brother herself. She had wanted to come out for a long time. It had only ever been Zoe that had held her back. Charlie, Elsie, Watson, Carol, Aden, Belle, Zoe and Robbo already knew. Where was the harm in telling the rest of the town? She risked falling out with Brett. They'd had conversations on the topic before and he had made his feelings quite clear but if he was going to find out anyway, then it was surely better coming from her. She and Aden headed off the boat for lunch.

"Right, Missy," Aden said. "What the hell is going on?"

* * *

Joey chased after Aden, desperately calling his name as he hurtled back towards the boat. He launched himself at Robbo who was eating his sandwiches on deck in the sunshine. Robbo automatically hit back and before Joey or Gibsy could intervene, there was an all out brawl.

"You fucking keep your hands off my Joey!" Aden yelled between punches.

"She's not yours!" Robbo shouted back. "Don't you know what she is?"

"She's amazing!"

"She's dirty!"

"Aden!" Joey pleaded, nearing tears.

Gibsy tried one more time to intervene. Aden's errant elbow hit him in the face. Neither Aden nor Robbo noticed.

"I'm calling the cops," Gibsy told Joey.

* * *

Charlie and Watson arrived at the boat just as Aden and Robbo had begun to exhaust themselves and calm down. Aden's shirt was ripped, his nose was bloody, he had a cut eyebrow, umpteen bruises and was breathing heavily. Robbo was not faring much better. Gibsy also had a cut lip and Joey was still recovering from her previous injuries. They were a motley crew if ever there was one.

"Okay, guys, do you want to tell us what happened here?" Charlie asked.

Joey could never help but admire her professionalism, or how hot she was in uniform.

"I was having my lunch and this moron attacked me," Robbo accused.

"Because _he _attacked Joey," Aden said. "You know he did."

Charlie glared at Robbo.

"Yeah, I do know," she said. "But unfortunately seeking your own justice isn't a good idea, as tempting as it is."

She continued glaring at him.

"You don't know that I did that," Robbo said.

"Yes, I do!" Charlie snapped.

"Sorry, is this Constable Buckton or Charlie talking?"

"Anyway, let's just call it a fight and move on, shall we?" Charlie suggested.

She did not want to have to arrest Aden.

"You both look like you gave as good as you got."

She turned to Watson who readily agreed. She and Charlie were both secretly proud of Aden for going for Robbo. Reprimanding him even a little did not feel good.

"So, everyone happy?" Watson asked.

"She deserved it," Robbo said darkly.

Aden, Charlie and Watson all tensed, willing themselves not to get into any kind of dispute with him. Finally, Charlie couldn't help herself.

"I'm sorry, what?" she demanded.

He stared stonily back at her.

"Are you really going to try and justify beating the shit out of an innocent woman?"

"Does an innocent woman sexually assault my little sister?"

Gibsy took a sharp intake of breath. Joey blanched and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, Charlie was looking at her. Realising what Charlie was going to do, Joey shook her head.

"I have to," Charlie said quietly.

She turned back to Robbo.

"You mean your sister who was dating Joey for three years?" she asked. "The sister who was sleeping with some girl at boarding school? Your sister the lesbian? That one?"

Watson couldn't help but grin. Traditionally, it was mean to out someone before they were ready but this girl deserved it after what she had put Joey through. Robbo looked taken aback.

"You're lying," he said.

"Um... we all knew about it. Me, Watson Aden, Angelo, all her friends at boarding school. She's kept it a secret because she thinks a jerk like you will disown her but yeah, she's a dyke, Robbo. She's never been near a man in her life. What you walked in on the other night wasn't Joey assaulting your innocent little sis; it was your innocent little sis seducing Joey when Joey was cut up over my mother being sick."

Joey just stared between Charlie and Robbo, watching the interaction closely.

"Zoe isn't gay."

"She really is," Aden said.

"Most definitely," Watson added.

"We had anniversaries and Valentine's Days and everything," Joey told him, finally finding her voice and feeling she really ought to be part of this.

Robbo swallowed. He turned to Gibsy who looked stunned and amused in equal measure.

"I'm going home," he said, taking off.

Charlie turned back to Joey.

"Please don't be mad at me," she said. "I had to. He needed to know. I couldn't let him think that you were..."

Sensing a ramble, Joey cut her off by holding her hands.

"I'm not mad at you," she promised. "I'm grateful."


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

**November 2005**

Charlie and Watson followed Robbo home, keeping a safe distance away to ensure that Zoe was kept safe when he confronted her. Back on the boat, Gibsy was itching to ask questions but Joey wasn't in the mood to talk. She was worried about Zoe and fretting about the fact that she now had to tell Brett that she was gay.

* * *

Zoe was hanging the washing out, catching the last of the afternoon heat when her brother came home surprisingly early. He did not look happy.

"What the hell is going on, Zo?" he demanded.

"What do you mean?" she asked, halting actions and letting her t-shirt drop back into the basket.

"Are you gay?" he asked. "Have you been with _her_? Have you been with Joey?"

Hate for Joey engulfed her. She stared at her brother.

* * *

Charlie and Watson pulled up a discreet distance away, hoping that the siblings would stay outside so they could keep an eye on them.

* * *

"I'm... I'm not gay," she lied.

"Well Joey and Charlie and that other cop and apparently half the fucking town think you are. And apparently you were dating some girl at boarding school too! What's the deal here? Did I catch Joey assaulting you or were you lying to me?"

"I..."

Her stuttering only confirmed her deceit. Robbo ran his hands through his hair. He could barely look at her. She was disgusting as far as he was concerned. The only time girls should be together was in porn.

"How could you do this?"

"I didn't mean to lie," she said. "It just kind of came out."

"I don't care about what you said about her," Robbo said. "I'd prefer to think she attacked you. I mean, how could you be gay? It's disgusting, Zoe! It's wrong!"

"Robbo, I'm still... I'm still the same person."

"No, you're not. I don't want you to be gay."

"I don't want to be gay either," Zoe said desperately.

"Mum and Dad are going to hate you," Robbo warned, storming into the house.

Zoe burst into tears and sank onto the floor.

* * *

In the car, Watson and Charlie glanced at each other. Watson felt a little guilty. Charlie did not. All she could picture was Joey's black eye, split lip and those big, black bruises across her ribs and torso. She pictured her sadness as she wondered if she had done wrong by Zoe. No, she didn't feel guilty at all.

* * *

Charlie gratefully finished her shift and headed home to her mother, tired and heavy hearted. If she felt guilty about anything, it was that she knew she was responsible for outing Joey. While her friend was comfortable with her sexuality and had been bordering on sharing it with the rest of her loved ones for a while now, the one person she was afraid of telling, was Brett. And Joey didn't know where she stood legally with the house either. Paul and Clara had left it to Brett but did that mean that he could throw Joey out of it if he wanted to? She hoped she hadn't made a terrible mistake by sticking up for her against Robbo. She doubted that her sexuality would stay a secret for long now.

* * *

Joey was nervous about coming home to Brett. She knew it was inevitable and she knew it was a good thing but she was still afraid. Brett was homophobic through and through and while she was proud of who she was, she didn't think their already strained relationship could take this latest knock.

* * *

Zoe wandered around town feeling sorry for herself. She felt lonely and rejected. Winding up on Charlie and Joey's street, she resisted paying her ex a visit, knowing that she was unlikely to be welcome there. Zoe had already caused enough trouble. But she didn't leave. She hung around and hoped that Charlie didn't catch her and shoo her away.

* * *

"What's wrong, sweetheart?" Elsie asked.

Ross was on duty and Ruby was in her room with a couple of her friends.

"I just had a heavy day," Charlie said.

She had the sudden urge to tell her mother everything. But if she told her about Joey and Zoe and Robbo and Aden, she worried that she wouldn't stop there and that would be no good to anyone. And besides, Elsie had enough to worry about right now. She'd had her scan that day and would have to wait five whole days for the results. It was going to be torture.

"Tell your Mum all about it," Elsie demanded.

Charlie shook her head.

"You've got enough on your plate."

"Come on, it'll distract me."

"Okay, I had to break up a fight between Robbo and Aden," Charlie explained. "And then I had to sit outside Robbo's house to make sure he didn't beat up his sister the way he beat up..."

She faltered. She did not want her mother to know what had happened to Joey.

"Who?"

"Joey," Charlie admitted.

She had never been able to lie to her Mum.

"He beat up Joey?"

Elsie felt as much concern for her as she would have if it had been Charlie. She loved her like her own. She had promised Clara every single day of her illness that when she was gone, for as long as Elsie was able, she would take care of her.

"Why?" Elsie asked.

"Because... because Zoe told a lie about her. The thing is that... well, Joey and Zoe, they were..."

"An item," Elsie said.

Charlie looked startled.

"How did you know that?"

"Joey told me."

"You know Joey's gay?"

"I've known for ages."

Charlie's mouth hung open. Elsie was amused.

"When Joey comes round to help me out around the house, we don't just have tea and biscuits in silence you know, Charlie," she teased.

"Joey came out to you?" Charlie asked, still shocked.

"Yes," Elsie said, a little impatiently. "She told me all about her and Zoe and then when they split up. Why are you so shocked?"

"I just... I didn't know you'd be so cool about it."

Charlie's mind was reeling. She wondered for a fleeting moment if perhaps it was possible to open her own heart to her mother about this kind of thing.

"Why? Because I'm so old?" Elsie teased.

"No, just... well, Dad wouldn't be, would he?" Charlie asked.

"I don't really know," Elsie admitted. "But I have no issues with it. And Joey knows that. What lie did Zoe tell?"

"They briefly got back together... like they kissed and stuff," Charlie ventured.

The deflation of Charlie's voice and expression was not lost on her mother.

"Robbo caught them and Zoe said that Joey assaulted her, rather than that they were making out. Robbo assaulted Joey. Aden assaulted Robbo. I outed Zoe in order to protect Joey but now I've outed Joey too in the process. It all got terribly messy and now I have a headache."

She sighed and rested her head in her palms. Elsie stood and wrapped her arms around her eldest daughter. She smiled to herself when she felt Charlie cling on.

"Are you too old for milk and cookies?"

Charlie looked up utterly delighted.

* * *

"You're not gay," Brett repeated yet again.

Joey perched on the sofa, still certain that she was and always had been while Brett paced the floor so fast he was at risk of burning a hole through the carpet.

"Brett, I am. I spent years wishing I wasn't but there's nothing I can do about it. I've tried but it's who I am."

"It's not! You can decide not to be this way. You hear about all these ex-gay programs all the time."

"Brett, don't be ridiculous. They don't work. They're a waste of time."

"How do you know if you haven't tried them?" Brett asked, stopping pacing and turning to face his sister.

"Being gay is something I am, not something I've chosen."

"And who's your... your whatever you'd call it? Is it Charlie? It is, isn't it?"

"No! Charlie's my best friend and that's all," Joey said.

Going into the complicated relationship between herself and Charlie was inappropriate for this particular situation. She didn't even understand it herself. There was no way it was something for her homophobic brother to grapple with.

"So have you had a... someone?"

"I was dating Zoe," Joey said. "That's how it all came up. Because Robbo found out."

"Zoe's gay?"

"Yes."

"Ugh, this is just getting worse and worse!"

"Brett, this doesn't have to be a disaster."

"How can this not be a disaster? You're a fucking queer!"

"Brett, please! Could you just stop freaking out and try to understand me even a little bit?"

"No! I won't!"

He stormed up the stairs. Joey looked blankly around for a few moments before storming out of the house.

* * *

Zoe was still hovering in the street when she spotted Joey storming out of her house. She watched her glance up at Charlie's door and then turn away. The two women spotted each other and glared. Joey approached.

"How could you tell Robbo I was gay?" Zoe asked.

"How could _you _tell him that I sexually assaulted you?" Joey countered.

Zoe blanched and had nothing to say. She looked down at the floor.

"Well, he's telling my parents that I'm a lesbian right now," she finally said. "He hates me, they'll hate me too. My life's over. So, you finally got what you wanted. I hope you're happy."

"Yeah, Zoe, I'm thrilled. My brother hates me too. He wants me to go to some gay healing camp and I'd be surprised if he didn't kick me out. Your creep of a brother has been making my life hell for goodness knows how long and it'll only get worse from here. My second mother has cancer and all of this is landing so heavily on Charlie and it's my fault. Yeah, I'm just peachy, thanks."

"Of course it'd come back round to Charlie," Zoe said, pulling a face.

"Don't you even dare start with that, Zoe," Joey snapped. "I am not in the mood."

"And you think I am? You've destroyed my life, Joey!"

"And you've destroyed mine!"

Zoe stormed away. Joey stormed over to Charlie's.

* * *

"Why didn't I know that you knew?" Charlie asked, still enjoying her milk and cookies.

Elsie supposed Joey had never mentioned it because of her feelings for Charlie. She was about to come up with some less definite reason when the girl in question burst through the door looking emotional. Elsie pulled out a chair. Charlie put a cookie in her friend's mouth. Clearly she had decided that this was the cure for everything.

* * *

The following day, Joey entered the Jukebox to find every set of eyes staring at her. She tensed and hurried over to Martha, Leah, Rachel and Charlie. All but Charlie gazed at her expectantly. She shifted uncomfortably and debated leaving.

"Well, what happened?" Martha finally asked.

"What's being said?" Joey wanted to know.

"That you forced yourself on Zoe," Leah said quietly.

"It's not true!" Joey said desperately.

"Well, we know that," Leah assured her. "We want to know what _did _happen."

"Okay," Joey sighed. "The deal is that Zoe and I were an item a while ago for a few of years. We split. And then we kissed again. Robbo caught us. Zoe freaked and then tried to say that I'd assaulted her. Then the real story came out yesterday and we're both trying to deal."

"So, does that mean you're...?" Martha ventured.

"Gay?"

Leah, Martha and Rachel nodded. Charlie continued to observe the conversation in silence.

"Yeah," Joey said a little nervously. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you guys. It never felt like the right time."

"Well, it doesn't make a difference to me," Rachel promised.

"Me either," Leah confirmed.

Joey felt relieved.

"Nor me. To be honest, I did wonder," Martha admitted.

"Did you?"

"Well, aside from Aden, you've always been single and you never once complained about it," Martha explained. "And you always spent your time hanging out with Zoe or Charlie. Hey, if I didn't know any better, now that we know about you and Zoe, I'd start wondering if you and Charlie were..."

Charlie sprung to life.

"Well stop wondering because that's not true," she snapped.

"I was joking!"

"I'm not gay," Charlie said.

"Relax, Charlie," Joey said, feeling annoyed. "We all know you're not gay, alright? You're unequivocally, completely and utterly straight with not a kink or a curve in sight. You don't need to keep on telling everyone."

"I'm just saying!"

"If being best friends with a lesbian upsets you so much because of what people might think, don't do it," Joey snapped.

The other three looked at each other.

"Did she not know about this or something?" Rachel asked.

"She's known for years."

She was startled by her phone beeping in her pocket. Pulling it out, she read the message. It was from Zoe to say that she was sorry for everything and that she leaving town. Her parents and Robbo couldn't cope with her sexuality and home was too hostile. She felt too guilty for all the pain she had caused, especially to Joey so had decided to move on. Realising that there was nobody to see her off, Joey excused herself from the table and headed over to the house.

* * *

Zoe was just loading the last her stuff into her car.

"Hey," Joey said quietly.

Zoe looked surprised to see her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"I thought someone should say goodbye."

Zoe smiled gratefully.

"Thank you," she said.

Joey helped close her doors and offered a small, quick hug. Pulling back, she smiled tightly.

"Well, good luck with everything," she said. "I hope... I hope you find your freedom, Zoe."

"I hope you find yours."

* * *

That evening, Joey headed to Charlie's house. She wasn't sure exactly sure why they'd bickered that afternoon but she knew she didn't want it to continue. Joey had been spending a lot of time at the house over the last couple of days. Brett was suddenly at home a lot and the atmosphere was tense. Being with Charlie was the only thing that made Joey happy.

"I am so sorry about before," Charlie said as soon as she saw her friend hovering in the kitchen.

"Me too."

"I don't know why I got so defensive. She hit a nerve I guess."

"You don't want people thinking you're gay. You're not. Why would you want people to think you are? I get that."

Charlie smiled in relief that Joey was being receptive.

"I didn't mean to be so snappy with you," Joey said. "I'm sorry. I've had a bad few days."

They hugged.

"Where did you scamper off to anyway?" Charlie asked, returning to the washing up.

"Zoe left today. She texted to say goodbye so I went over."

"You went to say goodbye to her?" Charlie asked, stunned.

Joey shrugged. She started drying dishes to help Charlie out.

"She was all alone. There was nobody to say goodbye to her."

"Good!"

"I felt like someone should," Joey said sadly.

Charlie shook her head and watched Joey work a tea towel over a plate, overwhelmed by Joey's capacity for compassion. It was one of the many things she loved so much about her.

**

* * *

**

December 2005

It had been a difficult few weeks. The MRI had shown that Elsie had various strands of cancer in her body and that solely removing the thyroid was not the answer, although they had since done this anyway. On 2nd January, she would be starting a long course of external beam radiotherapy but if that didn't help, no family member wanted to think about the next options. That morning, Charlie was up and out early to work. Needing to clear the deluge in her head, she decided to walk along the beach. She stopped when she saw a figure huddled on the sand, asleep. She sighed. She didn't like having to interfere with homeless people. What harm were they doing really, just trying to find some kind of bed for the night?

"Hey," she said gently. "Excuse me."

The fragile figure rolled over. Charlie nearly jumped out of her skin. It was Joey.

* * *

Having abandoned work, Charlie had dragged Joey back to the Buckton house and the girls were now seated at the kitchen table with steaming cups of coffee.

"Why the hell were you sleeping on the beach?" Charlie asked.

"I had a late night?" Joey said, but it came out as more of a question.

"You had stuff with you."

"Brett threw me out," Joey admitted glumly.

"And you didn't come here because...?"

"Because your mother just had surgery and you guys have more important things to deal with."

"More important than you sleeping on the beach at night?"

Joey focussed on her coffee. She knew she should have used her savings to stay in a hotel. She'd just panicked about her long term plan and didn't want to squander money while she was figuring things out.

"I just... I didn't know what to do," she said.

"You get thrown out of your house; you come here. That's always what you do, Joey," Charlie insisted.

"But everything was so stressful here, Charlie. Elsie was recovering from surgery and you were all sad and I didn't want to make things worse."

Charlie reached out to hold her hand.

"You wouldn't have. Having you crash here would have just been normal," she insisted.

"Morning, girls," Elsie said.

She moved into the kitchen slowly, still feeling weak from her operation a few days before.

"Hey, Aunt Elsie. How are you feeling?"

"Not so bad. Just tired. So, so tired," Elsie replied. "Surprised to see you here so early. And Charlie, I thought you left ages ago."

"I did and then I found Joey asleep on the beach," Charlie informed her mother, who looked bewildered.

"Why were you sleeping on the beach?"

"I... Well..." Joey faltered. "Brett threw me out."

Elsie sat down and watched Joey bury her head in her hands.

"He's been giving me the silent treatment for the last couple of weeks because of the whole gay thing and then finally three days ago, he decided I had to be cured at some camp in America or something. I wasn't exactly clear about it but the bottom line was that I either I had to be straight or get out," Joey explained.

Feeling sorry, Charlie stood behind Joey and wrapped her arms around her. Elsie watched their affection with compassion and understanding.

"I'm not sure he's even legally allowed to throw you out, Joey," Elsie said thoughtfully.

Joey shrugged. She had no comprehension of what Brett was allowed to do. But Elsie and Ross had been at the reading of Paul's will so perhaps they understood things better than she did.

"Let me talk to Ross," Elsie said.

Joey nodded.

"And in the meantime, she can stay here?" Charlie asked.

"Of course!" Elsie said. "As if that's even a question. Why didn't you come here in the first place?"

"I didn't want to be a hassle."

Elsie tutted and shook her head just as Ross entered the room.

"What are we tutting about so early in the morning?" he asked.

He glanced at Charlie who moved to sit back down again.

"And shouldn't you be at work?"

Charlie nodded.

"Brett threw Joey out," she said.

"He's not allowed to do that. He has to legally look after you and keep you housed until you're twenty-two and then the house is half yours anyway. So is the business."

Joey looked startled.

"Why don't I know this?"

"Because you were a grieving teenager," Ross told her. "Let me look into it, call in a few favours to double check it all but that's what I remember understanding."

"She's going to stay here until we can fix it," Elsie said.

"Sure."

"I really don't want to impose."

"You're not," Charlie and Elsie said in unison.

Joey laughed gratefully.

"I just can't believe that all this is because you like girls! I mean, it's ridiculous! Who the hell could be that homophobic anymore?" Charlie wondered.

The corner of Ross's mouth twitched as Charlie drained her coffee and she jumped up, ready to go to work. She kissed Joey's cheek, then her mother's and then her father's before yelling that she was taking the car.

"You know, you could buy your own! That would be okay, you know!" Ross called to her.

Standing in the doorway, she grinned at him.

"I will," she promised. "I've got my eye on this cute, little blue thing. I could have a tonne of fun in that."

"Charlie!" Elsie scolded.

"I was talking about driving!" Charlie insisted.

She turned back to Joey.

"Lunch at Crumble at twelve thirty," she ordered.

Joey nodded in agreement.

* * *

Evening arrived and Joey had had a far better day than she'd expected. She and Charlie had had lunch together and Ross had promised to find out whether Brett was allowed to remove her from the property or not and according to Elsie, even if he was, then she would never be homeless because she could just move in with them. She felt very special to have such a loving second family. As well as losing her home in this mess, however, she had also lost her job, which made her feel useless so she'd spent pretty much all day ensuring that Elsie didn't have to lift a finger. Then she'd headed out to greet Charlie at work and get a lift home. When they arrived back, Ross and Elsie were waiting for them.

"Okay, I spoke to a friend of mine and we've got a second reading of the will," Ross said. "She's a judge. Her name's Morag and she really knows her stuff."

Elsie shifted in her seat. Ross had awkwardly explained that the one person guaranteed to be able to help Joey was Morag. Unfortunately, Morag was the woman he'd had an affair with. Whether Ross was the love of Elsie's life or not, it still stung a little; she couldn't help it.

"We've made an appointment for tomorrow afternoon."

Joey nodded and expressed her gratitude.

"So, for now you can stay here. We can um... set up a bed on the couch."

"On the couch?" Charlie asked.

"Well, I just thought..."

"Joey has been sleeping over here for twenty years and she has never once slept on the couch."

"Exactly. You're not kids anymore. Young women don't really platonically share beds," Ross said.

He looked to Elsie for support but she shook her head.

"We do," Charlie said.

"Charlie, I'm fine on the couch," Joey said.

She knew full well that Ross didn't want his daughter sharing a bed with a lesbian.

"No!" Charlie protested angrily, folding her arms across her uniformed body. "Dad, you're being ridiculous. The whole reason Joey has to stay here is because her brother is a homophobic moron. Don't you dare turn into one too!"

"Charlie, don't get so bent out of shape about this. All I'm saying is..."

"That you don't want me to share a bed with Joey because she's gay," Charlie accused.

"No, it's not... I just don't think it's appropriate."

"Well, I do. I can't believe you're even suggesting this. If this is going to bother anybody, it should be me and it doesn't bother me even the tiniest bit so do not stand there and tell me that my best friend is going to be made to feel uncomfortable with her own family! Joey is sharing my room and that's the end of it."

Ross opened his mouth to argue. Charlie turned to Elsie.

"Mum...!" she whined with a small stamp of her foot.

"If you two are happy sharing then it's your business and neither I nor your father are going to interfere. Are we, Ross?" Elsie said, warning in her voice.

Ross sighed and shrugged. His eldest daughter had never been a force to be reckoned with and if she was really willing to stand there as a policewoman and whinge to her mother then he really had no leg to stand on.

"No," he said.

Charlie looked triumphant, deliberately took Joey's hand and led her to her bedroom. Elsie failed to suppress a grin.

* * *

Christmas rolled around and it was awkward to say the least. Elsie had watched her husband try very hard not to fall in love with Morag again as Morag ensured that Joey returned safely home and explained that Brett could not remove her from the property or her employment. She had also explained to both siblings that when Joey reached twenty-one, she would be joint owner of the house and the business. So Joey had returned home, although she and Brett lived even more separate lives than before. Life on the boat was harder than ever as Robbo's bullying became relentless. Aden was her only friend there, Gibsy was unsupportive and now Joey knew she didn't even have Brett's silent support to fall back on if she needed it. Charlie was attempting to be perfect at all times. Her mother was frail, her father was busy, her sister was confused and she wanted to be everything to all of them. Work demanded a lot of her and she was working hard to rise high and fast in her career. Things with Joey were as confusing as ever but they were happy and comfortable. For Christmas Day, Elsie had invited both Joey and Brett round for dinner. She hadn't wanted to see either of them alone and she'd hoped that it might be a way of building bridges between the two of them. So far, Joey had been her usual cheerful self and spent much time messing around with Charlie and Ruby but Brett had been sullen. Mostly he wanted to escape and have a few beers with Robbo.

* * *

As the evening drew in, Ross, Elsie, Charlie, Joey, Ruby and Brett sat out on the back porch together. Ruby was enthralled by her new Barbie doll and hadn't stopped brushing her hair and making her run around hand in hand with her new Ken doll all day, even if she was getting a little too old for those kinds of toys now. Charlie suspected that Barbie and Ken were grown up Ruby and Xavier. She'd found it adorable when Ruby had shyly crept into her room one afternoon and confessed to holding hands with him at lunch times.

"So, how's the business going?" Ross asked Brett.

Brett swigged his beer.

"Pretty good. Pretty busy. I've got a good team."

He looked at Joey.

"One slacker."

Joey glared at her brother and then looked at Elsie and Charlie, felt comforted by their presence and decided not to rise to the bait.

"She's useless but I can't fire her. I'd like to drown her, personally. She's defunct."

This time it was Charlie who wanted to yell, her protective streak was desperate to take over.

"Brett, today is about building bridges," Elsie said quietly.

"If you can't be civilised then you'd better not stay, I'm afraid," Ross said.

He didn't want Elsie to be upset. She was just over a week away from starting her radiotherapy. He might not be the best husband in the world but he loved her and he cared. He didn't want her to be stressed and upset, especially not at Christmas.

"Thank goodness I can leave," Brett snapped.

He downed the rest of his beer and stormed out.

"Do you want me to go too?" Joey asked, feeling guilty.

"Don't be silly," Elsie said, placing a hand on Joey's arm.

* * *

The Jukebox was lively and loud and Jack and Martha were in the thick of it, having just announced their engagement. Charlie and Joey had, as usual, spent most of their time together. Robbo and Brett had shown up uninvited, putting the only dampener on Joey's evening as Robbo pretty much chased her round the bar with smarmy comments and wandering hands. Brett had been moderately aggressive. She swore she was getting closer every day to giving up what her parents had promised in their will and just getting out now but she knew that's what Brett and Robbo wanted and she was far too stubborn to give in.

* * *

Charlie found herself sitting with Watson.

"So, how's everything going?" her former roommate asked.

"Yeah, pretty good," Charlie said. "Work... well, you know about work... um, Mum seems to be coping and we've all got high hopes for the radiotherapy... I'm really getting into my fitness stuff again..."

"No, I mean how's _everything _going?" Watson asked.

She jerked her head in Joey's direction. Charlie let her eyes wander over to her best friend who was leaning against the bar with Aden. She was in a red sleeveless top and black jeans and everything complimented her. Her hair was loose and she looked so beautiful standing there laughing and talking so animatedly. Charlie turned back to Watson who was grinning at her.

"It's fine! Everything's fine. And normal. And unchanged."

She nodded to confirm. Watson wanted more.

* * *

"So, how are things with Charlie?" Aden asked, dropping it into conversation like a bomb.

Joey looked flustered.

"Everything's fine. And normal. Like it's always been," she said hurriedly.

"It's just that you guys seem to be spending even more time together than usual and I didn't think that was possible," Aden commented.

"She put me up when I had nowhere to go."

"And you shared a bed?"

"We _always _share a bed. Nothing happens."

"I bet that's frustrating, hey?" Aden teased.

Joey pouted at him.

"There is nothing but friendship between Charlie and I – except in your head."

"And in your dreams!"

"Aden..." Joey warned.

"I am so right!"

"That's not the point."

* * *

"So, are you planning on spinsterhood or something then?" Watson asked, leaning back in her chair. "You know, maybe living in a big house with lots of cats and, providing she doesn't meet anyone, your 'friend', Joey for the rest of your life? Because you know, when people put their friends in inverted commas like that, they're meant to be giving each other orgasms."

Charlie glared at her.

"Although, New Year is coming up," Watson continued. "You could do the whole 'let's kiss as friends' thing again. That was a good ploy, by the way. Nicely done, Charlie, nicely done. It's a shame people don't have sex midnight. Do you want me to look up sex traditions to help to get her into bed without it 'meaning anything'?"

"Would you just...?" Charlie snapped.

Watson continued to grin at her in that annoying way only she was capable of. Charlie knew it wouldn't bother her so much if she wasn't right. She did want to be with Joey; she just couldn't let go of the concept of being heterosexual. She shook her head and couldn't help but smile. This really was one complicated situation she had got herself into.

* * *

"Three... two... one... Happy New Year!" Ross, Elsie, Charlie, Joey and Ruby chorused.

Everyone hugged each other in turn. Elsie and Ross kissed each other's lips and Joey and Charlie hugged Ruby between them. When Ruby reached out to her parents, Charlie and Joey kissed briefly and chastely on the lips before hurriedly pulling away.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Ruby had been grumpily tucked into bed. At twelve years old, she was certain that she was now old enough to stay up until all hours. She was in double figures after all but her parents were not so keen. Elsie hadn't been feeling well for much of the night so she opted for bed too and Ross was close behind her, leaving a decidedly tipsy Charlie and Joey on the sofa together.

"So, what are you hoping 2006 will bring for you, Ms Collins?" Charlie asked.

"Less bullying and a more peaceful home will suit me just fine, thanks," Joey sighed.

Charlie reached for her hand. They entwined their fingers, enjoying the familiar feel of each other's soft skin.

"How about you, Constable Buckton?"

"A promotion before the year is through would be nice," Charlie grinned.

"I have no doubt!"

Joey looked down at their hands for a moment. When she looked up into Charlie's eyes, her hair had fallen in front of her face. Charlie used her free hand to brush it out of the way. The contact made them both tingle. Watson's words suddenly rang in Charlie's head. She wondered if it would be wrong to kiss Joey again, just for New Year. Perhaps it could be some kind of tradition? She studied Joey's mouth. It was so inviting.

"You know, the New Year kiss this year was pretty lame compared to last year," Joey ventured.

Charlie grinned, realising that Joey was making the move that she had been about to. She didn't pause to wonder what that meant.

"It was," she agreed. "Maybe we should fix that."

Joey nodded and leant closer. Their lips touched gently. Charlie stroked Joey's face tenderly as their kiss developed. Joey closed her eyes, giving in to every sensation as she felt Charlie's hands and mouth caressing her. She could hardly believe she'd been so bold as to suggest this and couldn't contain her delight that Charlie had agreed. If this was their friendship tradition at New Year then it was a good one. She suffered no illusion that it meant anything more; after all, Charlie had stated time and again that she was straight, but whatever it was, right now, in the moment, it felt like Heaven. Drawing away slowly, they gazed at each other, smiling shyly.

"Is this becoming a New Year tradition now?" Charlie asked.

"Looks like it," Joey managed.

"Two friends can make out sometimes without it meaning anything though, right?"

Joey tried not to let her face fall at Charlie's confirmation that it didn't mean anything. She kept the smile on her face.

"Right," she said. "We're just expressing friendship. That's fine. It's normal. And it doesn't mean more than that."

"So, um, do you want to express friendship some more?" Charlie asked.

Joey nodded quickly and pulled Charlie back into her arms. Their kisses became more passionate. Words had asserted that they were only friends, giving them the freedom to do whatever they wanted. Now, passion was taking over, revealing their hunger for each other. Lips crushed lips and tongues sought tongues as they embraced each other. Keeping their mouths together, Joey pulled Charlie into her lap so that she was straddling her and was then suddenly not sure if she was thrilled or regretful. As soon as Joey had walked into the house that evening, the first thing she'd noticed was that Charlie was dressed up in a very short, purple, satin dress. Now, seated on Joey's lap, the dress was riding up dangerously. Joey looked down with wide eyes at Charlie's bare legs. Charlie kissed her again. Joey blocked the image of what she could and couldn't quite see out of her mind and focussed on kissing the woman she had loved for a lifetime. Charlie lowered her mouth and placed several delicate kisses on Joey's neck. Joey couldn't help but look down. Her shaky hands were resting on Charlie's thighs. She stroked her thumbs over her skin, raising them higher. Charlie returned to her mouth. Joey quickly moved her hands to Charlie's back, feeling hot and flustered. She was having palpitations. Their deep, searching kisses eventually became softer and gentler again. Recovering themselves, they slowed to a stop and looked into each other's eyes, flushed and bashful.

"Well, that was um..." Joey tried.

"Yeah..." Charlie said, suddenly very aware that she was straddling her best friend.

"Happy New Year?" Joey grinned.

Charlie laughed. She slipped off Joey's lap and sat beside her, capturing her hand again.

"Things aren't going to be strange between us again, are they?" Joey worried.

"No," Charlie promised. "We're stronger than that."

"Good."

They both nodded to themselves.

"Well, I guess I'd better be heading home," Joey said, getting to her feet.

She didn't think spending a night in the same bed as Charlie now would be the best idea she had ever had. It would take every ounce of self control not to declare her true feelings and throw herself at her mercy. Every time they got close like this, Joey thought she fell more deeply in love. She wondered if there was a limit to how much you could love another person. If there was, she must be close to reaching it by now.

"Right, I'll um... I'll see you out."

Charlie followed Joey to the door. Pausing, Joey turned and said goodnight. They hugged. Pulling away, they came together one more time to kiss before Joey stole away into the darkness.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

**January 2006**

It had been a difficult few weeks. Elsie had been in and out of hospital having treatment and Charlie had never seen her look so frail. She had taken a couple of weeks off work in order to take care of her. Now, it was Charlie's birthday and she was lacking any kind of enthusiasm until she woke up to breakfast in bed, prepared rather clumsily by Ruby who was very proud of herself. It was the first time in her life she had ever made toast without burning it.

"I made you a present," Ruby said. "I tried to save up my pocket money to buy you something but it didn't work."

Charlie grinned. Ruby was a demon for sweets. Her pocket money disappeared the day she got it. She accepted the badly wrapped gift her little sister presented her with and opened it. Inside was a neatly decorated photo frame and the photo was of them, Ross, Elsie and Joey at New Year. The photo brought back several memories. It really had been a wonderful evening. As planned, after their make out session, Charlie and Joey had gone back easily enough to their normal friendship. Kissing on those kinds of occasions seemed like the natural thing to do; it wasn't something to freak out over anymore. It was just part of their relationship.

"Oh, Ruby, this is amazing!" Charlie enthused. "Thank you so much."

She pulled Ruby into a hug. The twelve-year-old looked utterly thrilled that her present was so well received.

"And you're so sweet for making me breakfast."

"I love you," Ruby explained.

Charlie smiled. The last few weeks had been particularly hard on her sister. Charlie had had to go into her on several nights, having heard her crying through the wall. She knew she was frightened about their mother being so unwell and it was hard to comfort her in some ways because Charlie was just as concerned. But she had held onto her own hope and told Ruby time and again that everything would be okay.

"I love you too, Ruby," she replied.

Ruby beamed at her.

"Now, you have to come downstairs. Mum and Dad have a surprise for you."

Ruby took her sister's hand and pulled her out of bed, leading her down the stairs. Neither parent could be found.

"Where are they?" she asked.

"Outside."

Charlie's curiosity increased as she followed Ruby round to the front of the house where her parents were standing beside a little blue car, the exact same one she had had her eye on for a while but hadn't yet managed to save up enough cash to buy. She opened her mouth in shock. Her parents beamed at her.

"Happy birthday, Charlie," Ross said.

Elsie continued to smile. Ross dangled the keys in front of his daughter who rushed up to him and accepted them joyfully.

"This is really for me?" she asked.

"One hundred per cent," Ross confirmed. "Now you can stop stealing my car!"

Charlie grinned and hugged him before hurrying over to her mother and cuddling her a little more gently.

"You guys are the best!" Charlie declared.

"Going to take it for a spin?" Ross asked.

"Yep," Charlie said. "I'm going to get dressed, get Joey and hit the road!"

"Can I come?" Ruby asked.

Charlie turned round and looked at her affectionately.

"Of course you can," she said. "Let's get ready!"

The two girls raced back into the house.

**

* * *

**

April 2006

Charlie sat on the sofa with her head in her hands. She felt like she couldn't breathe. The radiation therapy hadn't been enough to get rid of the cancer. The next stage was chemotherapy and Elsie had informed her family that she wasn't prepared to go down that route. Ross had already walked out on them, angry that Elsie seemed to have given up. Ruby was still at school; they would break it to her later. Now, it was just Charlie and her mother, unable to find the words to describe their pain.

"Why... why don't you want to live?" Charlie asked, a lump in her throat as she dared to look back up at her mother.

"I do! Charlie, I do! It's not about that," Elsie said.

"Then why won't you get treatment?"

"Because it would only give me an extra year. And I would be so sick for that time – worse than this. I'd lose my hair, I'd lose weight, I'd feel like hell all the time. And for what? A tiny bit of extra life? I'd rather... I'd rather just enjoy the time I have left," Elsie explained.

Charlie sighed heavily and reached for her mother's hand.

"This is really what you want?" she asked.

"They've given me nine months to a year. And I want to be with you and Ruby and Ross and Joey for that time, not in hospital."

Charlie nodded, although she couldn't stop crying.

* * *

Once Charlie had made sure that her mother was alright and had tucked her sad sister into bed, she escaped over to Joey's house.

"You know it's rude to just walk into someone's house uninvited," Brett snapped.

He was nuking a meal in the microwave.

"Joey gave me an open invitation," Charlie replied. "Is she upstairs?"

"Can't you tell from that racket blaring out of her room?"

Nirvana was indeed making the house shudder. Charlie headed on upstairs. She knocked even though she knew that there was little hope of Joey hearing her. Entering the room, she found Joey lying on her bed shouting along with the music. She jumped in surprise when she saw her and turned the music down.

"Bad day?" Charlie asked.

"Robbo backed me into a corner and threatened to 'give me what I deserve'," Joey said flatly.

Charlie sighed.

"This is getting out of control, Joey."

Joey shrugged and invited Charlie to come and lie down. Charlie lay beside her.

"What happened at the hospital?" Joey asked, aware that it was results day.

At this, Charlie broke down and told her everything.

* * *

The following morning, Charlie woke up in her clothes from the day before, having fallen asleep in Joey's arms. Joey would always be her safety. They had both cried themselves to sleep.

"Morning," Joey said.

"Morning," Charlie replied.

Suddenly Joey realised that she was meant to be at work. She glanced at the clock. She was three hours late. Jumping up, she uttered a few swear words and hurriedly changed clothes, not caring that she had company. From the bed, Charlie apologised for making her late.

"It's not your fault," Joey told her firmly. "I was the one who didn't set an alarm."

She was desperately worried. Brett was looking for any excuse to fire her. A mistake on her part was the only way he could do it. Plus, Robbo would be a nightmare.

"But if I hadn't..."

Finally dressed, complete with shoes, Joey hurried over to the bed.

"Not your fault," Joey said again.

She kissed Charlie on the forehead and hurried through the door, telling Charlie to wake up in her own time and stay as long as she liked.

* * *

Joey raced down to the dock, just managing to jump on deck for their second trip out.

"Where the hell have you been?" Gibsy demanded.

"I slept in," Joey said hurriedly. "I'm really sorry. It won't happen again."

Aden gave her a sympathetic smile and continued working. Robbo stepped into her line of vision.

"Doing some girl, were you?" he asked.

She ignored him and tried to move out of his way but he wasn't willing to comply.

"Letting your disgusting lifestyle get in the way of work? Tut tut," he continued.

"What made me late is none of your damn business, Robbo," Joey snapped.

"You fucking my sister was my business though."

She began to start work but he was following her like a bad smell.

"Wasn't it? What you were doing with her?" he demanded.

She spun around to face him.

"Actually, no, it wasn't. What Zoe chooses to do with her life is her business alone. The clue is in the fact that it's _her_ life, not yours!" she snapped.

"You are going to be so sorry for what you've done to my family," Robbo said quietly, leaning in close to her.

"Get away from me."

"Oh I will for now," Robbo said. "But one day very soon I'm going to surprise you with just how vengeful I'm feeling about you turning my sister gay."

"I didn't turn your sister gay! She was dating girls before she even met me. And for your information, she started this whole thing. She made the first move."

"I don't care," Robbo said simply.

Then he walked away.

* * *

Several days later, things were still tense in the Buckton house. Elsie felt guilty over the sadness she had caused her family. Ross had barely spoken to her and she was sure that he had gone to visit Morag. Now, he had come to talk to her about the future and sprung a horrible new plan on her. She disagreed about it being the right thing to do but she didn't have the power to fight him. And maybe she was just being selfish by not wanting to do it. Now, she, Ross, Charlie and Ruby were sitting once again in the lounge.

"But I don't want to go away," Ruby said meekly.

She looked desperately at Charlie who looked just as helpless.

"We think it's the best thing for you," Ross insisted.

He didn't want his youngest child to have to watch her mother die. If Elsie was insistent on not getting treatment and really, even if she was prepared to go for it, he didn't want Ruby to have to see everything she would have to go through. He wanted to protect her.

"But I don't want to go to boarding school," Ruby said.

"You'll enjoy it once you get there. You'll be starting in the new term."

"But I don't want to live away from home. I don't want to leave you and Mum and Charlie and Joey. Charlie..."

She turned to her sister.

"Charlie, don't let him send me away."

Charlie looked into her sister's face and felt her heart breaking. She was certain that this was a terrible idea.

"Sweetheart, I can't do anything," she said unhappily.

"Mum..." Ruby pleaded, tears cascading down her face.

Elsie just looked down. She felt like she was ruining her daughter's life and all because she got sick.

"You'll be home every holiday and we can visit. Everything will be okay," Ross told her.

"What about Xavier?" Ruby asked.

"What about him?" Ross asked, not understanding at all.

"I don't want to leave him," Ruby said. "He means everything to me."

"Oh, don't be silly. You can see him in the holidays," Ross replied dismissively.

Charlie held her sister's hand. Xavier was Ruby's Joey and she knew exactly how she would have reacted to being parted from her at any age. She'd kicked up a fuss about going to normal school because it meant she didn't get to spend time with Joey all day. Boarding school would have been out of the question.

* * *

Charlie was exhausted. She had spent over an hour arguing with her father about sending Ruby away. While she understood his point about not watching Elsie suffer, Charlie was still convinced that it was the wrong decision. Ruby needed to be close to her family at a time like this and she needed to enjoy every moment she could with her mother. Sighing heavily, she stomped up the stairs. She paused outside her sister's room and knocked gently on the door.

"If that's Dad, you can go away!" Ruby said.

Charlie could picture her pouting. She nudged open the door and found Ruby sitting on the floor, leaning against her bed, clutching her teddy bear, sniffing. Her eyes were red and puffy. Charlie positioned herself on the floor beside her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Charlie, have I been bad?" Ruby asked.

"What? No, of course you haven't. Why would you think that?"

"Have I been getting in the way?" Ruby wondered. "I've tried to be such a good girl while Mum's been sick. I've tried my hardest, Charlie, really I have. Why am I being sent away?"

"In his own way, Dad is just trying to protect you, Ruby. It's not about you getting in the way or anything like that because you haven't. You've been a perfect angel. It's just... when Mum gets more unwell, it's going to be very hard to see," Charlie explained. "Dad just doesn't want you to have to go through that."

"But I want to go through that. We're a family, the five of us. We should support each other. I don't want to go away. I want to be with you and Mum and Dad and Joey. I don't want to be apart from you."

"We can be in touch every single day," Charlie promised. "And you'll only be gone for short periods. You'll be back before you know it. And we'll have a great time together in the holidays. Joey and I will take you out for day trips and we'll have so much fun."

Ruby nodded, a little comforted.

"You'll still love me while I'm gone?" Ruby asked.

"Did you love me when I was away at training?" Charlie asked.

"Of course I did! I missed you a heap!"  
Charlie smiled.

"Exactly."

They hugged each other.

"Now, you need to go to sleep. It's way past your bed time."

**

* * *

**

June 2006

"Would you try and pick up after yourself even a little bit?" Watson complained.

She was tired of constantly having to clean up after Angelo who was becoming an increasing pain to live with. He was driving her crazy.

"Well, you won't have to put up with me for much longer," Angelo said, making no effort to wash his dishes.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm moving out."

"What?" Watson shrieked, instantly panicking as to how she would be able to pay rent by herself.

"I got a job in another station so I'm moving on," Angelo said.

"And you were going to tell me this when?" Watson asked.

"Now."

"How the hell am I supposed to pay rent without you?"

"Get another roommate," Angelo told her, heading out of the house.

The dishes were still in the sink.

* * *

Elsie was exhausted. Charlie and Ross were in a silent battle and it was hard on all of them. Her daughter was as good as gold with her. She couldn't do more for her. But she hadn't forgiven Ross for sending Ruby to boarding school. In fairness, Elsie wasn't sure she had forgiven him either.

* * *

Joey stormed out of the house having had a screaming match with Brett. Swear words had been bellowed and he'd even thrown a plate at her. Fortunately, he'd missed but if he thought that she was going to clean it up, he had another thing coming. Still in a foul mood, Joey headed over to the Jukebox where she was meant to be meeting Charlie and Watson for a drink. She'd had a long, hard day and she was determined to drown her sorrows.

"What's the matter with you?" Watson asked when Joey threw herself into a chair.

"I had a fight with Brett."

"Are you okay?" Charlie asked.

"Fortunately, the plate he threw, missed me. I swear I cannot stay in that damn house anymore. I might own half of it soon but right now, I don't care. I hate him and I hate living with him."

Watson leapt to her feet and ordered a round of shots and a large glass of white wine for Joey. When she'd sat back down, Joey smiled gratefully. The girls downed their shots and Joey quickly started on her wine.

"Why doesn't Joey move in with you if she's that desperate to get out of her house?" Charlie suggested, worriedly eyeing her friend.

"Well... but you and I just discussed..."

Watson looked confused.

"You already have a roommate," Joey said, picturing Angelo and screwing up her face.

She gulped a little more of her wine.

"As of next week, he's leaving town."

"Hooray!" Joey squeaked.

She had never really liked him. Charlie snorted.

"But Charlie was just about to take his room," Watson said.

"Well then why are you giving it away?" Joey asked Charlie.

"You need it more."

"And why are you moving out anyway?"

"Well, it's about time. And also, if I have to live with Dad any longer and be constantly reminded of how badly he's handled this whole thing with Mum and Ruby, I may have to kill him."

"Then you need it more," Joey decided. "I don't want you becoming some woman's bitch in prison."

Charlie choked on her drink.

"You and Brett can't live together anymore, Joey," she said seriously. "Between Robbo at work and Brett at home..."

"I have an idea," Watson piped up.

Charlie and Joey both turned to her.

"Why don't I move out of my place and we three get a whole new place together?"

Charlie pondered the idea. Living with Watson was a riot. She already knew this. And living with Joey would be wonderful. She nodded in agreement and was pleased to find Joey agreeing too.

"Well, here's to moving in together," Watson proposed.

They toasted their new venture. Joey finished the last of her wine and headed up to the bar to get another round in.

* * *

Two hours later, Joey had drunk far too much wine and with Watson providing her with an unhealthy amount of shots, she was extremely inebriated. Charlie rolled her eyes as she watched her friend wobble to the bathroom.

"We need to cut her off," she told Watson.

"Oh, she's fine!" Watson slurred.

"You know she can't take her drink."

"Oh, she's fine!" Watson said again.

"And obviously she isn't the only one."

"So, you two are a proper lebanam... lesbinam... lesbian couple, hey?" Watson giggled.

Charlie looked around nervously in case anyone had overheard.

"What are you talking about now?" she asked.

"Well, you go on one date and then you move in together!"

"We haven't gone on a date," Charlie reminded her.

"Well then you must be super lesbians!" Watson declared.

"Firstly, I am not a lesbian and secondly would you just sshh?" Charlie hissed.

Watson held up her hands defensively.

"Maybe I should get you one of those t-shirts where you... um... that say... that say 'I'm not a lesbinam but I like making out with girls'!"

"I don't like making out with girls."

Watson just raised her eyebrows.

"One girl! One! That doesn't make me a lesbian. Or a _lesbinam _either!"

Joey made her way back over to the table and sat heavily down in her chair, looking surprised when she landed.

"I am so excited about the three of us living together," she said with a big smile.

"Me too," Charlie said.

She was certain that it was going to be fun and she didn't think that she and Joey would have any problems living together. Charlie already knew that it was entertaining to live with Watson; throwing Joey into the mix could only make things perfect. She smiled at the thought of getting to be with Joey all the time.

"Then I'll be all happy and I won't have to do this anymore," Joey said.

She pulled a face that made her look a little constipated.

"Um... what is that?" Charlie asked.

"It's my saf fane!" Joey declared.

"Your what?" Charlie and Watson asked in unison.

"My saf fane! My..."

She frowned and wondered what she was saying wrong.

"Oh!" Charlie realised. "Your sad face!"

She giggled and stroked Joey's hair. Joey was still pouting and wondered why Charlie and Watson were laughing.

* * *

The following morning, Charlie woke up and had breakfast with her mother, although Elsie had largely lost her appetite months ago.

"I um... I have some news," Charlie ventured.

"Oh?"

Elsie secretly hoped that Charlie was about to tell her that she and Joey were together. It was excruciating to see her own life being replayed through her daughter. She desperately wished that she could talk to her and explain that she should go for the opportunities that her own mother missed out on.

"I've decided to move out."

Elsie let her coffee cup rest heavily on the table. It made a loud thud.

"Watson, Joey and I are going to get a place together. And it'll be close by so I can still come and see you every day. Nothing will really change. I'll just be a little bit further away," Charlie said quickly.

Elsie nodded.

"That's fine," she said. "But why the sudden decision?"

"Well, Watson has to move, Brett's driving Joey crazy and the atmosphere here is hardly pleasant right now. And I know that I'm at least fifty per cent responsible for that. I hope that Dad and I might eventually start getting along better if we don't live together. It's just... I'm still upset with him for sending Ruby away to school when she didn't want to go."

"I know. I know. I didn't want Ruby to go either. You do realise that, don't you, Charlie? And you know he was just trying to protect her from this... from me."

"I know," Charlie said, touched by her mother's grief. "I explained to Ruby that Dad was trying to do right by her."

"Well, as long as you won't be far away, I'm pleased for you. It'll probably do you good to get out on your own and I know you get on well with Watson. I don't need to offer comment on Joey."

Charlie smiled, happy that her mother was okay with the decision.

* * *

That night, away from her family, Ruby lay in bed and stared into the dark. Boarding school wasn't as bad as she had feared but she still wanted to go home. The staff were a lot stricter than at her old school and she missed her family. She wanted to cuddle her Mum and spend time with Charlie and Joey. She wanted to watch television with her Dad. Settling in was a shaky process and although she had a nice group of friends already, she missed her old ones, especially Xavier.

* * *

Two weeks later, Charlie, Joey and Watson were sitting in their new apartment toasting their new life in their new house.

"This is going to be the most fun house in all the land," Joey declared.

"Oh yes, it is!" Charlie agreed.

"I think it's going to be very, very entertaining," said Watson.

_

* * *

_

I hope this chapter has been worth waiting for. Sorry it's all take so long but real life and all that malarkey! This chapter is dedicated to Elka from The Kiss Thread – the original speaker of the words 'saf fane'. I don't know if you're still reading CJ fics but if you are and happen to read this one, it's for you! Please get in touch! IJKS xxx


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

**November 2006**

"Finished!" Watson declared.

She entered the living room triumphantly with her little stack of tools and declared the bathroom door officially fixed. It had been on a dodgy hinge since the three girls had moved in and finally tired of the landlord not arranging for it to be fixed; Watson had taken matters into her own hands.

"You look ever so butch," Charlie teased from where she was lounging on the sofa watching television.

Joey was curled up on the other side, ignoring the TV and entirely engrossed in a latest _Harry Potter _book. Watson frowned at her clothes. Maybe Charlie was a little bit right but still, she firmly denied it. Charlie just laughed.

"I'm sure Joey would take a side but I think we've lost her to Hogwarts."

"Huh?" Joey said, snapping to attention.

"Nothing!" Charlie and Watson replied at the same time.

Joey shrugged and returned to her reading. Charlie decided to take advantage of her distraction and stretch on the sofa, planting her legs in Joey's lap. Joey patted them to acknowledge they were there but didn't look up. Watson smirked. She felt like she had been living with a couple ever since they'd all moved in. Charlie noticed and chose to ignore her expression. She returned to her television programme.

* * *

Half an hour later, Charlie's programme was over and she was bored. Joey was still deeply invested in her book. Charlie nudged it with her toe.

"Hey!" Joey protested.

"Pay attention to me," Charlie complained.

Joey patted her leg.

"There, there," she said before returning to her book.

Charlie pouted and nudged the book again. Joey looked up.

"What?" she asked.

"Pay attention to me," Charlie begged, throwing in a pout for good measure.

"Can I finish my chapter first?" Joey asked. "Then I'll do whatever you want."

Fleeting naughty thoughts crossed both their minds. They pushed them away. Charlie watched her friend reading and sighed heavily. Then she sat up and switched position so that her head was in Joey's lap instead. Knowing that Joey could just about see her beneath the book, she began to pull faces. Despite herself, Joey giggled. She repositioned the book so that she couldn't see her anymore but it only prompted Charlie to begin singing loudly and out of tune. Finally Joey shut the book and looked down at her.

"You are like a child!" she scolded.

"Says the girl reading _Harry Potter_," Charlie remarked.

"_Harry Potter _is for all ages, I'll have you know."

"Uh huh."

"It is!"

Charlie gazed into Joey's face, momentarily losing herself in her eyes which were always so expressive. She took in the curve of her chest and thought that she was very lucky to be a good enough friend to be allowed to curl herself into her lap and take liberties.

"I'm going to finish my chapter," Joey told her firmly.

She opened her book again and felt Charlie shifting in her lap, fidgeting and sighing far too loudly. She was very tempted to give up the book and pay her any kind of attention she desired. She watched Charlie sit up out of the corner of her eye and reach for the packet of sweets that was lying on the table.

"Oh, can you pass me one please?" Joey asked.

"Nope."

Joey looked at her and frowned.

"Why not?"

"You haven't earned them."

"I made a financial contribution."

"But you're ignoring me."

"I'm just trying to read!" Joey said, utterly exasperated.

"If you want them, you can come and get them," Charlie said.

With that, she shot up off the sofa with the packet still clutched in her hand. Taking the bait, Joey closed her book and jumped up too, chasing Charlie through the apartment. Both were shrieking with laughter. Joey just about managed to catch Charlie, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Gotcha!" she declared.

"Not for long!" Charlie said, breaking free and shooting off down the hall.

She bounded into the bathroom, attempting to close the door. Joey gave chase but was unable to stop herself as the door closed. She bounded through it, knocking the folding frame off its bracket. Both girls stopped quickly and looked up at the door that Watson had just spent five hours fixing.

"Oops," Joey said.

"Yeah, oops."

"In my defence, that was totally your fault."

"How? You barged through the thing!"

"You provoked me!"

"You shouldn't give in to temptation!"

"What's all the noise about?" Watson asked, appearing from her bedroom.

She looked in horror at the door.

"We're sorry," Charlie and Joey told her sincerely in unison.

Charlie offered out the packet of sweets as a peace offering. Watson just stared.

"Really, really sorry," Charlie added.

"We love you," said Joey.

"I spent five hours fixing that damn thing!" Watson said, defeated. "And it gets broken in a second because you two can't keep your hormones under control."

Charlie and Joey both blanched and dared not look at each other. Watson shook her head.

"You owe me dinner tonight," she said, heading back into her room to get her tools again.

"Sorry!" Joey called after her.

"We really do love you!" Charlie hollered.

* * *

The following morning, Joey headed out to work with the same level of unhappiness she always did. It was strange. Being out on the water had always been her favourite place in the world. It had been something she had shared with her father, even when she was tiny and they didn't get along. It had been the place of happy holidays with her family and her first ever kiss with Charlie and that near kiss a few years later. It was sad that she hated being out here now. She hated that Robbo was destroying something that she loved. But he was. Not a day went past without a comment or a threat. If she was being really honest with herself, she would admit that she was becoming afraid. But she was choosing not to be honest with herself. As far as she was concerned, Robbo was a jerk but he would not chase her out of her job and he would not dictate her life. She refused to be afraid of him.

* * *

That afternoon, Charlie finished her shift and headed straight over to her mother's house. As the months had progressed, Elsie had become more and more unwell although she always made the effort to look and behave as healthy as possible. As upset as both women were that Ruby wasn't around much, they couldn't help but feel privately that it was for the best. At least away from home, Ruby didn't have to watch her own mother's demise. Hearing her voice on the phone when Elsie made an effort to be positive and cheerful was hopefully reassuring to the recently turned thirteen year-old. For Charlie, seeing how frail her Mum was becoming was heartbreaking. She had never been much of a crier but in the privacy of her room or in Joey's arms sometimes, she let herself weep for the parent she was losing. Her love for her Mum was overwhelming and her grief at the thought of how much time was passing, how much they were losing, destroyed her.

"Hi, Mum," she said softly when she entered the house.

Elsie was sorting through some papers at the dining room table. She looked up and beamed at her daughter when she realised she was there. She couldn't help but feel touched that Charlie was always around, even though she had now moved out. Charlie still loved her and cared for her. She wanted to take care of her. It meant the world.

* * *

The following evening, Charlie found herself in town at the opening night of a gay bar with Watson, Carol and Joey. At first she had been a little hesitant to go but she had eventually agreed. She wasn't sure what she was so anxious about. Looking at the bar, she suddenly realised. Joey, who had gone up to get the next round of drinks, was talking to some girl. Charlie tried to turn her face into a mask and pretend that she didn't care, but jealousy stabbed through her heart. The girl, a petite brunette, was leaning into Joey, _her_ Joey. Charlie watched the girl touch Joey's arm and saw them both enjoying a joke. Glancing beside her, Charlie frowned at Watson and Carol who were making out and didn't even know she was there. The last thing she needed now was for Joey to get with some girl right in front of her. She downed the rest of her drink very quickly.

* * *

Ruby sat up in her dorm room with her three roommates. They were huddled in blankets by candle light, telling each other ghost stories. Ruby was unnerved but she was enjoying herself. It had taken a while but she was fairly happy at boarding school. She had a lot of friends, was very popular and she wasn't doing too badly at actual school work either. She missed home desperately and she was very much looking forward to the Christmas holidays. For the first time in her life, she had managed to save some of her pocket money and at the weekend, she and her friends were going out to buy gifts for their families. Even at her age, she knew that it was logical to buy things early before the prices went up and the rushes began. Going home would be wonderful. She spoke to her mother every day and it was reassuring to think that she was coping well. And Charlie had promised that she and Joey would take her out and do fun things with her while she was back. Her Dad was still affectionate, although the stress on his face and in his voice was unmistakable. She worried about him.

* * *

Towards the end of the night, Joey nudged Charlie who seemed unhappy.

"What's up?" she asked.

Charlie looked surprised.

"Nothing," she lied. "I'm just tired."

What was 'up' was the fact that Joey had brought the girl, Tina, over and Charlie had been forced to engage in conversation with them both all night. Now, Tina had gone to the bathroom, leaving Charlie and Joey alone.

"Oh, well we can head home if you want," Joey said.

She didn't want Charlie to be unhappy and if she was being really honest, she wanted to go home herself.

"Will we have company?" Charlie asked.

Joey looked surprised.

"I don't think so," she said.

"She likes you."

"She's nice."

"So...?"

"So, that's it," Joey said with a shrug. "Maybe I'll take her number or something. I don't know. I'm not really in a dating mood these days."

Charlie nodded. They both looked up when Tina arrived back at the table.

"Hey, we're going to head home," Joey said.

Tina looked disappointed. Charlie stood up to prise Watson and Carol apart for long enough for them to get back to their apartment. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Tina and Joey exchange phone numbers and Tina planted one, delicate kiss on Joey's cheek. Joey looked startled but not unhappy. Charlie sighed heavily, flashing forward and picturing this new girl hanging around all the time, making out with Joey at every opportunity. She wasn't sure she could bear it and wondered if she had really thought it through when she decided to live with the girl she had fallen so deeply in love with.

* * *

That night, Elsie lay in bed in excruciating pain. Ross was sound asleep beside her. She closed her eyes to her own tears and thought about Clara. She had thought about Clara every day since they first met as kids. She missed her terribly now and wondered constantly if this was the kind of pain her best friend had suffered during her own illness. She wished that she could talk to her, even for a little while. It would give her comfort; it would give her peace. But it wasn't possible. She hoped that when her time came, they would be reunited.

* * *

In her own bed, Joey lay away looking at her glow in the dark stars. Joey had always been fascinated by Charlie's glow in the dark constellations so when they had moved in, one day while Joey was at work, Charlie had decorated Joey's ceiling with the same thing. Joey had been thrilled and now when she looked at the stars, she pretended that she was far away on a boat in Charlie's arms. It was a strange situation. That much was undeniable, especially after tonight. Tina had been perfectly nice. She was pretty and she was funny but Joey hadn't been interested. Even if it was platonic, all she wanted to do was be with Charlie. To be with someone else almost felt like cheating, even though she told herself that that was crazy. But one thing that she was almost sure she had seen tonight was Charlie being jealous. However, she couldn't even begin to try and fathom what that meant.

* * *

Charlie woke up the next morning feeling unhappy. As usual, Joey had already got up and headed out early to work. Charlie worried about her every morning, knowing that she had to face Robbo. It was Charlie's day off and as usual, she planned on spending it with her mother. But she couldn't get the prospect of Joey and Tina out of her head.

* * *

Elsie smiled when she heard Charlie calling her name. After a bad night, she felt rough and was curled up on the couch, not even having managed to get dressed yet. Ross had already gone to work.

"Hi, sweetheart," she greeted. "How are you?"

"I'm fine. Are you okay? You don't look well," Charlie said, her voice full of concern.

"I'm alright," Elsie told her. "I'm just having a high pain day."

* * *

Work was worse than normal. Robbo had been following her around like a shadow all day. His comments were relentless and she was very close to quitting and storming away. It was only Aden's reassuring presence that kept her going.

"Hey, do you want to go for lunch together today?" he asked.

Joey nodded. She needed a friend.

* * *

"So, did you have a nice evening last night?" Elsie asked.

Charlie shrugged.

"It was okay," she said vaguely.

Elsie noted the unhappy look on her face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"It was just... it wasn't really my scene, that's all," Charlie replied.

"How come?"

"Well, Watson and Carol were all over each and Joey... well, she met some girl. They talked to each other the whole night and exchanged numbers and even kissed... kind of. Not really. But there was lip to cheek contact and I was left having to watch some girl hit on my..."

She trailed off and blanched.

"On your...?" Elsie probed.

Charlie turned back to her mother and took a breath. It was now or never.

"On my Joey," she said.

Elsie tried not to smile. This was the closest Charlie had ever come to even possibly admitting that she had feelings for her best friend.

"And why would a girl hitting on your best friend be a problem?" Elsie asked.

They looked into each other's eyes, reading their expressions. Suddenly the truth came rushing to Charlie like an oncoming train. Startled, she realised that her mother knew everything already and was giving her the opportunity to admit it. She took another breath and wrung her hands together.

"Because I'm in love with her," she revealed, never breaking eye contact.

* * *

Joey froze when Robbo stepped behind her, far too close. She felt his breath on her neck.

"What?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"Nothing," he replied. "I was just checking you out."

He ran his fingers up and down her sides for the briefest moment and then moment away as silently as he had arrived.

* * *

"You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say those words," Elsie said softly.

Charlie continued to stare at her. She could hardly believe that she had said them herself.

"How long?" she squeaked.

"Clara and I started talking about it when you were barely teenagers," Elsie admitted.

Charlie swallowed.

"You've known all this time and you never said anything?" she asked.

"It was never my place to open my mouth, Charlie."

"So you and Aunt Clara knew? Do you think Joey knows? What about Dad? Anyone else?" Charlie asked fretfully.

"Stop panicking. We only saw it because we worried about the two of you making our mistakes."

Charlie looked utterly confused.

"Sweetheart, there are some things I need to tell you."

* * *

Joey gratefully sat down in a chair at Crumble while Aden ordered their lunch. She had been desperate to get away from Robbo. Her heart sank when she saw him enter the restaurant. He seated himself at the nearest table and let his eyes rove all over her. Joey felt her skin crawl.

* * *

Charlie settled back down on the sofa with her mother and two cups of tea.

"Please don't hate me," Elsie ventured. "But Clara and I... we loved each other."

"Like best friends?" Charlie asked.

Her mother's eyes confirmed that it was more than that.

"Like... like lovers?"

"We were never lovers."

"Well, what were you?"

Charlie tried not to panic but she felt bad for her Dad if he had been married to a woman who had loved another. But then, she knew better than anyone that you couldn't help who you fell for.

"We were soul mates. We were in love with each other for all our lives. But we never really did anything about it."

"What about Dad?"

"I love your father. And he loves me. But we were never the besotted couple we should have been. He fell in love with another woman a long time ago and Clara... I loved her more than life itself."

"Does he know?"

"Yes, he does. He's always known."

"And he doesn't mind?"

"We understand each other."

"So... I mean, I don't really know what to say," Charlie admitted. "This is... I had no idea."

"We always tried to keep it a secret. But watching you and Joey as you've grown up together... it's been like watching our own youth."

Charlie looked down at her hands.

"You think Joey and I are soul mates?" she asked.

"You complete each other."

"I don't even know how she feels about me," Charlie protested.

"She's in love with you," Elsie confirmed.

"How do you...? Has she said anything?"

"She hasn't needed to. The way she looks at you, the way you look at her; it's obvious. She's said a couple of things, never naming names but certainly describing a powerful and overwhelming feelings for someone who she believes only thinks the world of her as a friend," Elsie said.

"She could have been talking about Zoe..."

"She wasn't. She was explaining that she could never love Zoe the way she felt she deserved because she'd already given her heart to another, someone that she would always love the best."

"Well, maybe it's..."

"It's you."

Charlie bit her lip, trying to process all this information.

"I don't know what to do," she admitted. "I... I'm meant to be straight, Mum. I can't be gay."

"Why not?"  
"Because... because."

"It's a lot more acceptable now, Charlie."

"I know but..."

"But what?"

"I'm not brave like Joey is. I can't stand up and say that I like girls. I just can't do that..."

"Maybe you don't have to do that," Elsie suggested. "Maybe you just need to stand up and say that you love Joey."

"I... I can't. It was hard enough telling you," Charlie said, growing tearful.

"Charlie, the reason I told you about Clara and I was to try and show you what you need to do. We never allowed ourselves to be together. We were too afraid to come out and upset our lives. We settled for friendship, crossing the line with a kiss or two but mostly, we were platonically in love, if that makes any kind of sense."

"It makes perfect sense," Charlie said.

"It was a wonderful friendship. But it should have been more. We let ourselves down by living the way we were 'supposed' to live instead of the way we wanted to. I can't bear for you and Joey to go the same way. I've seen you with boyfriends that you haven't really cared about. I've seen you pretend that you don't want anybody. But the thing is Charlie, that you always go back to Joey. She's always the one who makes you feel alive, makes you feel complete. She's the person who makes you happy," Elsie told her.

"You really think she loves me?" Charlie asked.

"I know she does."

* * *

Joey was desperate to finish her shift and get off the boat. She just had one more task to do. She saw Aden jump off, wave goodbye and disappear hand in hand with Belle. Gibsy also jumped off board and she hurried on with putting boxes away below deck. She turned around quickly when she heard a creaking step. Robbo stood in front of her, turning her blood cold.

"I think it's time for my revenge now," he said.

* * *

"And you're really okay with this?" Charlie asked, looking bewildered.

"Of course I am. I'm proud of you for talking to me about this, Charlie. I was worried that you never would. Please, please don't make the same mistakes that I have."

Charlie nodded and clutched her mother's hand. As unconventional a situation it may be, with her mother confessing to loving someone other than her father; Charlie was comforted. But looking back now, Elsie and Clara being in love made perfect sense. She thought back to all those innocent words and touches they had shared and wondered how she could have been so blind.

"How do you think Dad would react?"

"He'll get over it."

"And Ruby?"

"Ruby loves Joey as much as she loves you. She'll get her head around it."

"But this would change my life."

"Not really," Elsie said. "You're practically an item anyway. It just means admitting it."

"It's funny, you know," Charlie ventured. "All these years that we've ended up kissing at various points, we've always dismissed it."

"You've kissed?"

Charlie nodded.

"The first time was on the boat trip we all took when we were kids for Joey's birthday," Charlie explained. "I freaked out and that's when I started dating Brett. The year after, we kissed again. We kissed at New Year and the New Year before that. We seem to find any excuse."

"And you didn't know that she loved you?" Elsie asked incredulously.

"I don't know what I know," Charlie replied.

"Well, what I know is that you've taken a huge step today by telling me about all this. Now, I really believe you need to take the next step and tell Joey how you feel."

"You're right," Charlie agreed. "I do."

She smiled, feeling like a huge weight had been lifted off her. Her mother was like a guardian angel. She had never felt so loved, protected and accepted in all her life.

"Well, she'll be home from work now, won't she?" Elsie said, glancing at her watch.

Charlie nodded. Her mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton wool.

"Then go, go, go!" Elsie beamed.

Charlie squeezed her mother's hand gently, stood up and hurried out the door.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter Thirty**

**November 2006**

Charlie drove from her parents' house to her own, practising over and over what she would say to Joey when she got there. She could hardly believe that after all these years and everything they had been through together, she was finally about to say how she really felt about her. It felt frightening. It felt unreal. It felt exciting. It felt right.

* * *

Joey tensed as Robbo came towards her. Panic flooded her and she knew she should have asked Aden to wait. Being stuck alone on the boat with Robbo was the worst and dumbest thing she could ever have done. He gripped her shoulders and pushed her roughly into the shelf. Pain shot through her back as she attempted to push him away.

"I've decided that there's only one way to cure you," Robbo told her. "And to punish you for what you did to Zoe."

Joey pushed him with all her might but he was too strong. He reached forward and began to fight with her clothes. Flying into full panic, Joey began to scream and fight with him. He used one hand to cover her mouth while he yelled her to shut up.

"Although, there's nobody here to hear you," he reminded her.

Joey kicked her legs out but they didn't seem to be affecting him. She pushed against his upper body, which he was pressing against her as he tried to undress her. The level that she was wriggling at made it hard, so he chose to undo his own zip instead.

* * *

"Joey?" Charlie called.

She'd stopped on the way home to buy her some flowers. If she was going to this, she was going to do this right. Her heart sank when she realised that nobody was home. Glancing at her watch, she knew Joey would normally have been home by now but then perhaps she had gone out with Aden and Belle. She often did that. Sinking on the sofa, Charlie decided to wait.

* * *

Shaking and tearful over the prospect of what was about to happen, Joey continued to fight Robbo. She bit the hand that was covering her mouth, startling him. He briefly pulled away and she used his distraction to thrust her knee out in any direction. She connected with his thigh. He turned back to her and she shoved him hard out of the way by his shoulders. Then she ran away.

With tears rolling down her cheeks, Joey fled, ignoring Robbo shouting abuse after her. With blurry vision, she raced home, bursting through the door. Charlie jumped up the moment she saw her. Joey tried to control her features. She didn't notice the flowers that Charlie was holding.

"Hey... are you okay?" Charlie asked, immediately concerned.

"I'm fine," Joey said quickly. "I just need to get changed."

She hurried towards her room. Charlie followed anxiously, still holding the flowers.

"Joey," she urged. "What's happened?"

In her room, Joey got her towel together and pushed past Charlie to go to the bathroom.

"Nothing," she snapped. "I just need some space."

"But..."

"Just leave me alone, okay?"

Hurt, Charlie stopped talking and watched Joey slam into the bathroom, locking the door behind her. Unsure of what to do, Charlie put the flowers on Joey's desk and then headed back into the living room, wondering what on earth had gone on.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Joey emerged washed and dressed, still with wet hair. Charlie leapt to her feet. Joey's face fell when she saw her, wounding Charlie beyond the telling of it.

"Joey, what's wrong?" she asked. "What's happened?"

"Nothing," Joey lied.

Charlie stepped forward and reached out to her but Joey drew away.

"Joey..."

"Just stop crowding me, Charlie!"

Charlie withdrew her touch feeling distraught.

"I'm going out," Joey told her, hurrying away.

* * *

Tearfully, Charlie headed round to her mother's house. Without speaking, she collapsed into Elsie's arms. Elsie, still on the sofa, held her tightly, wondering what was wrong.

"Sweetheart..." she said.

Charlie looked up at her with red rimmed eyes.

"She doesn't love me," she said.

* * *

Joey threw herself down into a bar stool and ordered a double vodka and orange.

"Are you okay?" Martha asked worriedly.

"I'm fine. I wish people would stop asking me that," Joey snapped.

Martha held up her hands in mock defence and served Joey her drink. Joey downed it and ordered another. She couldn't stop shaking and tears threatened to spill at any moment. All she could do was relive what had happened on the boat, the image of Robbo standing there, completely ready to rape her. To think how close she'd come to being his victim made her feel sick. She didn't know what to do with herself. She accepted the second drink, downed it quickly and ordered yet more. Martha eyed her worriedly and considered calling Charlie to come and take her home but she didn't think Joey would appreciate that.

* * *

"Well, what did she say?" Elsie asked, flabbergasted that Charlie would have been rejected by Joey.

"Nothing," Charlie said. "I didn't even get that far. She was upset when she got home, charged around getting changed and then stormed out. She told me to stay away from her."

"Well that doesn't mean she doesn't love you," Elsie said realistically. "She obviously just had a bad day."

"Then why did she look at me the way she did? And why didn't she turn to me instead of running away? I don't understand."

Elise held her daughter tight.

"Go and talk to her, Charlie. Figure out what's wrong."

"I know what's wrong," Charlie said sadly. "She knew I was going to tell her how I feel and she was that horrified that she rejected me before I even started."

"Charlie, you're being silly," Elsie said firmly. "Snap out of it. Go and see her and deal with the problem and then you can move on and tell her how you feel. Alright?"

Charlie nodded with the hint of a pout.

"Go!" Elsie ordered

Charlie headed wearily out of the house again.

* * *

Joey stormed home with bottles of beer clanking together in her carrier bag. Martha had cut her off after ten drinks at the bar had made her take a tumble off her stool. She'd suggested calling Charlie to come and get her but that had only outraged Joey more and she'd wobbled off. Inside the house, she sank down on the sofa and opened her first bottle.

* * *

Charlie arrived home to find Joey on the sofa. She was quite obviously inebriated and not in her usual cheerful Joey way. She looked like she was in an utterly foul mood. Charlie perched next to her anxiously.

"Are you ready to talk to me yet?" she asked.

Joey shook her head. She didn't want to start talking. She didn't want to say the words. That would make them true. Charlie studied her face.

"Did something happen at work?"

"I don't want to talk about work," Joey said. "I don't want to talk about anything."

Charlie reached for her hand. Joey looked down at the contact. All she wanted was to eradicate what had happened with Robbo. It seemed like he had broken all her defences against everything that had happened in her world over the last few years. Suddenly, losing her mother and her father, the bullying, everything with Zoe and everything with Brett felt like her fault. She wondered for the millionth time that night if she was a bad person who deserved all of those things. If she did, she hated herself for it. Looking into Charlie's face, she had an idea and her drunkenness prevented her from realising that it was a bad one. She leant forward and stroked Charlie's face.

"Let's not talk," she said, slurring a little. "Let's bring our New Year tradition forward a month."

She pressed her lips against Charlie's suddenly. Charlie resisted the urge to kiss her back. Now wasn't the time to be making out. She would be taking advantage if that happened.

"Joey..." she said.

"Maybe we could take it further," Joey suggested, kissing her again, undeterred.

"No, Joey," Charlie protested, holding her at a distance.

"Oh, come on, it'll be great," Joey assured her, tracing a hand up Charlie's thigh. "You know I've always wanted you."

Charlie's head was reeling. This was very unlike Joey.

"You think I'm such an angel but I'm really, really not. Do you want to know a secret?" Joey continued to slur.

Charlie just stared at her.

"You think all these years when you've got changed in front of me, I haven't looked. I peeked. Every single time."

"No you didn't," Charlie said certainly.

"I'm only human, Charlie. You've been teasing me for years with these kisses and stuff. Now I need more."

"Joey, what has got into you?" Charlie pleaded.

She saw tears roll down Joey's face.

"Nothing," Joey lied. "I'm just telling you how I feel finally."

Charlie shook her head. This isn't how this conversation was supposed to go. Joey kissed her again. Charlie continued to hold her back.

"Charlie, just be my friend," Joey begged. "Make it go away."

"Make what go away?"

"What he did..."

"What who did?" Charlie asked, holding onto her friend's hands.

Joey fell against her and clung on tightly. She felt like she had lost all control of herself, her words and her actions.

"Robbo..." Joey muttered into Charlie's neck.

Charlie immediately tensed. She drew away so that she could look her directly in the face.

"What did Robbo do, Joey?" Charlie asked seriously.

Joey stared into her face. Charlie noticed for the first time that she was trembling.

"He tried to..."

Charlie kept eye contact, waiting for her.

"He tried to rape me," she admitted.

Charlie felt her blood go cold. Suddenly Joey leapt to her feet and ran to the bathroom. Charlie followed and crouched down to hold Joey's hair back as she threw up over the toilet bowl. Joey's pale face emerged a few seconds later. Charlie reached for some toilet roll to wipe her mouth and then hurried to get her a glass of water. Joey accepted it gratefully and allowed Charlie to hold her as they sat together on the bathroom floor.

"What happened?" Charlie dared to ask.

"He cornered me as we were leaving. He tried to..."

She couldn't say it again.

"I just about got away and I've been panicking ever since," Joey explained. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Charlie said. "I understand now."

"I'm sorry," Joey repeated. "I didn't mean all that stuff. I was just trying to... I don't know what I was trying to do."

Charlie held her tighter, unsure of how she felt about Joey's declaration that she hadn't meant it about wanting her.

"Everything's okay now," Charlie said. "You're safe."

"I need to go to sleep," Joey told her.

Charlie guided her to her feet and they headed out of the bathroom together.

"Would you stay with me?" Joey asked tearfully.

"Of course I will," Charlie said.

* * *

That night, Charlie and Joey lay curled up in Joey's bed. Joey was leaning against Charlie's chest, relieved at being held so close. Everything from the evening felt a little blurry as sleep, mixed with alcohol, engulfed her. She had apologised for her clumsy pass at Charlie several times and knew that when she woke up in the morning with the harsh light of day and hangover hitting her, she would be mortified but she decided not to think about it now. She had no idea why she'd told Charlie that she'd watched her get changed. She had never done that, no matter how tempting it was.

"What were the flowers for, by the way?" she asked, already slipping out of consciousness.

Charlie tensed.

"Oh um... my Mum got sent them but she was allergic so I thought... I thought you might like them," Charlie lied.

There was no way that she could tell Joey how she felt now. She was too vulnerable and if her reaction to suggesting they had sex was anything to go by, Charlie was certain that her mother was wrong about this one. Joey wanted her friendship and her cuddles, maybe the odd kiss but that was all. The fantasy romance that Charlie had concocted in her mind wasn't real. Her heart broke with disappointment.

"They're pretty," Joey said softly. "Thank you."

Charlie kissed the top of Joey's head, doubting that she would get any sleep at all.

_

* * *

_

Now, please remember if you review that it's rude to shout at people... And sorry to have frightened you all with Joey and Robbo. This was planned from the beginning and I always wanted Joey to rescue herself instead of getting rescued. IJKS xxx


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter Thirty-One**

**November 2006**

The following morning, Joey woke up feeling terrible. Her body hurt from where Robbo had pushed her around and she felt sick, headachy and tired. All she wanted to do was go back to sleep but she didn't think she'd be able to. Turning her head, she looked at Charlie who had held her all night. Memories of the clumsy pass she'd made at her came rushing back and she was mortified. Of all the ways she thought she might one day tell Charlie how she felt about her, that wasn't it. That was never how it should have been. She hoped that Charlie would be able to forgive her and they could move on. The worst thing that could happen to her now was that Charlie would leave her, all because Joey had been so desperate to forget what Robbo had done, or nearly did. She'd needed comfort, solace and distraction and she'd said things she shouldn't have and things that weren't even true. She dreaded to think what Charlie thought of her now. At the time, she'd been painfully aware of what she was doing, although she had had little control over her words and actions. She'd needed something, anything that would either make it better or make it worse. She just hadn't been able to bear the static in her brain. She smiled sadly at her best friend and felt tears beginning to wet her face. As if knowing she was being watched, Charlie's eyes fluttered open. Recalling the night before and recognising Joey's tears, Charlie immediately became alert.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Joey nodded and sank back down on Charlie's chest. She reached across her body and settled her hand on her hip, comforted when Charlie put her arm around her shoulders and held her closer.

"I was an idiot to have left myself alone with him," Joey said. "I should have known."

"How could you have known?" Charlie asked, looking up at the ceiling.

"He's been making threats nearly every day since he found out about Zoe. That was ages ago. You told me to do something about it but I ignored you. I'm so fucking stupid."

Charlie's heart broke at the bitterness in her best friend's voice.

"I was afraid of him and it was getting worse and I still wouldn't do anything about it. It was my fault."

Charlie sat up quickly and forced Joey to look at her.

"It was not your fault, Joey," she said firmly. "Don't you ever say that again."

Joey became more tearful.

"What happened, happened because of him, not you. It wasn't even nearly your fault."

They sank back down together.

"At least I got away, I guess," Joey said. "I mean, it could have been worse. Much worse. If he'd have... I'd have wished myself dead."

Charlie held her ever tighter and squeezed her eyes shut. She'd feel terrible if she started crying too. Now was the time to be strong and supportive of Joey, not falling apart in front of her eyes. It was just that she could almost physically feel Joey's pain.

"How... how far did he get?" Charlie asked, hating to have to broach the question.

"He um... he backed me into a corner and tore at my clothes and he... well he... he exposed himself in preparation for what he was going to do," Joey said, the words blocking her throat.

Charlie nodded and held onto Joey's hand as it rested on her hip.

"Joey, I don't want to rush you or put pressure on you but you really need to make a statement about this."

Joey sat up quickly, looking horrified.

"No!" she said, as if it was the most ridiculous idea in the world.

"Joey... you can't let him get away with what he's done to you," Charlie pleaded.

Joey shook her head.

"I am not telling anyone about this. Only you. Nobody else."

"I can help you get justice, Joey."

"No, you can't. I don't want you to."

* * *

Half an hour later, Charlie re-entered Joey's room with some toast and a cup of tea. Handing it over, she slipped back into bed. Joey ate in silence.

"Sorry if I put pressure on you," Charlie ventured.

"After what I did last night, I think I can find it in my heart to forgive you."

Charlie studied the patterns on the quilt cover.

"Don't worry about last night," she said. "You were drunk and in pain. It's fine."

"I swear I've never watched you get changed," Joey said, cringing.

"I know. I know you haven't."

"And I haven't wanted you for years," Joey lied.

Charlie felt like Joey had taken her heart and crushed it. She swallowed hard, trying to get rid of the lump in her throat.

"I know," she said, hoping that her voice wouldn't betray her emotions.

She ran her hands through Joey's hair, losing herself in the feel of her being so close. She was devastated that this was the closest they would ever get and she was doomed to spend the rest of her life loving Joey from afar, playing the best friend, holding her, perhaps getting to kiss her now and again, and never being able to tell her how she really felt. Yesterday she had been so happy, so sure that what she was going to say was what Joey wanted to hear and now she realised that it wasn't.

"So, we're okay?" Joey asked.

"Of course we are," Charlie said. "We're best friends like we've always been. Nothing more, nothing less."

Joey nodded and snuggled back against Charlie's chest. She wanted Charlie to refuse to accept what she said. She wanted Charlie to want her. Confirmation of this confusing yet platonic friendship stole her hope away. For a while now, she had thought that possibly there was a chance for them. Charlie had dropped hints that maybe she loved her too but if ever there had been feelings, Joey was certain she had wrecked them now.

* * *

Later that morning, Charlie had showered and begun to get ready for work. Once she was dressed, she ran a hot bubble bath for Joey, wanting her to relax. Joey appeared in the doorway in her dressing gown, smiling affectionately at the way Charlie always seemed to take care of her.

"I'm heading out to work now," Charlie said, testing the water and, satisfied, turning the taps off.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

"I'll be fine. I'm just going to hang out here."

"Okay, I'll be back by eight thirty and I'll bring home some dinner from Crumble. Call me if you need me."

Joey hugged her. They both clung on a little too long before Charlie eventually broke away and headed out the door.

* * *

Charlie was distracted at work and constantly watching the clock. She had an eight hour shift and it had only just begun. All she wanted to do was go home to Joey and ensure she was okay. She looked up when Jack placed a cup of coffee in front of her. She smiled gratefully at him. He really was the sweetest guy.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

Charlie nodded.

"I just didn't sleep well," she said.

"Well, that should perk you up a bit, hopefully."

* * *

Joey lay back in the water and sighed heavily. She knew she'd be in trouble for not showing up for work or even calling but at this point in time, she didn't care. As much as she hated the fact that Robbo had won, there was no way she could go back there. She had to leave, at least until September when she turned twenty-two and she would therefore own half the business. If she could survive that long staying out of Robbo's way, she would be delighted to fire him, harshly and publically. Although, as soon as she felt satisfied with that, she panicked about what his next move would be. Tears rolled down her cheeks again as she realised that she would never get away from him.

* * *

The afternoon dragged on and Charlie was getting irritated with her paperwork but she was potentially up for promotion next year and she needed to be as good as gold.

"Are you okay, Charlie?"

She looked up at her Dad who was passing through the reception area. Since she'd moved out, things had got better with her Dad like she had hoped. They talked more civilly, although she still missed Ruby terribly. She was looking forward to Christmas when her little sister would be coming home for a few weeks. Ruby was twelve now and away from home she seemed to be growing up fast. She looked and acted differently every time she came home.

"I'm okay," she said. "Just tired."

"Well, I know your Mum appreciates all the time you're spending with her."

Charlie was touched by his words. It was the most emotional they had ever really got.

"You're a good girl, Charlie," he continued. "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Dad," Charlie replied, wondering where all this was coming from.

"Why don't you go and get a snack or something once you've finished that report?" he suggested. "Watson's been rushed off her feet too; take her with you."

Charlie nodded and thanked him again. He smiled and headed to his office.

* * *

Once she was washed and dressed, Joey picked up her mobile and flicked through the phonebook in order to find Brett's number. She stared at the digits displayed across the screen feeling utterly depressed. Sighing, she hit the reject button instead of 'call'. Then she typed a quick text message and sent it to him. Throwing her phone on the table, she sank back on the sofa and wished the world away.

* * *

At work, Aden was bewildered as to where Joey had got to. She just hadn't shown up for her shift. It wasn't like her at all. And Robbo was perkier than ever, almost triumphant that she wasn't around. All put together, Aden was concerned. He glanced at his watch. His shift would be over in an hour and he was heading right round to see his best friend and one time girlfriend. He needed to make sure that she was okay.

* * *

Having finished her report, Charlie nudged Watson and the two of them headed to Crumble together with Watson driving.

"You look like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders," Watson commented. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm just in a weird headspace right now."

"Is it Joey?"

Charlie looked startled.

"Why do you ask that?"

"Well, judging by the state of the house it seems like someone got wasted last night," Watson commented.

"Sorry about that," Charlie apologised, although she had cleaned up the bottles first thing in the morning.

"I don't mind," Watson said. "I'm not complaining. I was just a little concerned. Having a one person party is never a good sign."

"Yeah, tell me about it!"

"Nothing's happened, has it? Between you two? Something that's bad?"

"No, no, nothing like that," Charlie said. "Although I told my mother how I felt about Joey."

Watson's eyes lit up.

"Really?"

"Yep."

"And how did she take it?" Watson asked.

"She couldn't have been more supportive."

Watson pulled up outside the restaurant and turned off the engine.

"And how _do_ you feel about her?" she asked.

"I'm crazy in love with her," Charlie admitted. "Happy?"

"Finally! So, what are you going to do about it?"

"Nothing."

Watson's face fell.

"Why not?"

"Because she's basically told me that nothing is ever going to happen between us."

Charlie clenched her jaw. She didn't want to cry.

"What?" Watson said, almost as pained as Charlie was.

She had been waiting for them to get their act together and confess their true feelings for an excruciatingly long time. Charlie just shrugged and moved to get out of the car.

"Wait," Watson said. "Did she say that knowing how _you _feel?"

"Does it matter?" Charlie asked.

* * *

Brett sat in his old bedroom, which he had turned into an office since his Dad had died. Without bothering to consult Joey about whether she would want their room or not, he had taken it and moved the business into his old room instead of spreading it on the kitchen table like his Dad had always done. He reached for his mobile when it beeped. Joey's name flashed up on the screen. He pulled a face. He didn't much like hearing from her these days.

"I quit," was all it said.

* * *

Joey tensed when she heard a loud knock on the door. Making her way to the front of the house, she had never been so grateful for the peephole. Peering through it, she saw Aden standing there with his hands shoved in his pockets. She opened up.

"Hey," he greeted brightly.

He noted her baggy jeans and oversized jumper.

"Are you okay?"

Joey nodded.

"Well, can I come in?"

She stepped aside and let him enter the house, immediately busying herself with making coffee instead of actually talking to him. He followed her into the kitchen.

"So, why weren't you at work today?" he asked.

"I quit," she informed him.

"What?" he asked, alarmed.

Working on the trawler was Joey's dream job. She'd wanted to do it since she was a kid. And she'd put up with so much there; why would she quit now when she was so close to owning the business for herself?

"Why?" he asked. "You love that job."

"Not anymore," she said. "I'm tired of going to work and getting bullied all the time."

"But..."

"I can get a job on another trawler where nobody hates me."

"But it was your Dad's."

"My Dad's gone," she said coldly. "I need to accept it and move on and stop putting myself through all this shit. It's not worth it."

Aden sighed.

"You were fine yesterday. Well, I mean, you weren't fine but you weren't talking about resigning. What happened?"

"I got wise and realised what was important."

* * *

Charlie was grateful for the break her father had permitted her. She was also grateful that Watson had been wise enough to drop the Joey issue. Feeling a little refreshed, they exited Crumble, bumping right into Robbo. Charlie tensed and glared at him. He grinned at her.

"Not hanging out with Joey today?" he asked, sounding very sure of himself.

Charlie clenched her jaw and her fists.

"How's she doing, by the way? Didn't see her at work today."

"Don't even talk to me about her," Charlie warned, keeping her tone low.

"Why? What are you going to do about it?"

"I'm going to make you sorry you so much as looked at her, let alone anything else."

He laughed in her face.

"It's not my fault she considered trying me out and then freaked and changed her mind," Robbo said.

"You fucking liar!" Charlie snapped.

Watson stepped up behind her and tried to pull her away.

"Although, no offence to her, I'm hardly disappointed. I don't think I was missing out on much."

"You're going to pay for what you've done to her," Charlie told him.

"No, I'm not," he said certainly, leaning into her.

The proximity of his body was enough to send her over the edge. Before Watson could stop her, Charlie's fist had connected with Robbo's jaw. Surprised, he stumbled back. Charlie leapt forward and pushed him into the wall, throwing in a couple more punches before he began fighting back.

"Charlie!" Watson yelled, trying to pull her away.

Hearing the noise, Vinnie, who had headed over to Crumble to say hello to Leah, hurried forward. Charlie received a punch and managed to get a knee into Robbo's groin before Vinnie forced himself in between them.

"I think you just lost your job, sweetheart," Robbo hissed, touching his lip, which was bleeding.

"I think I don't give a shit!" Charlie yelled back, still furious.

Robbo walked away and Watson tugged on Charlie's arm.

"What the hell was all that about?" she demanded.

Charlie just shook her head and headed to the car. Watson looked helplessly at Vinnie and thanked him for his help before hurrying after her housemate.

* * *

"Is it Robbo?" Aden asked.

The two of them were sitting side by side on the sofa. He sipped his coffee. Joey shrugged.

"Look, it's just everything. I hate working with the guy and there's no point putting myself through it. I mean, what am I doing it for?"  
"Because you love your work. This is what you've wanted to do since you were a kid."

"Well, maybe it's time for me to grow up," Joey replied. "I need to start accepting reality, Aden. Mum and Dad are gone. It's not Dad's business anymore and until I'm twenty-two, it's all Brett's. I don't want to work for him and I don't want to work with Robbo, or Gibsy for that matter."

"But..."

"I'm in a crappy job, I have no family and nothing is ever going to happen with Charlie. It all hit me yesterday and now I'm dealing."

Aden felt sad for her. He almost felt guilty for being so happy right now. Life hadn't started brilliantly for him but he was doing well at work, the Holden family had been good to him and he was besotted with Belle. Poor Joey seemed to feel like she had nothing.

* * *

"Charlie, what the hell was that all about?" Watson asked as she drove them back to the station.

Charlie looked in the mirror and studied her cheek. There was no way around it; she was going to bruise.

"I hate the guy," Charlie said. "You know that."

"And yet you've never tried to beat the shit out of him before."

Charlie folded the mirror back up and sat back in her seat, staring at the road.

"What did he do?" Watson asked. "What did he do to Joey?"

Charlie sighed heavily.

"It doesn't matter," she said.

"You're going to be in so much trouble if he makes a complaint, Charlie. It matters."

* * *

"You swear you're okay?" Aden asked at the door.

Joey nodded and forced a smile.

"I swear," she lied.

* * *

Charlie was tense. Fifteen minutes ago, Robbo had come to the station and demanded to see the man in charge: Detective Ross Buckton. She sat up straight when she saw him leave.

"Charlie," Ross said. "Can I have a word please?"

Swallowing, Charlie glanced at Watson and then got to her feet. She followed her father into his office and perched on a chair while he leant against the desk.

"Do you want to tell me what happened on your break?" he asked, sounding grim.

"I got into a fight with Robbo," she muttered.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you. Did you say you attacked Robert Cruze?"

"He deserved it!" Charlie blurted out.

"Oh, great defence, Charlie. I can really use that when I'm trying to save your job."

He stood up and began to pace.

"You're on the cards for promotion in a few months time. You've worked so hard and what do you do? You go and mess it up!"

"Dad..."

"What?" Ross bellowed. "I can't believe I told you I was proud of you only a few hours ago. Well, I can tell you something; I'm ashamed of you now."

"He provoked me."

"You sound like a common criminal."

"He..." Charlie faltered.

"He what?"

Ross threw himself down in his chair.

"Well? What did he do, Charlie?"

"He tried to rape Joey!" Charlie said tearfully.

She furiously wiped her eyes. Her father had never responded well to tears. He just stared at her for a few moments.

"When was this?" he finally asked.

"Yesterday. And he was gloating about it."

"Charlie, you're a police officer. Surely you know how to treat this? You arrest him; you don't beat him up," Ross said.

He felt terrible for Joey but professionalism came first. He just wished his daughter lived by the same rule.

"It was a snap, spur of the moment thing," Charlie tried to explain. "He just... I couldn't..."

Ross was unmoved.

"Someone attacks someone else like that; you deal with them in a professional way, Charlie. You don't launch yourself at them. I'm going to have to explain your actions. I'm the one landed with an unruly daughter and employee who can't keep her fists to herself. He's made a complaint against you. You're in a heap of trouble for this."

Charlie hung her head.

"I will fight for you, Charlie but you assaulted someone. It's not a small slip up that can be swept under the carpet."

"I know," she said. "It was stupid and I was wrong but you weren't the one that had to take care of her last night. I had to hold her while she cried herself to sleep. I had to pin her hair up while she was sick because she drank herself stupid. I've never seen someone in so much pain."

"I understand that," Ross said evenly. "And it's obviously affected you deeply but you've completely mishandled this."

"How would you feel if someone attacked Mum?" Charlie tried.

"Are you seriously comparing your friendship with Joey to my marriage to your mother?" Ross asked incredulously.

"No... I mean, I'm just... Mum means everything to you and Joey means everything to me," Charlie said desperately. "How would you feel if the person who meant everything to you was nearly... was nearly..."

She didn't want to say the words again. Ross closed his eyes, wondering not for the first time, how deep his daughter's relationship with her lesbian best friend went.

"I want you to take a few days off, starting now. I'll try and clear up the debris."

Charlie nodded and hauled herself out of her chair. Heading back into reception, she closed the file she had been working on, grabbed her bag and headed out of the door, ignoring the concerned faces of her colleagues as she did so.

* * *

Joey had gone back to her room and was lying on her bed, trying to shut her mind down. She was startled when she heard the front door open and glanced at her watch. Charlie and Watson weren't due home for hours. Furrowing her brow, she listened to Charlie calling her name.

"In here," she called.

Moments later, Charlie appeared in her bedroom looking unhappy.

"What's wrong?" Joey asked.

"It doesn't matter," Charlie said. "How are you?"

"I'm okay. I've just been doing a good impression of a hermit."

Charlie took off her utility belt and climbed onto the mattress beside Joey.

"How come you're back so early?" Joey asked.

"I've been told I have to take a few days off. Dad's trying to sort out a complaint against me."

"A complaint? What complaint? Why?"

"I punched Robbo," Charlie admitted, fearing Joey's reaction.

Joey tensed. Her eyes widened and she stared at Charlie.

"You did what?"

"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have done it but I couldn't stop myself. He hurt you and he didn't even care. I just lost it," Charlie sighed.

Joey immediately felt guilty for dragging Charlie into her mess.

"I had to tell my Dad what happened," Charlie said unhappily. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," Joey said. "The important thing is that we get you through this. I'm so sorry for dragging you into this. I should have just kept quiet."

Charlie sat up.

"No, you shouldn't have. You did right to tell me."

Joey frowned. Charlie reached for her hand and lay back down again. Joey shifted to lie on her chest. She wondered momentarily if it was weird for two friends to have a favourite and most comfortable position to cuddle in. But they did and this was it. Charlie would lie on her back and Joey would curl into her, resting her cheek just above her breasts. They held hands and both of them sighed heavily at the same time, comforted only by the fact that at least they had each other.


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

**December 2006**

It had been a tiring few weeks. Charlie had taken a few days off and she'd been given a verbal warning by way of a slap on the wrist and then with Robbo finally dropping the complaint, she had been able to move on. However, her hopes of a promotion had been dashed. There was no chance now. Her promising career and rise to the top of the force had been temporarily halted, which was a shame after how hard she had worked. But she knew she wouldn't take back hitting Robbo. It may have come too late but it was her way of protecting Joey. Her best friend had become a shadow of her former self, although she tried very hard to be the same. Charlie and Watson were both convinced that if only Joey pressed charges and stopped having to see Robbo around town, she would feel better. But Joey was unwilling. Even Charlie's pleas weren't enough to persuade her and normally she would do anything for her lifelong friend. Having quit the trawler, Joey had stayed at home to lick her wounds for a couple of weeks before pushing herself forward. She had now been working for a week on another trawler and she would be happy with that except for the fact that even though she wasn't working directly with him, she still had to see Robbo at least from a distance and put up with him calling out various taunts. She never argued back. She was too afraid of him and what he was capable of now. It made her feel ashamed and weak but she was jumpy and low. Charlie and Watson were still begging her to press charges but she didn't feel strong enough. That was one thing she just couldn't do.

* * *

Watson sighed heavily and put the phone down.

"No luck?" Charlie asked, walking past the desk.

Watson shook her head. Together, they had tracked Tanya down and were trying very hard to get a meeting with her in order to convince her to press charges against Robbo. He needed to be in jail and both women were utterly determined to put him there. Joey was a wreck, even though she denied it. Having to live in the same town as a man who had nearly raped her was far too tall an order. If they could get Tanya to open up and reveal the truth about what had happened to her, so might Joey and justice might be done.

* * *

Joey tensed as she walked off the dock. As usual, Robbo was hanging around with a smug grin on his face. He knew that he frightened her now. They both believed that he had won.

"How's it going, Joey?" he asked.

Joey ignored him and picked up her pace. She just wanted to go home.

"Stopped talking to me, have you?"

She internally panicked when he began to follow her.

"But we were so close before," he continued. "So intimate."

She shuddered and kept walking, reminding herself that she just had to get to September, turn twenty-two and move on with her life. However, the more she thought about it, she didn't think that would really solve anything. It would feel like she had more control of her life but with a house and a business, she would still have to see Robbo every day. Nothing could stop that from being true.

"You know, I was thinking about asking your little girlfriend out on a date," Robbo said.

Joey finally glared at him.

"Ah, that's the way to get to you, is it?" he concluded with a smirk.

Then he wandered away.

* * *

At home, Joey paced the living room, wishing that Charlie wasn't still at work. She needed to see her and make sure that she was alright. If Robbo's words were to be taken seriously then he might well turn his attention to her best friend. Joey shook her head. If he so much as looked at Charlie or laid a hand on her, she would never forgive herself. Glancing at her watch, she realised that Charlie would be finishing her shift in half an hour. That gave her plenty of time to walk to the station, make sure she was okay and then come home with her.

* * *

"Yes!" Charlie said.

She punched the air in triumph, causing her colleagues to stare at her. Colouring, she waved Watson over. Her colleague and housemate followed instruction, leaning against the desk, hoping she was about to hear what she wanted to.

"She's agreed to meet us," Charlie told her.

"Really?"

It had taken a lot of persuading but finally Tanya seemed willing to consider talking.

"She's coming to the station tomorrow, first thing," Charlie informed her.

Watson broke into a smile. If Tanya was willing to press charges then maybe Joey would too and together they could put Robbo away like he deserved. She completely empathised with Charlie hitting him now that she knew the truth. She was resisting the same urges every time she clapped eyes on him, knowing what he had done. She'd hated him the moment she'd known he'd raped Tanya and was bullying Joey but now it was even worse. Both women looked up when the door opened and Joey, looking stressed, stood in reception looking for Charlie. Charlie stood and hurried over.

"Joey, are you okay?"

Every time she got that look on her face, Charlie panicked about what might have happened. It was obvious that her friend was a mess and Charlie felt utterly helpless as to how to help her.

"I'm fine," Joey said, not sounding very convincing. "I was just in the area and knew your shift was finishing so I thought I'd come home with you."

Charlie smiled, although she wasn't convinced that this was entirely true.

"Oh, well, great. I've just got to tidy my papers away and then I'm all yours. Do you want to sit?"

Joey nodded and found her way to the chairs. Charlie hurried back to her desk to tidy away. Watson still had to work for another couple of hours but Charlie was glad to escape. She needed to make sure Joey was alright.

"First thing tomorrow, we might have a case!" she said happily to Watson.

Watson nodded, equally pleased. Saying goodbye, Charlie headed home with Joey.

* * *

At home, Joey was distracted and Charlie wasn't sure what to do about it so she'd decided to make dinner. Busying herself in the kitchen, she felt hopeful that with Tanya pressing charges, perhaps Joey would too. Putting the pasta on, she heaped in a few more shells, planning on taking a meal round for her parents. Her mother was getting frailer and Charlie was trying to save her as many jobs and stresses as possible by going round to spend time with her, cooking and cleaning. Joey also made a point of going round to do odd jobs. With the pasta on the hob, Charlie began to chop vegetables.

In the living room, Joey couldn't stop thinking about Robbo and what he had said to her. Taking a breath, she pulled herself to her feet and entered the kitchen. She silently observed Charlie chopping vegetables. When she'd put the knife down momentarily, Joey stepped forward and wrapped her arms around her waist from behind. Surprised but pleased, Charlie leant back into her and enjoyed Joey resting her chin on her shoulder. Joey breathed in Charlie's scent and held her close.

"If I press charges, will he go to jail right away or would we have to wait for a trial?" she asked.

Charlie was elated that Joey was even talking about it.

"Well, we'd petition to the court to refuse him bail but it wouldn't be guaranteed."

Joey sighed.

"Are you thinking of changing your mind?" Charlie dared to ask.

"I saw him today and I think he threatened you," Joey revealed. "I could be taking it too seriously but he said that he knew the way to get to me was through you. It's one thing being intimidated every day but it's quite another to put you in danger."

Charlie twirled round in Joey's arms so that she was facing her. She cupped Joey's face.

"I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you because of me. You already got in trouble at work and that promotion..."

Charlie leant in close so that their faces were inches apart.

"You know I'm desperate for you to press charges," she said. "I hate seeing you like this."

Joey nodded.

"I have to, don't I?"

"I don't see how you're going to move on any other way."

"Really?" Joey joked. "I thought I was doing just fine."

Charlie smiled and rested their foreheads together.

"It's just... I can't cope. I know it's dumb because he didn't even do... _it_ to me. It was nowhere near as bad as it could have been but... but seeing him every day... It's hell. And the thought of him doing something to you..."

Tears threatened Joey's eyes.

"I can't eat," she continued. "I can't sleep. I'm nervous all the time, like physically trembling. It's making me sick, Charlie."

Charlie enveloped her into her arms. Joey held on tight.

"Everything's going to be okay, Joey," she promised. "We'll press charges against him and you know Watson and I will do everything we can to protect you. And maybe to start with, we can go and see Rachel at the hospital and see if she or one of her colleagues can prescribe you some kind of anxiety medication or something."

Joey nodded into Charlie's shoulder.

"And you'll make sure you're careful?" she asked. "You won't put yourself in danger or anything?"

"I will take care of myself, I swear."

They held onto each other tightly for a moment before reluctantly drawing away. Charlie kissed Joey's forehead and ran her fingers through her hair.

"We'll fix this," she said. "We can make everything better."

* * *

Later that evening, Charlie headed round to see her mother. Elsie seemed to be having a good day, which made Charlie very happy. She was also grateful for the pasta.

"So, how are you?" Elsie asked, as they both settled down on the couch.

"Yeah, I'm pretty good actually," Charlie said. "Joey's going to press charges."

"She is? That's wonderful!" Elsie said, obviously elated.

Charlie beamed.

"I know. I mean, this whole thing isn't going to be easy but if we can put Robbo away then Joey can start feeling normal again."

"And how are... things?" Elsie ventured.

Charlie chewed her lip.

"They're normal. They're the same," she said, feeling a little sad.

"After all this is over do you think...?"

"No."

She shook her head.

"Joey just wants to be my friend. I need to accept that. Maybe once upon a time, back when she spoke to you about who you think is me... you were either mistaken or it's over now. She doesn't love me like that and she never will. All I can do now is just be the best friend in the world and hope it's not too painful when she meets someone she can fall in love with."

Elsie felt almost as heartbroken as her daughter. She knew exactly how it felt to watch the love of your life fall for someone else. She didn't want Charlie to have to go through that, especially after such a long journey to discover the feelings she had.

"And will you allow yourself to fall in love with anyone else?" she asked.

"I haven't decided yet."

* * *

Aden had invited himself round to see Joey and she'd had little choice in letting him in. Ever since she had quit her job on the boat, Aden had been desperately worried about her. But she had so far refused to open up to him. Finally, preparing to press charges and looking into his face, the face belonging to the boy who loved her so much, the one boy she'd ever kissed, she decided it was time.

"Aden, I need to tell you something," she said, her heart growing heavy.

He looked at her with earnest and expectation.

* * *

Joey was already in bed when Charlie ventured home but walking past her door, Charlie spotted the light on. She knocked softly.

"Hello?" Joey called through the door.

Charlie nudged the door open and poked her head round it, offering a smile. Joey was tucked up in bed writing in a notebook. She smiled back and put the book to one side, closing it quickly.

"I was just checking that you're okay," Charlie said, standing in the doorway.

Joey nodded to let her know that she was fine.

"Good," Charlie said. "I'll see you in the morning."

She moved to leave but Joey waved her in. Charlie closed the door behind her and sat on the bed.

"I told Aden everything," Joey revealed.

"What did he say?"

"Well, he nearly charged over and hit him like you did," Joey admitted.

Charlie grinned, knowing exactly how Aden must have felt. Once upon a time, Joey had been his girlfriend, back before she had been brave enough to come out. Whether things had worked physically or not, they had loved and trusted each other implicitly. Charlie was glad that Joey had spoken up and told him what had really happened. They were so close; it felt wrong to have that kind of secret between them.

"I still haven't quite got over wanting to do that," Charlie said. "I'm still fighting it."

"But you already hit him. And kicked him. And kneed him in the balls," Joey grinned.

It was the first time she had been able to joke about any aspect of what had happened.

"I really should have done that last one harder," Charlie said. "Still, tomorrow, I can arrest him and that will eventually lead to him rotting in jail."

Joey reached out to hug her. Charlie lay down and settled into her embrace. Their faces were inches apart. Spontaneously, Joey placed a single, soft kiss on Charlie's lips.

"Thank you, Charlie," she said. "Thank you for everything."

"There's no need to thank me."

"As usual, you've gone above and beyond."

"There's no such thing as above and beyond when it comes to you, Joey. I'd do anything to make you happy."

Joey smiled and blushed.

"Will you sleep with me tonight?" she asked.

Charlie gave her a wicked grin, prompting Joey to chuckle and tap her on the nose.

"Behave!" she scolded, still laughing.

"I would love to sleep with you," Charlie teased.

She got to her feet and removed her shoes, socks and jeans. Finally, she undid her bra beneath her t-shirt, ensuring that she stayed decent enough at all times. She moved to switch the light off and then slipped underneath the blanket, finding Joey's warm body and snuggling up. Her lips found Joey's neck, kissing her just once. Joey felt like Charlie had set her whole body on fire. She didn't think she would ever react in such a strong way with anyone else. There was something uniquely special about Charlie. Joey was in love with her soul, her mind and her body. Just her scent was enough to send her over the edge. She didn't think she would ever stop wishing that there could be more between them but as long as she was permitted to cuddle her and share the odd kiss, as long as they could be like this with each other for the rest of their lives, she was happy enough. She didn't mind being celibate forever if she could continue to spend nights like this with the woman she had always and would always be in love with.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

**January 2007**

It had been a somewhat disappointing New Year for Joey as she crawled into bed. Charlie had been working all night and as much as she had enjoyed spending time with her other friends at the Jukebox, especially Aden, she'd missed her. Lying in bed in the dark, she gazed at her stars, hoping that Charlie's shift had gone well. She perked up when she heard a key turn in the lock and footsteps across the hall.

"Charlie?" she called out.

Moments later, the door creaked open.

"Did I wake you?" Charlie asked worriedly.

"I was kind of waiting up for you," Joey admitted.

Charlie smiled broadly and entered the room. She took her heavy belt off and set it on Joey's desk, marvelling at how well she knew the room in the dark. She kicked her shoes off and came to lie on her front on the bed next to Joey.

"Happy New Year," Joey whispered.

Their lips found each other, kissing tenderly in the softness of the night, under the shadow of being allowed because it was the first day of 2007.

"Happy New Year," Charlie replied.

They kissed again. Both women secretly found themselves wishing that it could be New Year every day so they could get away with doing this.

"I love that we can do this and not let it affect our friendship," Joey mused. "It kind of makes it better, I think."

"Yeah, it does," Charlie said, kissing her again.

"Nothing's ever going to change between us, is it?" Joey asked.

She wanted Charlie to say yes. She wanted her to suddenly change her mind and say that yes, she wanted things to change, she wanted them to be together. Joey was half tempted to say it herself but Charlie spoke up, her voice sounding a little strange.

"No, it won't," she said.

She hated that it wouldn't. She wanted to kiss her again and again, never stopping.

"We're perfect just as we are."

They kissed again several times before Charlie half-stripped off and snuggled up in bed with her.

* * *

The following morning Charlie crept out of bed to get herself and Joey a coffee. Watson was already in the kitchen doing the same for her and Carol.

"So, you slept with Joey last night, hey?" her housemate grinned.

"I spent the night in her room," Charlie replied evenly. "As I have done plenty of times before. No more, no less."

She'd spent the night dreaming of their kisses.

"But it's New Year so you got at least a little something, right?"

Charlie blushed.

"Go and take your coffee to your girlfriend," she said.

"Have fun taking it to yours!" Watson teased, grinning as she left the room.

**

* * *

**

March 2006

Joey walked to work with a spring in her step. She felt so good these days now that she was putting her life back together. The last couple of months had been hellish as she'd had to make a statement about Robbo along with Tanya, who had finally come forward about the rape. At Robbo's bail hearing, the police statement – signed by Watson but written by Charlie – strongly suggested that he be held in custody while awaiting the trial for the sake of his history of intimidating people, namely Joey. Charlie wasn't allowed to be attached to Joey and Tanya's case in any official capacity due to the fight she and Robbo had had. But she had worked hard on it alongside Jack and Watson who were the official leads. Charlie's father was also helping to guide the process to make sure everything went perfectly. Not one team member wanted to risk Robbo getting away with anything. It felt good for Joey to walk to work without fear or anxiety about Robbo being nearby ready to taunt and threaten her. She felt like she had been granted freedom, although she was aware that it wasn't over yet. She still had to give evidence at the trial. The only thing that tethered her joy down was that Elsie was getting weaker by the day. Ross was busying himself with work and Ruby was at boarding school until the following week when she would return for the Easter holidays. Therefore, it was mostly down to Charlie and Joey to take care of her and they were then left to take care of each other as they struggled to see Elsie so frail.

* * *

Ross sat at his desk not doing any work. He glanced at the photograph of his wife and girls and sighed heavily, wondering how life had got so hard. At home, Elsie wasn't coping. She was sick and tired and as helpless as he was. He felt like he hardly knew Charlie anymore and since everything had kicked off with Robbo, his suspicions about her relationship with Joey had grown. And Ruby, his darling, his favourite, was away and that was all his fault. He'd sent her away to save her from the hell they were all living in but he missed her terribly. She was the light of their lives.

* * *

Brett took a breath and headed towards the dock. He observed his sister docking the boat that she had left him to work for. Life hadn't been kind to the siblings and now Brett was struggling to deal with the fact that his best friend had hurt her. Heading down the wharf, he stopped outside the boat, waiting for Joey to notice him. When she did, she didn't smile but she did jump off deck and approached.

"I wanted to call a truce," Brett blurted out.

"What's prompted this?" Joey asked curiously.

"I know what Robbo did to you. And I know Mum and Dad would be devastated if they knew we don't talk anymore."

Joey nodded. They would be.

"So, maybe we could hang out a little?" Brett suggested. "And your job is still available back on Dad's boat if you want it. And you've always got your room at home if you ever want to come back."

Joey doubted that she would want to go back. Living with Charlie or living with Brett was hardly a question in her mind.

"We could go for a drink or something sometime," she said, hoping to build bridges.

He nodded.

"This weekend?"

"Sounds good to me. Thanks, Brett. Take care."

He nodded again and watched her hurry back to work.

* * *

That evening, Joey got home and started cooking pasta for Charlie. Watson was staying over at Carol's house and Joey knew that Charlie would be going straight from work to Elsie's and then home so she though after another long day, it would be nice to treat her to her favourite meal. Just as the pasta was boiling and the vegetables were almost completely chopped, Charlie walked through the door.

"What's all this?" she asked, putting her bag down.

"Just dinner," Joey replied, turning round to greet her with a smile.

Charlie smiled back and accepted the bottle of wine and bottle opener Joey handed her.

"You'd better behave on this," Charlie teased, beginning to uncork it.

Joey giggled as she returned to her meal.

"How's your Mum?" Joey asked.

"Weak but in good enough spirits," Charlie replied. "I passed on the hug you sent me with this morning."

"Thanks. I'll come by and see her tomorrow."

"She'll like that."

Charlie knew that Elsie loved Joey as if she was her own. She poured two glasses of white wine and moved closer to hand one to her housemate.

"Thanks, Wifey," Joey giggled.

They had been discussing a few days ago that they had become an old married couple since they had moved in together.

"No problem, Wifey," Charlie replied.

She sat down at the kitchen table and sipped her wine before setting about taking her boots off. Her feet were tired and achy and she was looking forward to a nice relaxing evening. Joey continued to cook.

* * *

Ross arrived home quietly. He immediately spotted Elsie crying softly on the couch that she never seemed to leave these days. His heart went out to her but his feet wouldn't move forward. Before he'd even thought about it, he turned and headed back out the door. From her seat, Elsie heard the door click quietly. Curious, she got to her feet to investigate but nobody was there. A little unnerved, she peered out of the window, spotting the car pulling out of the drive. Her husband had been, rejected and gone. She cried harder. The pain seemed to increase.

* * *

"Oh, guess who came to see me today," Joey said once she and Charlie had sat down to dinner together.

"Who?" Charlie asked. "This is gorgeous by the way."

"Thanks!" Joey beamed.

She loved making Charlie happy.

"So, who?" Charlie probed.

"Brett."

Charlie nearly choked on her wine.

"Brett came to see you?" she asked incredulously.

"To apologise, no less," Joey reported.

Charlie stared at her friend with a smile on her face. As much as Joey tried to deny it, she was devastated at losing her brother. As much as Elsie had adopted her, Brett was the only blood kin she had left. If there was a chance of a reconciliation then that could only be a good thing.

"We're going for a drink at the weekend to try and get to know each other again."

Joey was not so secretly elated, although she had ensured she played it cool with Brett. She wanted him back in her life.

"That's awesome," Charlie enthused. "I'm really happy for you."

"Thanks, Charlie."

* * *

Having finished washing her face and trying to freshen up after her tears, Elsie began to head down the stairs. Even simple things like this seemed hard these days and it made her furious with herself. Losing concentration and becoming dizzy, she slipped halfway down the stairs, tumbling to the bottom.

* * *

Charlie and Joey had just settled down on the couch with the rest of their wine and a movie when Charlie's phone rang. 'Mum' flashed up on her screen.

"Hello?"she said.

Concerned, she listened hard to breathing and someone murmuring her name.

"Mum?" Charlie said urgently, exchanging a nervous glance with Joey who looked equally as worried.

"Mum, I'll be there in a second!" Charlie said, jumping up, grateful she wasn't over the limit yet.

Joey followed her out of the house and the two of them hurried into the car.

* * *

Joey held the phone and kept trying to get Elsie to talk back to her while Charlie raced through town, making the already short journey illegally quicker. Joey was out of the car before Charlie had even stopped and Charlie was right behind her.

"Mum?" Charlie yelled.

"Aunt Elsie?" Joey called.

They stopped when they saw Elsie lying at the bottom of the stairs in a heap with the phone clutched in her hand. Charlie immediately rushed to her while Joey hung up Charlie's phone and called an ambulance.

* * *

At the hospital, Charlie paced the corridor while she and Joey waited for Rachel and her senior colleague to tell them if Elsie would be okay.

"Charlie..." Joey said softly.

Charlie didn't hear her. She continued pacing.

"Charlie..." Joey tried again.

Finally, Joey got to her feet and held onto her friend.

"Charlie," she said. "Come and sit down."

She guided Charlie into a chair and sat with her arm around her.

"She's going to be okay."

"No, she's not," Charlie replied tearfully. "Even if she survives this fall, she's never going to be okay. She's dying and I can't do anything to save her."

Charlie let herself fall into Joey's arms. Joey held on tightly and fought her own tears. They were interrupted by Rachel and her colleague appearing in front of them. Both women leapt to their feet. Rachel suggested to her senior that she could talk to Charlie and Joey, as they were her friends. He nodded and left them to it. Rachel guided Charlie and Joey back into their seats and sat down beside them.

"Nothing's broken," Rachel said. "She's a little bruised and concussed but she'll be fine from the fall."

Charlie chewed her lip, glancing at Joey. Both feared what would come next.

"But according to the scans we did, the cancer's developing and Elsie's becoming more and more unwell. I'm afraid that she's only got a couple of months left."

Charlie cried harder. Joey held on to her.

"Can we see her?" she asked.

"Of course you can. We're going to keep her in overnight and then you can take her home in the morning."

Charlie nodded and wiped her eyes, preparing to be strong for her mother.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter Thirty Four**

**March 2007**

That night, Charlie reluctantly left the hospital, promising that she would be back the following morning to take her mother home. In the car, she tried calling her father again but he didn't pick up the phone. Realising that she had to request the following day off the take care of her mother and also hoping that her father might be working late, Charlie decided to swing by the station. Joey waited in the car while Charlie headed into work. She forced a smile when she saw Jack on reception.

"Hey," he greeted. "What are you doing here? Addicted to the place?"

She smiled genuinely this time.

"I need to take tomorrow off work," she said. "Mum had a fall and I need to collect her from the hospital and make sure she's okay. I'm due a hefty amount of time off because of all my overtime so do you think it'd be cool to do that?"

"I'll check with Matthew when he gets back in but I'm sure it'll be fine. Is your Mum okay?" Jack asked worriedly.

Charlie sighed.

"She's not damaged from the fall but the cancer's out of control," she said sadly.

He put his hand on top of her.

"I'm sorry, Charlie," he said sympathetically.

She put a brave smile on and thanked him.

"I'll ask Matt tonight and send you a text," he said.

She thanked him again and headed back out to Joey. Starting the car, they drove home in silence. By the time they got indoors, Jack had let Charlie know that she could take the next day off and the following day too if she needed to. Finally inside Charlie was overwhelmed again with her emotions. The thought of losing her mother was too much and she could now empathise too well with what Joey had gone through during her teens. She admired the twenty one year old for how well she had handled it. She hoped that she could be that strong when the time came. Joey automatically reached for her as silent tears rolled down Charlie's face.

"Let's get you to bed," Joey said softly. "It's been a long day."

Charlie allowed Joey to lead her into the bedroom. She sat on the edge of her mattress and Joey knelt below her and took her boots and then her socks off. She reached round underneath Charlie's pillow for the t-shirt she wore to bed. A little nervously, Joey fumbled with the buttons on Charlie's shirt and did her best not to admire the woman sitting in her bra. It was inappropriate. In one swift motion, Charlie's shirt was off and her t-shirt was on. Joey then guided Charlie to her feet, expecting her to take her trousers off but Charlie was in some kind of daze and didn't move. Joey took the initiative to undo the button and zip for her and then eased the material down her legs. Setting a numb Charlie back down, Joey knelt again and pulled the item off.

"Thank you," Charlie said softly, still crying in silence.

Joey smiled kindly and stroked Charlie's face before pulling her up and pushing the blanket back so that Charlie could get under the covers. Leaning over her, Joey brushed her hair out of her face and kissed her lips as platonically as possible in order to say goodnight. She was startled when Charlie kept the kiss going. She shivered inside as she felt Charlie's lips brushing against hers and her tongue tentatively seeking entry to her mouth. Joey forced herself to draw away. She didn't want to take advantage.

"Charlie..." she breathed. "I'm not sure this is such a good idea."

"Please?" Charlie said quietly. "I just need some comfort. Please?"

Joey let Charlie kiss her softly again. This time when she felt Charlie's tongue flick against her lips, Joey opened her mouth and invited her inside. Her heart was racing with love for Charlie, protectiveness of her and grief over Elsie. Her own tears spilled gently, mingling with Charlie's as they expressed their need for each other. Joey drew away.

"Goodnight, Charlie," she whispered.

She attempted to move away from the bed but Charlie caught hold of her hand.

"Please don't leave me," Charlie begged.

Obediently, Joey removed everything but her t-shirt and underwear. Charlie undid her bra underneath her top and slung it on the floor. Joey followed suit, flicked the light off and moved round to the other side of the bed. Charlie welcomed her with a cuddle and another kiss before they both fell into fitful dreams.

**

* * *

**

April 2007

In the morning, both girls were up early. Joey knew she wouldn't get away with missing work completely but she was hoping that she might be able to leave early if she asked nicely. Charlie dropped her off and then went round to her parents' house. Her father arrived a few moments after she did.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Charlie yelled as soon as she saw him.

He looked startled and then angry.

"Don't you dare talk to me like that!" he snapped back.

"Mum's in the hospital!" Charlie bellowed.

"What?" he asked, sounding very small.

"She fell down the stairs. When _you _should have been looking after her! The only reason I left her last night was because she said you were due home. But you never came, did you? She was alone and scared in a heap at the bottom of the stairs. We're just damn lucky that she had her phone on her so that she could call me."

"She..."

"Good job she didn't try and call you, hey? How could you abandon her like that?"

"I didn't know..." he faltered.

"You should have been here," Charlie said coldly. "Where the hell were you?"

"I... I went back to work."

"Liar!" Charlie exploded. "I looked for you at work and you weren't there."

"Fine!" Ross yelled back. "I went out to be by myself and clear my head."

"Well I hope you had fun."

She stormed past him towards the door.

"Where are you going, Charlie?" he asked.

"To the hospital. Where do you think?"

"Is she okay?"

"Do you care?"

"Of course I care! Don't you accuse me of that!"

"Well, you're never around, Dad. How are any of us meant to know that you care? You couldn't have handled this in a worse way!"

"I've done my best!"

"Well, it's not good enough!"

She hurried out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

Elsie felt terrible as Charlie took her home and settled her straight into bed with a cup of tea. Charlie sat by the bed and held her hand, trying and failing not to show how afraid the night before had made her.

"Have you heard from your father?" Elsie asked.

She was devastated that he hadn't been around.

"I yelled at him this morning," Charlie admitted.

Elsie shook her head, wondering if Charlie and Ross would ever reach peace.

"He went for a long walk, apparently. He didn't get in until today."

"I bet he was with Morag," Elsie said without thinking.

"Morag? The judge woman who helped Joey?" Charlie queried.

Elsie sighed, wishing she hadn't opened her mouth.

"He loves her," Elsie explained.

Charlie was furious. How could he go off with someone else, especially when his wife was dying?  
"Charlie, don't get angry," Elsie begged, sounding tired. "You already know that I loved someone other than him. It's only fair."

"You didn't do anything about it," Charlie reminded her.

"In my head I did," Elsie admitted. "Isn't that just as bad?"

Charlie sighed heavily. It all felt like too much to deal with. She just wanted everything to stop so she could clear her head. Too much was going on. Her father was cheating, her mother was dying and she and Joey had kissed yet again the night before. It felt different last night and it had made Charlie feel vulnerable. It was more like the kisses they had shared when they were adolescents or on that fateful Valentine's night. Without New Year traditions and such, there was nothing to hide behind. Charlie had kissed her because she'd needed comfort, sure, but the reason that she'd needed that kind of comfort was because she wanted her so much.

"Anyway, I don't want to talk about any of this," Elsie said. "Tell me how you are."

"I'm... I'm coping."

"I know Rachel told you my life expectancy. I'm sorry Charlie."

Charlie was flooded with compassion. She reached out to hug her mother.

"You have nothing to be sorry for," she said. "I just want to be here to look after you."

Elsie smiled and stroked Charlie's face as they pulled apart.

"Joey said she'd try and get over later," Charlie told her. "She's going to try and get out of work early if she can."

"She's a lovely girl," Elsie said. "So sweet for coming to hospital last night."

"Yeah, she's pretty special," Charlie agreed. "She thinks of you as family."

"We are family," Elsie said firmly. "We always have been."

Charlie smiled, thinking of just how perfect she believed Joey to be.

"Did she take care of you last night?" Elsie asked.

Charlie blushed, thinking of the kiss.

"Yeah, she did. She put me to bed and made sure I got off to sleep. She calmed me down and everything. She was great."

Elsie eyed her daughter curiously.

"And?" she asked.

"We kissed," Charlie admitted, wondering why it was so easy to tell her mother these kinds of things.

She wondered if it was normal to share so much with the woman who had given you birth. Elsie beamed at her, thrilled.

"And what happens now?" she asked, clutching her daughter's hand.

"I don't know," Charlie said with a shrug. "It was just one of those things that seem to happen to us. We've been ignoring kisses since I was fifteen."

Elsie sighed.

"Well, don't ignore it now, Charlie," she pleaded. "It's the perfect opportunity to tell her how you feel about her. I don't understand why neither of you have confessed already. You don't kiss someone unless you're attracted to them and it's obvious how much you love each other. So if you get on like you do and you find each other attractive, why can't you just...?"

"It's not as simple as that," Charlie replied. "You don't understand."

Elsie raised her eyebrows.

"Okay, maybe you do but..."

"Charlie, I wasted the opportunity to be with the woman I love. I don't want you to have to go through the same thing. You're wasting time."

"She doesn't want to be with me, Mum. She pretty much told me that."

"You've got your wires crossed somehow," Elsie insisted. "She loves you. She loves you more than she's ever loved anyone or anything and she always has."

* * *

Ruby sat on the bus back home. She was looking forward to seeing her family and Xavier again, although she would miss her school friends. They were so much fun. She just wished they were at home instead of away. Then her life would be perfect. She was nervous about seeing her mother, who sounded ever frailer to the twelve year old each time they spoke. But she was comforted by the fact that Charlie and Joey were always close by. They were still as amazing as they had ever been.

* * *

Joey had managed to sneak out of work an hour early. She headed straight over to Elsie's house to make sure that the woman who had taken such good care of her all her life was alright.

"Hello?" she called into the silent house.

She heard a quiet voice calling back to her so she headed upstairs, knocking politely on Elsie's door. She found her alone and pale, tucked up in bed. Elsie greeted her with a smile and Joey moved to give her a cuddle. She then presented the flowers she'd bought her.

"Oh, Joey!" Elsie said, beaming. "You shouldn't have."

"I thought it might make you happy," Joey explained, putting them on the side.

"It does," Elsie confirmed. "Thank you. It's a very sweet gesture."

Joey set the flowers on the side.

"How are you feeling today?" she asked.

"Better than yesterday," Elsie replied, trying to stay positive.

"I'm glad," Joey said softly. "Where's Charlie?"

Elsie was amused by the gentle way she said her daughter's name, the way her eyes lit up at the mere thought of her.

"She's gone to Crumble to get dinner for everyone," Elsie explained.

Joey nodded.

"She'll be back soon. She said you were good to her last night."

Joey tried not to blush, thinking about the kisses they had shared. It had been the most amazing kiss they had ever had in Joey's opinion, which was quite a statement. Every kiss they had shared had been incredible, even the ones where Charlie had freaked out afterwards. Last night, she hadn't panicked. And it hadn't been about feeling lonely at New Year. Yes, it had been prompted by Charlie's grief but it felt like there had been feeling behind it. It had been sensual, emotional and beautiful. While she tried not to jump to conclusions and start believing that it was possible for Charlie to love her back, it had given her a little hope that perhaps one day, eventually, if Charlie didn't find someone better, the two of them may possibly get closer. And if not, Joey could just about cope with being best friends who shared kisses and cuddles sometimes.

"I didn't really do that much," she said modestly.

"I'm grateful that you were there for her. I saw the state she was in and the only reason I didn't worry because I knew you'd take care of her."

"Well, it's usually the other way round," Joey said with a sad smile.

"I wouldn't be so sure. Although, she has always been one to look after people. She takes her sisterly duties with Ruby very seriously!"

"How is Ruby? She's coming home today, right?"

"Yeah, Ross is going to meet her off the bus and bring her back here. Should be soon."

"It'll be great to see her."

"Yeah. I can't help but feel like I'm wasting time with her," Elsie said sadly. "I haven't got long left and this visit could be the last time I... She's my baby and I'm losing her."

Elsie grew tearful. Joey reached out to hold her hand, unsure of what she could say to be of comfort.

"Joey," Elsie said seriously, regaining control. "Stop wasting time."

Joey furrowed her eyebrows, wondering what Elsie was talking about.

"With Charlie. Stop wasting time."

"What are you talking about, Aunt Elsie?" Joey wondered.

"You're in love with my daughter."

Joey blanched and let go of Elsie's hand, sitting up straighter.

"What?"

"You're in love with Charlie," Elsie repeated.

"No, no, I'm not," Joey lied, beginning to panic. "She's my best friend. That's all."

"Joey..."

Joey began to tremble at being found out. She gazed at Elsie, dreading what she thought of her now. As much as Joey and Elsie loved each other, she doubted that the older woman would want her daughter in a lesbian relationship.

"I'm sorry," Joey finally said. "I didn't mean to fall in love with her. I'm so sorry."

"Joey," Elsie said kindly. "Do I sound like I'm upset about it?"

"Well... but..." Joey faltered.

Her head was spinning.

"I want you and Charlie to be together," Elsie clarified.

"No chance," Joey said flatly.

"Why not?"

"Because she doesn't love me."

"Are you blind?" Elsie argued, surprising Joey.

"What?" Joey asked.

"Charlie is crazy about you," Elsie explained. "She loves you so much, Joey. I don't understand why neither of you has done anything about it yet."

"But... but she doesn't feel that way about me," Joey continued to protest.

"Then why has she told me that she does?"

"Wait, she told you?"

"Months ago."

"How many months ago?"

"At the end of last year."

Joey's mind was reeling, certain that Elsie was mistaken but desperate for her to be right.

"She loves you, Joey," Elsie said. "She just doesn't realise that you love her too."

"Is _she_ blind?" Joey exclaimed, her heart still racing.

"I think you've both been so intent on insisting that you're just friends that you've managed to convince each other. But what I'm saying to you now is that I've learnt the hard way exactly how much pain is caused when time runs out. Please don't let that happen to you and Charlie. You belong together."

"But... I don't understand where this has come from."

"People who are just friends don't rely on each other the way you two do. And they don't kiss so much either!"

Joey blushed as Elsie gave her a knowing look.

"She's um... she told you about us kissing?"

"Including last night."

Joey blushed more.

"Joey, I am begging you right here right now to tell Charlie how you feel about her."

"I can't," Joey said weakly.  
"Why not?"

"What if she doesn't feel the same?"

"She does. She's told me multiple times that she does."

"Then why hasn't she said anything?"

"Because she's as afraid of rejection as you are, sweetheart."

Elsie watched with compassion as Joey shook her head, trying to work her way through the situation. It seemed to be a complete shock that Charlie would be in love with her.

"What... what prompted her telling you last year?" Joey asked.

"You got hit on by some girl in a club," Elsie remembered. "She was jealous."

Joey thought back to the night that she'd made friends with that Tina girl. Charlie had behaved pretty strangely, somehow flat and uninterested in anything. And while Joey had taken the girl's number, she hadn't been interested for a second.

"You know what's weird?" Joey said. "I didn't even consider calling the girl because I felt like I was cheating on Charlie. Charlie's the only person I ever want to be with."

"And Charlie was panicking that you'd met someone and she was going to have to watch you in a relationship with another girl, like she did with Zoe."

"She liked me when I was with Zoe?" Joey exclaimed.

It felt like a lifetime ago. Elsie nodded.

"But she dated Roman and then Angelo. She never showed any interest in me. I mean, maybe when she got back from training she did but not before that."

"Charlie has always been interested in you, Joey. She just hasn't wanted to be. She only started to accept her sexuality last year. She's been hiding from it until now. I guess in some ways she's still hiding because she won't tell you how she feels and yet she won't be with anyone else, male or female – just like you won't."

Joey sighed and shook her head. She let her face rest in her palms and closed her eyes. It seemed unreal that she would be having this conversation with Charlie's mother.

"How are you so supportive?" she asked.

Elsie looked thoughtful.

"Well, it helps that I've known for a while. Me and your mother used to discuss it all the time."

Joey's eyes widened.

"Mum knew? Since when? You discussed it all the time? Really? I mean, I knew she knew I was gay but I didn't realise she saw anything between Charlie and I."

"Even when you and Charlie were kids you seemed to love each other. Maybe you didn't know how then but you were certainly besotted. I'll never forget the tantrum Charlie had when she had to go to school and not spend each and every day with you. And I remember how lost you were those couple of periods where you didn't hang out together."

Joey licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry.

"You honestly think she loves me, Aunt Elsie? Loves me like that?"

"I know she does."

"What if you're wrong?"

"I'm not wrong."

"But... but how could she...?" Joey wondered.

"How could she what?"

"How could she love me? I mean, she's so... she's beautiful and kind and funny and smart. She's thoughtful and gentle. She's perfect and I'm... I'm..."

She shook her head.

"You're beautiful and kind and funny and smart. You're thoughtful and gentle and you're perfect for Charlie. You two are soul mates."

Joey could help but smile at the thought. She suddenly flashed forward in her mind to a time when she and Charlie could be in a relationship, committed to each other, sharing their lives as lovers. She wondered if it was really possible and she was still stunned at how well Elsie was handling it.

"Don't let her go, Joey. Tell her how you feel. I want to see my girls happy before... Before."

Joey shut her eyes tightly. She hated thinking about what was to come in just a few short months.

"Don't make the same mistakes I did," Elsie added.

Joey eyed her curiously.

"Mistakes?"

"You may as well know," Elsie decided. "Your mother and I..."

Joey opened her mouth, guessing the end of the sentence.

"You and Mum?" she asked, her voice a little high pitched.

Elsie feared judgement and hurried to explain.

"We didn't do anything. We kissed a couple of times but that's all Joey. It wasn't an affair or anything like that."

"That's so awesome," Joey concluded.

Now it was Elsie's turn to be stunned. Joey smiled at her.

"Dad never loved her," Joey said. "We all know he didn't, not really. I'm glad... I'm glad that she had someone else to love, someone who loved her. She deserved that."

Relief flooded Elsie's body and mind. She smiled at Joey and squeezed her hand gently.

"Were you happy?" she asked.

"We loved each other and we had the most perfect friendship, just like you and Charlie. The only tragedy was that we didn't pursue anything. That's why I'm breaking my own rules and interfering in this. I don't want you and Charlie going the same way we did."

Joey's heart was still racing.

"Elsie, you honestly and truly think I should tell Charlie how I feel about her? You don't think it'd wreck things between us?"

"It's the right thing to do and I'm positive that it'll work out exactly how you want it to. One of you has to make the first move, Joey and Charlie hasn't managed it yet so it's up to you."

Joey nodded thoughtfully. She felt ever so strange.

"Mum!" Ruby bellowed, hurtling into the room and skidding to a stop just as she reached the bed.

She launched herself into Elsie's arms and hugged her before turning to Joey and hugging her too, obviously thrilled to be home.

"I have missed you all so much!" Ruby declared.

Ross shuffled into the room a couple of seconds later. He hovered awkwardly in the doorway, unsure if he was welcome or not. He'd seen Elsie once since the accident but she hadn't been her soft, friendly self and he and Charlie hadn't yet made up either.

"Come and sit," Elsie invited, patting the other side of the bed, opposite where Joey was perched.

Ruby clambered onto the end of the bed and sat cross-legged. Elsie observed her daughter, admiring how beautiful she was turning out to be. She was a teenager now. Elsie wondered how far she would get to see her youngest grow up.

* * *

Charlie arrived home laden with takeaway. She'd happily noticed her Dad's car back in the drive, which meant that Ruby was back. Her bags dumped in the living room confirmed it. Putting the tubs down, she trotted up the stairs and burst into her mother's room. Everyone looked up at her and before she realised what was happening, Ruby had bounced off the bed, hurled herself into her sister's arms and smothered her in kisses. Charlie spun her round in her arms, although that was harder now that she had grown so much.

"I brought dinner for everyone," Charlie said.

She didn't look at her father.

"Hey, Joey, will you help me serve up?"

Joey cast a shy glance at Elsie who just smiled back at her. Joey didn't know how to handle the situation she had found herself in tonight. She followed Charlie down the stairs feeling nervous and ill at ease around her. In the kitchen, the girls set about organising everyone's meals.

"Are you okay?" Charlie asked, noticing Joey's silence.

"Mmm hmm," Joey replied unconvincingly.

"Are you sure? You seem strange."

"Thanks!" Joey grinned.

"Seriously, are you alright?" Charlie asked.

She put her hands on Joey's waist. Joey tensed.

"Joey?" Charlie said worriedly.

She pulled her hands away and frowned.

"It is because of last night?" she asked. "I'm really sorry if I did anything to upset you. I just needed comfort. It didn't mean anything. You don't have to be weird with me."

Charlie's insistence that it didn't mean anything sent Joey into a spin. She felt so confused. Elsie was telling her one thing; Charlie was telling her another. Who she believed was essential to whether she was going to open her mouth and tell Charlie the truth or not.

"I'm not being weird with you," Joey lied. "I'm just... I'm feeling pretty tired. I think I'll just go home to bed."

"But I bought you dinner."

She waved the tub for emphasis.

"And Mum would be upset if you left."

Joey pouted.

"That's not fair!" she protested.

Charlie grinned triumphantly.

"You're not allowed to use that again for a whole week," Joey warned, starting on the tubs.

Charlie gave her a lingering look, terrified that she had messed things up by kissing her the night before.

"Are we okay?" she asked, fear evident in her voice.

Joey turned back to face her. She smiled.

"We're perfect," she assured her, pulling her into a hug.


	35. Chapter 35

****

Chapter Thirty-Five

**April 2007**

Joey had hardly slept the night before. She'd tossed and turned all night as she wondered what to do. Charlie had been giving her confusing signals for years – kissing her one minute and denying feelings the next. Joey's instinct was to trust Elsie. There was no way she would lie to her. Taking a breath, she hauled herself out of bed and headed towards the bathroom to take a shower before work. Once washed and dressed, she entered the kitchen to make some toast. She was surprised to find Charlie already up and making coffee.

"Morning," Charlie said brightly.

Charlie had also had a fitful night's sleep. She was busy fretting about her mother and still wasn't convinced that something wasn't wrong with Joey.

"What are you doing up so early?" Joey asked curiously.

"I couldn't sleep so I thought I'd get up and head over to Mum's and see if she's okay and then spend some time with Ruby," Charlie said, pouring two cups of coffee and handing one to Joey who accepted it gratefully.

"Um, Charlie...?" Joey ventured, swallowing hard.

Charlie tensed, expecting rejection. They locked eyes.

"Would you um... would you like to um... to um, to go for dinner this evening?"

Joey's palms were sweating and her heart was pounding in her chest. She couldn't believe that she was actually preparing to tell Charlie how she felt about her, after twenty long years.

"Oh!" Charlie said, surprised. "Sure, I'd love to. Where would you like to go?"

"Well, maybe we could go into town or something?"

"Okay, that sounds nice. Shall I meet you here and we can drive out?"

"Well, we could get a cab if you want," Joey suggested. "In case you want a couple of glasses of wine or something."

She had a feeling Charlie would want a drink after hearing what Joey had to tell her. Charlie nodded, smiling and agreed.

"What's the occasion?" she asked.

"No occasion," Joey lied. "I just thought it would be good to de-stress."

"Sounds like an awesome idea," Charlie said. "I'll see you back here after work. I finish at six."

* * *

Joey went to work, thinking about Charlie all day and wondering what she would say to her. She desperately hoped it would go well and that maybe she would get everything she had ever wanted from the woman of her dreams.

* * *

Charlie visited her mother and sister. Elsie seemed in better spirits and Ruby was as hyperactive as ever.

"Do you want to come round and watch movies tonight, Charlie?" Ruby asked.

"I'm going out to dinner with Joey tonight," Charlie said.

Elsie tried not to look too excited.

"But tomorrow?" Charlie suggested.

Ruby nodded happily.

* * *

Joey fussed around with her clothes, changing several times before she settled on the suit she'd worn to Charlie's graduation. Charlie knocked on her door to announce that she was home.

"Wow!" she declared when she saw Joey.

She was breathtaking. She blushed at Charlie's appreciation and decided it was definitely the right outfit.

"Where are we going?" Charlie asked curiously.

"I thought we'd go to that new Thai place," Joey said. "The one that's just opened."

Charlie was impressed. It was apparently quite a posh place by all reports.

"Have you booked a table?" Charlie queried.

Joey nodded and smiled.

"Great," Charlie said. "I'll get changed."

* * *

Joey and Charlie ate their meal, chatting about life in general but both were aware of the atmosphere. Joey was desperately trying to pluck up the courage to reveal her true feelings for Charlie and Charlie was trying to figure out what had prompted such an event. They were seated in the corner by the window with a lovely view of the ocean and there was a little candle on their table, as if they were lovers.

"So, what's all this for really?" Charlie asked.

She no longer bought the 'cheering themselves up' story. Joey blanched and put her fork down, shifting in her seat.

"Well um... you see, the thing is... is that um... Well, I thought... uh..."

Charlie held her hand across the table, her mind going into overdrive as her friend struggled with her words.

"It's just that... well, uh, um... I... I..."

Joey was starting to feel sick. Charlie's hand was covering hers and she was gazing intently into her eyes. This moment would either make or break them. She'd be elated with the former and she'd hate herself forever if it was the latter. To wreck her friendship with Charlie would be to take away her reason for living. She considered changing her mind about the whole thing but Charlie was expectant and certainly wouldn't buy some lame excuse. And a lame excuse was all that Joey would be capable of.

"Joey? What is it?" Charlie asked.

She couldn't help but fear the worst. What if something had happened to Joey that Charlie didn't know about? What if something was wrong with her? What if she'd met someone and wanted to tell her nicely that their relationship would change? Or what if Joey was trying to tell her that things had gone too far between them with their kisses and cuddles and sleeping in each other's arms? She prepared her heart to break just in case.

"It's just that... I've been feeling for a while now that um... Ugh, why didn't I plan what I was going to say properly?"

She was furious with herself. Charlie began to worry.

"Just say it," she said, fearing the worst.

"I um... Okay, we've been friends our whole lives, right?" Joey tried.

Charlie nodded. She took her hand back. Physical contact while Joey was telling her something terrible wouldn't be good.

"It's just that... Charlie, you mean the world to me."

"And you mean the world to me," Charlie said sincerely.

She observed the way Joey was shaking. Even her lip was trembling and she'd gone very pale.

"I don't... I don't know if I should be saying this but I have to. I can't... can't stay quiet any longer. The thing is, Charlie that I..."

Joey closed her eyes and took a breath.

"I'm in love with you."

Charlie let her mouth fall open. She'd been prepared for anything but that. Staring at Joey, she had no idea what to say. Joey waited, holding her breath. When Charlie just stared, speechless, she began to panic.

"I'm sorry," she said hurriedly. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. I... I'll go. Here's the money for the meal and some cash for a cab home and I'll just... I'll see you at home or whatever. You don't have to. You can just... just not see me if you want. It's okay. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wreck anything. I'm sorry."

Fearfully, Joey tossed the money on the table and leapt from her seat intending to flee. Charlie sprang to life and gripped Joey's hand to stop her from going.

"I'm in love with you too," Charlie declared.

They gazed into each other's eyes, as if trying to guess that they were being real.

"You... you are?" Joey said, daring not to hope too hard.

"I've been in love with you all my life," Charlie admitted.

Joey let her breath go and smiled. She sat back down in her seat. Charlie couldn't stop smiling. It felt like all her dreams were coming true.

"I... I can't believe that this is happening," she admitted.

"Me neither," Joey said. "You have no idea how many times I've dreamed about this."

"I think I might if it's anything like the amount of times I've dreamed of it."

"I never thought you'd ever feel the same," Joey admitted.

"Then why did you say anything?"

Joey looked down at the table.

"My mother interfered, didn't she?" Charlie realised.

"Kinda."

Charlie laughed.

"I'm buying her a present tomorrow," she said.

The waitress came over and cleared their plates, asking if they would like to see a dessert menu. Charlie and Joey glanced at each other. Neither was in the mood to keep eating.

"Could we just have the bill please?" Joey asked.

"Would you like to um... go for a walk?" Charlie suggested.

Joey smiled happily.

"I would love that."

* * *

Exiting the restaurant, the women automatically headed towards the beach. Charlie shyly caught hold of Joey's hand. Joey smiled at her. They walked onto the sand in happy silence.

"How long have you...?" Charlie ventured.

"Forever," Joey said.

She laughed softly.

"I mean, obviously I didn't always know what it meant but I've always loved you, Charlie. You've been my world since I was born. I remember being a kid and just following you around all the time. Nothing mattered as long as we were together. I didn't care about growing up and getting married and having babies and all those things kids think about as long as you and I would be best friends forever."

Charlie blushed and squeezed Joey's hand.

"I guess I was around ten when I began to figure it out."

"Ten?" Charlie exclaimed.

Joey looked down at her feet, worrying that she'd revealed too much. Deciding that there was no such thing as 'too much' tonight, she opted to continue.

"I'd started thinking about you all the time. Every time we watched romantic films, I pictured you and me together. And every time you held me, I never wanted you to let me go. Then when you went on that disastrous date with Brett, I was devastated. I thought to myself that if anyone should take you out, it should be me."

"But you were dating Aden," Charlie said.

She'd never really got to the bottom of that strange yet special relationship.

"We knew pretty early on that it wasn't working. He had his own issues and we both knew I was gay," Joey explained. "We kissed and cuddled sometimes but that was all. Mostly we just hung out as friends. Once when we were fourteen, we tried to make it more but it just didn't work."

"Did he... does he know about me?" Charlie asked.

"He was the first and until yesterday, only person I ever told about my feelings for you," Joey said. "In fact, he told me."

Charlie grinned, thinking about Watson.

"What?" Joey asked, catching her look.

"Watson was the same with me," Charlie admitted.

"When?"

"Not long after I first met her. She said it was abnormal to miss someone the same amount as I missed you if they were just a friend. I had your picture by my bed and I talked about you all the time. Once night she got really drunk and declared what she knew about me. I completely panicked. I wasn't ready but eventually she coaxed it out of me. She even kissed me to prove that I was gay and liked kissing girls."

"You and Watson have kissed?" Joey exclaimed, her eyes wide.

Charlie nodded shyly. Joey giggled.

"I completely freaked the next morning and told her that everything said and done the night before was rubbish, meant nothing and wasn't true. That's... that's when I started dating Angelo. I couldn't handle the idea of loving you the way I knew deep down I did."

"Shall we sit?" Joey suggested.

Charlie nodded and the two of them sank down on the sand together, side by side, still holding hands.

"So, when we kissed on the boat trip, I really hadn't done anything wrong?" Joey wondered.

"No! You did nothing wrong. I was right there with you. I just didn't want to be."

"I worried for such a long time that I'd been predatory or something," Joey admitted.

"Oh, Joey! I'm sorry!" Charlie said, feeling emotional.

She moved to put her arm around Joey's shoulders. Joey leant her head against Charlie, enjoying the closeness and the honesty between them.

"The only reason I freaked was because it meant that I really was attracted to you," Charlie said. "I'd known for a while but it frightened me."

"How long?"

"Well, looking back, like I said, I loved you for always. I know I had terrible separation anxiety when I started school. I hated being away from you. And I know we drifted apart for a time and I hated that. I was torn between being carried away with Leah and Martha and Rachel and everyone and fitting in at school and wanting to still spend all my time with you."

Joey smiled, grateful to have some kind of explanation as to why, once upon a time they hadn't spent a lot of time together.

"In all honesty, I don't think I've ever stopped thinking about that kiss and how much I enjoyed it," Charlie admitted. "Same with the one the year after."

"Me too," Joey said. "Every kiss we've ever had has been amazing."

Charlie nodded in agreement.

"You're the most amazing kisser ever," she said.

Joey sat up straight and gazed into her eyes.

"I think that title goes to you," she replied.

Charlie licked her lips, deciding that moment was right. Feeling giddy, as if they had never kissed before, she slowly leant across. Joey's lips were ready and willing to receive her. Their hearts soared as they came together in gentle passion. Joey was tingling all over as Charlie's lips brushed hers. She felt her tentatively introduce her tongue. Thrilled, Joey parted her lips and let the kiss develop. Charlie used her thumb to stroke Joey's face. This was the best kiss she had ever had in her life. She hadn't thought that kissing Joey could get any better than it already was but this was different, more intense and amazing now that they were both being honest about their feelings. Drawing apart, they smiled at each other. Joey snuggled back into Charlie's shoulder. Joey giggled to herself.

"What?" Charlie asked curiously.

"I just can't believe I'm kissing you!"

Charlie chuckled.

"You've kissed me before," she said, although she knew what Joey meant.

"But this is different. This is... we're..."

Charlie swooped in and kissed her again. Surprised, Joey clung onto the love of her life, slipping into ecstasy as she and Charlie began to explore each other.

"This is perfect," she mumbled when they parted for a couple of seconds before resuming their affection.

* * *

A few minutes later, Charlie and Joey were sitting in each other's arms feeling elated.

"What about Roman?" Joey dared to ask. "You didn't love me then, right?"

"I did," Charlie said. "I was attracted to him but possibly not for the right reasons. He was pretty and handsome and it was exciting because he was older and a soldier. The fact that it pissed my Dad off so much made it all the more thrilling. I remember, when we were um... together... thinking to myself that if I couldn't fall for him then I would never fall for any man. I guess I kind of fell for him. But I was right in that I never fell for another man after him. And I remember trying to convince myself that he was a better kisser than you. When that failed I tried to convince myself you were only better because of our special connection."

"I was devastated when you went with him," Joey admitted. "I cried myself to sleep the night that you met him and kissed him in front of me. I couldn't bear it. That's why I left. Aden realised the problem and took me away to protect me."

"I'm sorry Joey," Charlie said honestly. "I never meant to hurt you."

"I know."

"I was just trying to be who I thought I was supposed to be. And then you met Zoe anyway."

Joey almost laughed. What an adventure she had had with Zoe.

"I was so jealous when you guys got together, knowing that you loved her."

"Really?" Joey said, full of wonder.

Charlie nodded.

"I couldn't bear to be second best."

"Charlie Buckton, you were never ever second best."

Charlie looked surprised, suddenly thinking back to the things her mother had said.

"That's half the reason we had so many problems."

"Because of me? I'm sorry."

"Zoe knew she'd never be the girl I loved most," Joey told her. "She knew that I would always hold a torch for you, that I would be with you if I got a chance."

"But you did have a chance," Charlie remembered. "On the boat."

"Well, I would never have cheated on her," Joey said. "That's the sole reason I pulled away. But if you'd have told me how you felt, I would have ended it with her and been with you."

"That's all I had to do?" Charlie almost shrieked.

She shook her head disbelievingly.

"I can't believe we wasted so many opportunities."

"I guess we were too scared to admit the truth," Joey said. "But at least we've done it now."

"What did Mum say to you yesterday?" Charlie asked.

"She told me to stop wasting time loving you in secret. She begged me to tell you how I felt so that we could be together."

"Did she tell you about um... her experiences of wasting time?"

"Her and my Mum?" Joey asked.

"Yeah."

"Yes, she did. I think it's awesome that they felt that way about each other."

"Me too. I guess our Dads were never really able to give our Mums what they wanted."

"Same as Zoe and Aden could never have been you."

"And Roman and Angelo could never have been you," Charlie agreed.

"You've always been my one and only, Charlie. Zoe knew it. I guess that's why after everything that happened, I couldn't quite bring myself to blame her. She'd drive me crazy with her paranoia but I couldn't truly deny that I had feelings for you, even though I wouldn't have acted on them when I was with her. And I guess that's why she cheated in the end."

"The stuff she did after was unforgiveable," Charlie said sternly.

"Yeah," Joey sighed. "So much happened because of that."

Charlie nodded and held Joey a little tighter, feeling protective and knowing full well what Joey was referring to.

"Hey, do you remember my graduation?"

Joey giggled.

"How could I forget? It was the first time I ever got drunk!"

"And lecherous. And cute."

"I kept staring at your boobs," Joey remembered.

"Yep," Charlie laughed.

"Well, I always was a fan of them."

"Really?"

"Hell, yeah!" Joey grinned. "They're amazing. Well, you know, the glimpses I've had of them. I've never seen them properly, of course. Oh, well except getting a good snuggle that time I buried my face in your cleavage as joke. Mmm... that was awesome! But I always closed my eyes when you were changing in front of me. I was absolutely lying when I told you I peeked."

Charlie chuckled.

"I know you were."

"I was proud of myself every time. It was so tempting!"

"It was purely out of respect for you that I never looked," Charlie admitted. "I always wanted to see you. I remember getting to touch one of them once, you know, when I was asleep."

"Oh yeah! I remember that!" Joey said. "It was awesome. You wouldn't keep your fingers still. I remember wondering what you were dreaming about."

Charlie flushed and ran her hand up and down Joey's arm, making them both tingle.

"And while we're embarrassing me I may as well admit to something terribly inappropriate," she said.

Joey looked up at her expectantly.

"When you fell in the sea that time and I found you all wet and um... cold..."

The time it was Joey's turn to blush.

"I couldn't help checking you out."

"No wonder you helped me out of my bra and t-shirt!" Joey laughed.

"Mmm... I remember seeing the outline of your breasts before I looked away and... wow."

"They're nothing special," Joey said modestly.

"From what I've seen, they are," Charlie confirmed. "I've been fantasising about them for years."

"Well it seems like fantasies might be coming true soon," Joey teased.

Charlie captured her mouth with another kiss. Both of them wanted to reach out and touch but they held back shyly. They weren't ready to be so bold yet.

"This is definitely a dream come true," Charlie said softly.

* * *

"What about Valentine's Day?" Charlie wondered when they finally parted and settled themselves in each other's arms again.

Joey thought back to the Valentine's night that, having broken up with Zoe, she had tearfully shown up at Charlie's door, catching her and Angelo mid-sex. Charlie had chosen to support Joey over being with her boyfriend and when he had angrily given her an ultimatum, she had dumped him. That night, they had curled up together in Charlie's bed and ended up kissing. It had been amazing but the next day, they had panicked and brushed it under the carpet.

"You regretted it again," Joey said.

"I regretted it?" Charlie said, stunned.

"Yes... you... you looked horrified when you woke up with me."

"Oh, Joey, I wasn't. I was just processing it and what it could mean for us because it felt like a different kind of kiss."

"It did," Joey agreed.

"But the next thing I knew you were running out of the room like your life depended on it."

Joey's heart sank, thinking that if they'd have only communicated, they could have got together much earlier than this.

"I thought you... I couldn't take the rejection I was sure was going to come."

"So you didn't give me a chance?"

"Pretty much. I'm an idiot."

"You're my idiot," Charlie said, kissing her softly.

Joey smiled into the kiss. If she could ever have described a perfect night with Charlie, this was it – kissing and holding each other and exploring the feelings they'd both held in for a tortuous amount of time.

"So, um, did you tell Watson about all that?" Joey asked.

Charlie nodded.

"Did you tell Aden?"

"Yeah. He was always pressuring me to tell you how I felt."

"So was Watson. She thought the New Year thing was awesome! So did I for that matter!"

"Me too!" Joey giggled. "That second time... you drove me crazy."

"Because it turned into a full on make out session?"

"You straddled me in that tiny dress!"

Charlie grinned.

"I didn't know where to look! I needed a cold shower before I went to sleep!"

"I didn't fare much better to be honest," Charlie admitted.

Joey snuggled in closer.

"Thank goodness for my mother!" Charlie said.

"Indeed."

"Did you tell her voluntarily?"

"No. She told me!"

Charlie laughed.

"She declared that we were in love with each other and told me to stop wasting time. She was so cool while I freaked out, Charlie," Joey said fondly. "She's the reason why we're sitting here right now."

"That's my Mum!" Charlie said affectionately.

"She said you'd been going to tell me last year..."

"Yeah, um..."

Charlie cleared her throat.

"I was."

She decided to leave it at that but Joey coaxed her into keeping talking by stroking her leg.

"When you met that girl at that club I got really jealous. I ranted about it so much to Mum, thinking it was going to be Zoe part three – I was jealous both times with her, I'm ashamed to admit – and it ended up coming tumbling out about how I felt. But then... then everything with... with um..."

"With Robbo," Joey realised.

"Happened," Charlie finished. "And suddenly declaring my feelings for you didn't seem appropriate anymore."

"I guess me coming on to you that night didn't help much, huh?"

"It wasn't the easiest," Charlie admitted. "It was like you were saying everything I wanted you to but..."

"Not how you wanted me to say it," Joey concluded.

"Exactly. I bought you flowers and everything."

"I thought they came from your Mum?"

"I lied. I was embarrassed. And then in the harsh light of day you took it all back and broke my heart."

"Oh, Charlie, I'm sorry," Joey apologised, feeling guilty. "I only took it back because I thought you'd be horrified to think I thought that way about you."

"I know. Well, I know that now. Back then I thought it was real. I thought you were mortified to have there be any kind of misunderstanding that you might have wanted me for years or anything."

"Well, I think we can safely conclude that I have definitely wanted you for years," Joey grinned.

"And now you can have me for years," Charlie promised.

Joey grinned wider, tilting her head to kiss her tenderly. Charlie wrapped her arms around her tightly, never wanting to let her go.

Guiding Joey back onto the sand, she covered her body with her own, overcome with passion. Joey wrapped her arms around Charlie's body, running her hands up and down her back and pulling their bodies closer together. Breathing heavily they explored each other before finally separating slightly.

"Should we get a cab home?" Charlie wondered.

Joey nodded.

They kissed again, instantly getting carried away again.

"In like a minute?" Joey suggested.

_

* * *

_

I hope this was worth waiting for! And yes, the story will continue. IJKS xxx


	36. Chapter 36

_Part two of your reward for so much faithful reading! IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Thirty-Six**

**April 2007**

Charlie and Joey arrived home, having held hands, giggled, talked and kissed the whole cab journey back. They kissed their way to Joey's bedroom. Pulling away, Joey yawned involuntarily and hoped that Charlie didn't notice. She did.

"You're tired," Charlie realised.

It had been a long and emotional night.

"No, I'm not," Joey lied, yawning again.

Charlie grinned, thinking her new girlfriend was adorable.

"I'm fine," Joey insisted.

She pouted in defeat once she had yawned a third time.

"Well, maybe I'm a little tired," Joey admitted, sounding utterly disappointed.

"How about we snuggle up together instead?" Charlie suggested, kissing Joey's neck.

"I wanted tonight to be a night to remember," Joey pouted.

"It already is," Charlie assured her. "And tomorrow will be too."

Together, they ventured into Joey's room, shutting the door behind them and began to strip off as if it were a normal day. When it came to removing their bras, they both blushed and shyly turned away, breaking into nervous laughter as they changed into pyjama tops. Climbing into bed and snuggling under the blankets, Charlie and Joey held each other even closer than they ever had before.

"This is the happiest night of my life, Charlie," Joey whispered.

"And mine," Charlie admitted. "I can hardly believe this is real."

"You'd better believe it because I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. Not ever."

"Now I'm even happier."

They kissed each other to sleep.

* * *

The following morning, Watson found Charlie and Joey sitting opposite each other on the sofa with their legs entwined, feeding each other grapes and giggling. She eyed them curiously and smiled.

"Are you two...?" she began.

Neither of them could suppress their smiles.

"Oh my goodness! Finally! At long bloody last! It's only been twenty fucking years!"

Charlie and Joey burst out laughing at Watson's amateur dramatics.

"How did this happen?" Watson asked. "Who kicked who up the arse to actually make you both come to your senses and realise you're made for each other?"

"Um... Aunt Elsie kicked me up the arse," Joey explained.

"What did she do that I didn't do?" Watson pouted. "I've been nagging Charlie for years."

"Well, I can assure you that she didn't kiss me," Joey teased.

Watson snorted and blushed all at the same time. Charlie nearly fell off the couch laughing.

"You told her about that?" Watson asked.

"Of course I did!" Charlie replied.

Watson shook her head and turned the kettle on.

"Well, I for one am thrilled. The sexual tension in this place was giving me a migraine!"

* * *

Charlie and Joey arrived at Elsie's house, having stopped off at Crumble to collect Charlie's mother's favourite dessert – a lemon meringue pie – as a thank you present. Holding hands, the two of them made their way up to the bedroom where Elsie was, as usual propped up against the pillows reading a book. She looked up and smiled when she saw them. Then she looked down at their clasped hands.

"How was dinner?" she asked curiously.

"Everything we all wanted it to be," Joey told her with a grin.

"Are you...?"

"Thank you for meddling, Mum," Charlie said, beaming.

She presented her mother with the pie and came to sit on the edge of the bed, pulling Joey beside her. Elsie was elated. She reached for both of them. It felt like one of the proudest moments of her life to know that her girls were finally together.

"Oh, I am so happy!" Elsie declared. "Finally! Finally you're together! And it's only taken twenty years!"

"Sarcasm not necessary," Charlie scolded gently.

Joey giggled as Elsie pulled them both into a hug.

"So, you went to dinner and..."

"And after a lot of stuttering and stammering, stopping and starting I finally told Charlie that I was in love with her," Joey explained.

"You what?"

All three women turned to face Ruby in the doorway. She stood there with wide eyes, leaning on the frames for support.

"Um..." Charlie faltered.

She and Joey looked helplessly at Elsie. Their bubble had officially burst. Ruby ventured further into the room.

"I thought you and Charlie had got together ages ago," she said, climbing onto the other side of the bed.

She peered at the pie with hungry eyes.

"Can I have some?"

The other three were speechless. Noting the stares, Ruby looked up.

"What?" she asked.

Elsie was the first to break the silence by bursting out laughing. Charlie and Joey followed suit.

"When did you think we got together?" Joey asked.

"Um, a few years ago," Ruby said. "At New Year. I sneaked back downstairs and you were making out."

Charlie and Joey's jaws dropped and they blushed.

"So I figured you'd been dating a while," Ruby continued. "It made sense really. You know, with the way you are together. You really only got together last night?"

"Yeah," Charlie said. "You don't have a problem with this?"

"No," Ruby said. "Why would I?"

"Well, because... because..."

"Because you're girls?" Ruby asked.

"Well, yeah," Charlie said quietly.

Ruby shrugged.

"I started wondering about you two when I was tiny," she said. "I've always thought of it as being as normal as boys and girls so, no; I don't have any problems with this at all. I'm happy so long as you're happy. And I can't think of two people more perfect for each other."

She smiled at them both.

"Can we have pie now?" she asked.

* * *

Having spent most of the day with Elsie and Ruby, Charlie and Joey made their excuses and headed home. In their silent, empty house, the girls suddenly felt shy. Standing in the middle of the room, the two of them held hands and looked into each other's eyes. Fascinated, Joey smiled into Charlie's face.

"You are so beautiful," she said.

Charlie blushed as they came together in a gentle kiss. Joey reached up and wrapped her arms around Charlie's shoulders, holding her close. Kissing each other softly again and again, they rested their foreheads together, still feeling a little nervous. Joey licked her lips. Their mouths were still so close that her tongue briefly touched Charlie's. They giggled. Taking the initiative, Joey led Charlie by the hand towards her bedroom.

Still gazing into Charlie's beautiful eyes, Joey pushed open her bedroom door and guided her inside. Charlie pulled it shut behind them. Joey clicked on a lamp, feeling shy and unable to speak. She had been waiting for this moment for almost all her life. They came together in a passionate kiss, wrapping their arms around each other, pressing lips against lips and letting their tongues dance. Breathlessly, they drew away, smiling at each other and blushing, wondering how they were going to get started. They had kissed so many times, touched so much, shared a bed on countless occasions and even got changed in front of each other. But to try and undress each other, to make love, was something different.

Taking a breath and trying to ignore the fact that her hands were shaking, Joey settled her fingers on the first button of Charlie's black shirt. She glanced up at Charlie to make sure it was okay. Charlie smiled at her, nodding slightly. Joey undid the button and moved onto the next. Still with trembling fingers, she managed to unbutton all six. Charlie held her breath as she felt Joey's fingertips slip inside her shirt and travel up the bare skin of her torso. Joey paused for a fraction of a second as she reached the material of Charlie's bra but then continued, letting her fingers and palms glide over it. She heard Charlie exhale.

Reaching her shoulders, Joey slipped Charlie's shirt off. It dropped silently to the floor. It was far from the first time Joey had seen Charlie in this state of undress but it was certainly the most special time. She looked stunning in her blue jeans and black bra, her hair tumbling down her back, a shy smile on her face, lit by the lamp and the light of the moon pouring in through the open window. Wanting to take it in turns, Charlie moved closer. She kissed Joey once on her mouth, then her jaw, then on two different places on her neck. That morning, Joey had dressed in the red vest top that Charlie had coyly admitted liking so much. Charlie kissed along the neckline, just above the fabric of the top and then gently ran her hands down Joey's front, enjoying the contours of her body as she took in her breasts and abdomen. Reaching the bottom of her clothing, Charlie eased it up. Complying, Joey put her arms up and let Charlie remove the material. It fell to the floor as silently as Charlie's shirt had. It seemed that neither outfit wanted to be on their bodies anymore. Charlie couldn't help but grin. Joey was in a red bra. She looked amazing.

"I like to be colour co-ordinated," Joey said shyly.

She blushed and bowed her head. Charlie captured her mouth in a kiss.

"Every time I think it's impossible for you to get any hotter, you do!" Charlie almost growled.

They kissed hard, not allowing any room for air. Charlie started forward, guiding Joey back onto the bed. The two of them landed on the mattress in a clumsy cuddle, breaking apart only to laugh. They touched noses and gazed into each other's eyes, still laughing.

"I love you so much, Joey," Charlie breathed. "I am so happy to be here with you tonight."

"This is my dream come true," Joey whispered.

They kissed again, more tenderly this time. With Charlie on top of Joey, she brushed her lips softly over hers. She wondered how she could have ever thought of not being with Joey. Suddenly everything made perfect sense and she chastised herself for ever trying to not want this when it felt so right. In spite of or perhaps because of Joey's gender, they were perfect for each other and they always had been. They always would be. Just the feel of Joey's lips against hers made Charlie tingle. She tingled even more when she felt Joey introduce her tongue.

Welcoming her inside, their kiss developed. Charlie had been supporting herself on her hands, resting either side of Joey's head. Now she moved so that she was resting on one elbow and freed her other hand. She let that hand trail down Joey's body. She enjoyed the reaction of Joey's body as she squirmed under her touch. Charlie bent her head to let her lips join her fingers and kiss wherever she could reach. Joey smiled happily and looked up at the ceiling, revelling in Charlie's touch. She never thought she'd be so lucky as to enjoy a moment such as this. Already this was better than anything she had ever experienced before. Charlie slipped her hand down and rested it at the top of Joey's black jeans. Just as Joey had done when removing Charlie's shirt, Charlie looked into her eyes. Joey nodded, encouraging her and waiting for things to develop even further. Charlie fumbled with the button and then the zip. She pulled herself off the bed, standing by Joey's legs so that she could remove her jeans. Joey lifted her hips to help her. Charlie dropped the item without even noticing as she stared at Joey lying flat on her back in her red lacy underwear. She was the most beautiful vision that Charlie had ever seen in her life. She didn't think she would ever be able to stop gazing at her. Joey sat up quickly, startling Charlie. She reached out for the button on Charlie's jeans. Sliding the zip down, she guided the fabric down her girlfriend's never ending legs. Charlie stepped out of them and, a little embarrassed, permitted Joey to look at her in the same fascinated, hungry way. Joey once again considered herself to be the luckiest woman on earth. She could hardly believe that she'd ever forced herself to be satisfied with friendship when she could have had all this. She leant closer and kissed Charlie, just beneath her belly button. Charlie shivered in delight as Joey kissed her way up her body slowly and sensuously, occasionally introducing her tongue. Moving so that they were standing intimately close, Joey and Charlie wrapped their arms around each other. Joey buried her face in Charlie's neck, kissing and nibbling her flesh ever so gently. Her hair was tickling Charlie, only heightening all the sensations that were rushing through her body. She tensed slightly when she felt Joey begin to unhook her bra. Feeling the tightening of her body, Joey looked up sharply.

"Is that not okay?" she asked worriedly.

She did not want to make a wrong move. Their love felt fragile, not quite fully formed yet and she didn't want to break it.

"It's perfectly okay," Charlie assured her. "I guess I'm just nervous. After so long being friends..."

"I know," Joey agreed. "I'm nervous too."

"Really? You seem so... sure of yourself."

Joey left Charlie's bra strap on one hook and took Charlie's hand. She placed it over her heart.

"Feel that?" she asked.

Charlie was surprised at how fast Joey's heart was racing.

"It's racing because I'm scared. It's racing because I'm excited. And it's racing because it's so full of love for you that it doesn't know what to do with itself."

Charlie's smile widened. She kissed Joey tenderly, took her hands and put them back on her bra clasp. Grinning, Joey finished what she'd started and let the lacy garment fall between them. Charlie stretched to free her arms and then she discarded the item.

Joey licked her lips, her mouth having suddenly gone dry at the sight of Charlie's ample chest. She truly was the most perfect creation. Joey dared to reach out and touch, gently stroking her fingertips over Charlie's soft skin. She glanced up at Charlie. They smiled affectionately at each other. Joey's hands continued to explore the smooth surface of Charlie's breasts, making patterns and circles, coming closer to but never quite touching her already erect nipples. Every inch of Charlie was on fire. She loved the look of delight and concentration on Joey's face as she explored and teased. And she loved the effect they both seemed to have on each other. She gasped suddenly as Joey's thumbs reached their destination and then hurried away. Joey looked up at her, grinning wickedly. Charlie matched her grin as Joey came back for more. Time and again, Joey brushed Charlie's peaks, taking a firmer hold of them at last, relishing the feel of them between her thumbs and index fingers.

Joey had never been so aware of her own and someone else's body before. She was enthralled by Charlie, loved the texture of her skin and the way her touch seemed to excite her. Touching Charlie excited Joey beyond the telling of it. She wondered how she would be able to keep control when the time came for Charlie to touch her. Slipping her hands down to Charlie's waist, she turned both their bodies round so that Charlie had her back to the bed. Nudging her backwards, Joey guided Charlie to sit on the mattress. Joey moved to straddle her lap. She kissed her softly before leaning Charlie back so she was lying down again. Joey covered Charlie's body, moving down so that her mouth was in line with her breasts. She kissed her chest delicately. Eventually, she settled her attention to Charlie's right breast. She used her left hand to toy with Charlie's nipple, enjoying how responsive she was, both with her body and with the soft moans she was emitting. Joey quickly let her mouth descend and her tongue play. Charlie felt a thrill rush through her as Joey took control of her breast. Shifting slightly, without releasing Charlie, Joey used her other hand to tease Charlie's unattended nipple. Charlie wondered, not for the first time, why they had waited so long. After a lot of tender attention, provoking much delight from Charlie, Joey resurfaced and gently kissed her lips. They kissed over and over again and before Joey knew what was happening, she was flat on her back. She looked around in surprise and then back at Charlie who was grinning wickedly.

"You are good," Joey declared.

"Hopefully that's what you'll continue to say," Charlie replied.

"I have no doubt," Joey said, kissing her again.

Charlie guided Joey up so that they were both kneeling together in the middle of the double bed, their bodies barely inches apart. They kissed again. Charlie let her eyes wander up and down Joey's body.

"I'm not sure I even want you out of those things," Charlie said, referring to Joey red underwear, desire evident in her voice.

"I could keep my clothes on if you like..." Joey teased.

Charlie gave her a possessive look and reached a hand in between Joey's slightly parted legs. Joey gasped as Charlie began to run her fingers over her, through the lace, stroking her most sensitive places. Charlie was intrigued and thrilled to feel the heat and moisture between Joey's legs. To think that she was responsible for that kind of response was extremely arousing. She felt the heat between her own legs increase.

"I definitely want your clothes off," Charlie decided.

She removed her hand and let it settle on Joey's breast, once again over her dwindling clothing. Her other hand settled on Joey's other breast and she let her fingers play, enjoying the way Joey's nipples hardened through the material so instantaneously. Charlie kissed Joey passionately and moved her hands round to her bra clasp. She suddenly felt like a virgin.

"I may um... have trouble," she said worriedly.

She had no idea how to undo a bra from this angle and was afraid of embarrassing herself by trying.

"Do you want me to?" Joey offered.

Charlie nodded. Joey reached behind her and undid her own bra, letting it drop. Charlie flung it off the bed. She guided Joey onto her back again and continued her pleasure assault on her breasts, paying close attention to every aspect of her skin. She loved the way Joey looked and felt. Introducing her lips and tongue, she quickly decided that she loved the way she tasted and the texture of her nipple on her tongue. She never wanted this night to end. She kissed her way down to the top of Joey's underwear and then back up to her breasts, taking one and then the other into her mouth. She kissed Joey's mouth again and gazed into her eyes. When her hair fell forward, Joey reached out and tucked it behind her ears.

"I have never seen anybody more beautiful in my whole life," Joey whispered.

Charlie blushed.

"I was worried that it would be strange to do... this with... you," Joey admitted. "But nothing has ever felt so right before."

"It really does feel right, doesn't it?" Charlie agreed. "I thought it would be strange too, to make love after being friends for so long but every time I think to myself 'I'm about to have sex with Joey', it's not in a shocked kind of way, it's in an enthralled, amazed kind of way."

Joey smiled.

"I didn't think it was possible to be this happy," she said.

"Nor did I. But you complete me, Joey."

They kissed again and Joey gently rolled Charlie onto her back. She kissed her way down Charlie's body, paying particular attention to her neck and breasts, finally settling between her legs. Her heart raced even quicker as she realised there was just one piece of thin, black material between her mouth and the only part of Charlie she had never encountered. She placed a kiss there, over the fabric. Charlie quivered beneath her, anticipating what would happen next. She lifted her hips when she felt Joey begin to tug her underwear down. Joey forced herself not to look until the skimpy material was on the floor. Then she settled back between Charlie's legs, taking in how beautiful she was. She kissed her once and then ran her tongue up and down Charlie's centre. Charlie opened her legs a little wider, not wanting to restrict Joey in any way. She was trembling with excitement as she felt Joey begin to explore her with her mouth and fingers, circling her entrance and gently pushing a digit inside before finding her clit and applying firm strokes with her tongue.

As Joey gained more confidence, she listened to Charlie's reactions, figuring out quickly what Charlie particularly enjoyed. Charlie gripped the blanket tightly in her fist as pleasure threatened to overwhelm her. Joey was so gentle and yet so confident and in control. Her tongue toyed with her most sensitive part while she penetrated her with one, simple yet provocative finger. Charlie had never experienced anything like it. It was out of this world.

Joey worked hard to please Charlie. It made her head spin and she loved the way Charlie responded, especially the way she gasped and moaned. Charlie felt a wave of orgasm approaching. She cried out as it took over her body. Joey was thrilled as Charlie exploded, knowing that it was because of her. She finished by licking and kissing Charlie repeatedly, withdrawing her finger slowly and tracing it and her other hand up and down her inner thighs. Watching Charlie begin to settle, she continued to kiss Charlie's most intimate place before travelling up her body again. She paid brief but careful attention to Charlie's breasts as she reached her mouth and then she settled on top of her, snuggling in close. Still recovering, Charlie wrapped her arms around Joey, stroking her hair.

"That was amazing," she breathed.

"I'm glad," Joey said.

She truly was glad. She'd been nervous about making it perfect for Charlie. She'd been desperate to get it right. Charlie continued to stroke Joey's hair, feeling emotional as she clung to her lover. Joey held onto Charlie's free hand. She placed a delicate kiss on her chest.

If Charlie hadn't already thought that Joey was the most wonderful person on the planet, she certainly did now. She smiled to herself, thinking back through their life. Who would have known that the girl who had followed her round as a kid, who had cried when she'd fallen over and grazed her knee; the woman who worked on boats, got silly on wine and loved reading _Harry Potter_, could be such an amazing lover? Who'd have known that she could make her feel this way? Her smile got wider when she pictured their future together, doing this over and over again for so many years to come. She wanted to do this, be with Joey for the rest of her life.

"I am so in love with you," Charlie said dreamily.

Joey propped herself up so that she could look into Charlie's face. She smiled.

"I'm in love with you too," she said. "I can hardly believe this is only the first time."

"The first of many though, right?" Charlie checked.

"I want to be with you forever, Charlie," Joey said. "If you'll have me."

"Forever," Charlie confirmed, gently easing Joey onto her back.

Shaking a little, partly from everything her body had been through and partly from nerves, Charlie covered Joey's expectant body in kisses. As Joey had done, she paused to play with Joey's breasts as she made her descent. Reaching her hand down, she stroked Joey between her legs over the material of her last remaining item of clothing. She traced her finger up and down, enjoying the way Joey fidgeted.

Eventually, she nudged the fabric aside and came into contact with what she really wanted to. Blind, she searched her, exploring just with one digit, delighted by every surface she found. The thong Joey was wearing began to get in the way of her movements so Charlie took the initiative to remove it, allowing her to finally see her. She positioned herself between Joey's legs and kissed her thighs. Joey couldn't help but smile to herself, relishing every touch. Charlie ran her tongue over Joey and dipped inside her, delving deep and then moving to focus on the bundle of nerves that were aching to be touched, pleasuring her as passionately and tenderly as possible.

Remembering everything she had enjoyed, Charlie teased Joey, becoming turned on herself as Joey writhed beneath her, gasping for breath and moaning faint vowel sounds. Joey ran her fingers through her own hair, pulling it tight as Charlie played with her. If she hadn't known her lover so well, she wouldn't have believed that Charlie had never been with a woman before. She knew exactly what to do. Orgasm overwhelmed Joey almost too quickly. She wanted to bask in the teasing forever.

As she climaxed, Charlie continued to lick every part of her, kissing and stroking, wanting to be as engaged with her as she possibly could. She had never enjoyed giving or receiving pleasure like this so much in her entire life. This is what she was made for. Joey was who she was made for.

Climbing back up so they were face to face and feeling reluctantly exhausted, Charlie almost collapsed on top of Joey, who welcomed her with open arms. They kissed passionately and held each other close.

"These last two nights have been the best of my life," Joey said, still breathing a little erratically.

"Mine too," Charlie replied dreamily. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me, Joey. I love you with my every breath."

They slipped under the blankets together to wrap up in each other's arms, kissing until sleep claimed them.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter Thirty-Seven**

**May 2007**

Joey woke up, rolled over, kissed Charlie lightly on her cheek and then crept out of bed to have a shower. Still sleepy but at least clean when she emerged again, she headed back into her room. Charlie was sitting up against the pillows blinking a lot, which suggested that she had forced herself awake. Joey frowned.

"Charlie Buckton, you don't have to be up for another two hours," she said with her hands on her hips.

"You know I like to say goodbye," Charlie replied, stretching.

Joey smiled affectionately and came to sit on the edge of the bed, kissing her girlfriend good morning. After only a month it felt like they had been together forever. She supposed in a lot of ways, they had been. As they kissed, Charlie couldn't quite resist tugging on Joey's towel.

"Charlie..." Joey warned playfully.

"I'm helping you get dressed!" Charlie insisted.

They did this every morning that Joey had to go to work. She'd get up and shower, Charlie would force herself awake so that she could say goodbye, she'd be 'helpful' by taking off Joey's towel, they'd get a little carried away, realise that Joey was going to be late, forcing Joey to get dressed and hurry out the door and then Charlie would go back to sleep with happy dreams. Grinning, Joey held her hands up and let Charlie work her magic, deciding that they would get more done if she didn't resist. Thrilled, Charlie set to work and pulled Joey backwards onto the bed. Giggling, they kissed tenderly, letting their hands wander.

* * *

Forty-five minutes later, Joey rushed out of the door, still with wet hair. She ran down the road towards the dock as fast as her legs would carry her, smiling to herself. Perhaps it wasn't the most practical routine in the world but it was one that she loved. Life with Charlie as her lover was a million times better than life with Charlie just as her friend and that had been pretty special in itself. Arriving first on the boat, she took in the fresh sea air and began work, waiting for the rest of the crew to join her.

* * *

Having surfaced herself a little while later, Charlie got ready for work. On her way to breakfast, she met Watson in the kitchen and put on a pot of coffee for both of them.

"I thought I was good but you two..." Watson commented.

Charlie stopped and eyed her curiously.

"Your squeals of delight woke me up at stupid o'clock this morning. She has to be at work at six in the morning, Charlie and you _still_ get laid before she goes? That is some serious commitment!"

Charlie blushed and focussed on her task, cursing the walls for being so thin. She wondered if they ought to spend weekdays in her room across the hall instead. Watson grinned at her.

"What's your plan for the day?" she asked her embarrassed housemate.

"Work and then seeing my Mum," Charlie said.

It was what she did every day. Elsie was becoming increasingly poorly. Ruby was away at school and Ross was useless, not to mention unkind these days. He was nice to Elsie when he was around but when he'd found out about Charlie and Joey, father and daughter had fallen out. That was just under a month ago and they'd hardly spoken since. And he was giving her the worst assignments at work. It was making life uncomfortable to say the least but Charlie knew there was no turning back now. She had spent too long fighting her feelings for Joey and giving into them, being with her was far too wonderful to give it up now.

"How's she doing?" Watson asked.

"She sleeps most of the time now," Charlie said sadly. "The nurse put her on a drip yesterday because she can hardly eat. They've increased the morphine. But she's still smiling."

Watson smiled and shook her head, wondering how the last part could even be possible.

"She's a brave woman, Charlie."

"The bravest."

* * *

At school, Ruby was on high alert. Every day that she rang home, her mother was more poorly. She was just waiting for the phone call to say that she'd gone. Ruby had never had so much empathy for another person before but now she really understood some of what Joey had been through. Here she was now, not even fourteen yet and she was about to lose her mother. It wasn't fair. All she wanted was to go home and spend the last few days with her. She didn't want to hang around waiting for a phone call.

* * *

In the middle of the afternoon, Joey finished work and hopped off the boat. She said goodbye to her friends and walked along the wharf. Spotting Aden up ahead leaving his boat, the boat that she would hopefully own half of in a few months time, she smiled and waved. He stopped and waited for her to catch up and the two of them headed to Crumble together. Joey was starving and internally criticised herself yet again for never making enough time to have breakfast. Charlie was just too tempting in the mornings to think of logical things like food, hairdryers or matching socks.

"How was your day at sea?" Aden asked cheerfully.

"Pretty good thanks," Joey said, as they sat themselves down at a table. "And yours?"

"Yeah, it was okay. Gibsy's getting jittery about your birthday."

"Oh, I didn't know he cared!" Joey said sarcastically.

Aden grinned.

"Do you know what's going to happen when you turn twenty two?" he asked.

Joey shrugged.

"Brett and I were about to start talking again and then he freaked over Charlie and I getting together so we're back to not communicating," she explaining. "So, I really don't know what's going to happen but technically, I'll own half the business and half the house so you never know, you and I might be able to work together again."

"I seriously hope so! I miss you so much!"

Joey grinned. They both looked up when Leah approached their table, ready to take their order.

"Hey, guys! What can I get you?" she asked, cheerful as ever.

"I'd love a tuna salad please," Joey said.

"Yeah, same for me please, Leah," Aden said, marvelling at the fact that they'd spent their entire day hauling in fish and now they were eating some of the stuff one of them had probably caught.

"No problem," Leah said.

"How's everything going?" Joey asked. "I feel like I haven't spoken to you properly in forever."

"Been too busy holed up in your bedroom with Charlie, hey?" Aden cracked.

She poked him in the arm. Leah laughed.

"I'm so happy for you guys," she said. "Part of me was surprised and part of me wonders why I didn't see it coming. You two are so perfect for each other."

"Thanks," Joey said, blushing. "How are things with Vinnie?"

Leah and Vinnie had been dating since that fateful Valentine's Day which had brought together and broken apart so many different couples. The big smile that appeared on Leah's face told Joey and Aden all they needed to know.

"We're actually thinking of moving in together," she said.

"Oh, wow! That's amazing!" Joey enthused.

"Congratulations," Aden said.

"Hey, a bunch of us are going to the Juke at the weekend," Leah said. "I know you and Charlie spend every night with Elsie but if you'd be able to make it, we'd all love to see you. Everyone's going to be there."

"Thanks for inviting me!" Aden said sarcastically.

"Oh, hush up, I've invited Belle," Leah laughed.

Aden grinned. Belle rarely let him know these things in advance. She was the boss. He just showed up where she told him to be and he liked it that way.

"How about it, Joey?" Leah asked hopefully.

"I'll speak to Charlie," she said. "It depends on Elsie but it'd be nice to see you all. It feels like an age!"

* * *

Charlie was stuck at her desk doing paperwork. She was bored and restless and endless paper chasing let her brain wander to thinking about her mother. Her father had essentially grounded her, just when she thought those days were over. Ever since she and Joey had told him about their relationship, their already fragmented father-daughter-bond had completely fractured. Now they didn't talk and he was treating her abysmally at work. She looked up when a shadow fell over her desk.

"Charlie, Watson, you're up," Ross said, stern as ever.

"We are?" Charlie asked, trying not to sound elated.

"Someone's pissed off because they think they've been short changed at the Juke. Go fix it."

Sighing at the lack of a task, Charlie hauled herself to her feet and followed Watson out the door.

"Sorry he's punishing you too," she said to her friend.

* * *

Having finished their lunches, Aden headed back home to get showered before Belle got home from her job at the newspaper. Joey hurried home, showered again, actually managed to dry her hair and then headed round to see Elsie to take over from the nurse Ross had employed to take care of her when he, Charlie and Joey all happened to be on the same shift. Joey had originally run straight from work to Elsie until Charlie had realised that she wasn't making time for lunch and so had enforced a minimum of forty-five minutes rest in between her duties. Reluctantly, Joey had agreed. Work was physical and Elsie was emotionally draining. Just as it had been with her own mother, watching Charlie's Mum deteriorate day after day, waiting for the end was excruciatingly painful. Quietly, she let herself into the house and headed up the stairs. Creeping into the bedroom, she and the nurse swapped shifts. When the woman had left, Joey sat down in the chair beside Elsie whose eyes fluttered open. She reached out for Joey's hand. Joey took it immediately.

"Hey, Aunt Elsie," she said softly. "How are you feeling today?"

"As stunning as I look," Elsie said, trying to laugh.

Joey smiled a little and kissed the back of Elsie's hand.

"You look beautiful," she said.

"Always the charmer, hey Joey?"

"You know me," Joey grinned.

"Have you seen my girl today?"

"She's at work but she'll be here in a couple of hours to spend the evening with you. We'll both be here."

"I'm so happy you two got together before... before."

Joey clenched her jaw. She didn't like thinking about what was coming next for Elsie. A part of her still hoped for a miraculous recovery.

"And I'm sorry about Ross."

"He'll get over it."

"He will," Elsie said as certainly as her frail voice would allow. "I'll make sure of it."

* * *

Eventually, Charlie had managed to resolve the situation in the Jukebox by convincing Martha to close one till and check that she wasn't overdue any change. It had taken a while but finally, she had confirmed that she had short changed nobody and the woman had gone away grumpy but subdued.

"Sorry to make you do that," Charlie apologised, leaning on the counter. "I didn't see any other way to get rid of her."

The woman had been making quite a racket. Charlie had been half tempted to take her in for disturbing the peace purely for entertainment but she'd decided that that was a bad thing to do.

"No worries," Martha said. "Sorry I had to drag you both out here."

"No problem at all!" Charlie and Watson said in unison.

Martha eyed them both curiously.

"My Dad has us both on desk duty," Charlie explained.

"Why?"

"Because I'm gay."

"And gay people can't be cops because...?"

Charlie was amused at how baffled her friend was.

"He's punishing me for letting him down, bringing shame on the family and all that crap," Charlie explained.

"Oh, you mean the family that's completely supportive all except for him?" Martha asked.

"That's the one!"

Martha shook her head, exasperated.

"Well, I for one am thrilled for you and Joey. In all my life I don't think I've ever seen either of you so happy before."

"Thank you," Charlie said.

"I wanted to ask you a question actually."

Charlie raised her eyebrows expectantly.

"Okay, well, you know the wedding is next May?"

"No, really? Is it?" Charlie teased.

Martha swatted her playfully on the arm.

"Well, I was wondering if you would be one of my bridesmaids."

"Really?" Charlie said, genuinely touched.

"Yeah. Would you?"

"I would love to!"

They hugged over the counter.

"I've asked Rachel and Leah too – you know, 'the girls' as we were back when we first started high school. You don't think Joey will be offended, do you?"

"This is Joey we're talking about. She doesn't do offended."

"We were going to ask her to do a reading or something," Martha said.

"She'd be thrilled to do something like that," Charlie confirmed.

Her friend beamed at her.

"We'd better head back, I guess," Watson said with a sigh.

Charlie grimaced.

"Yeah, I guess," she said.

She never thought she'd see the day when she disliked her job.

* * *

Once Elsie was more awake, she'd perked up ad even convinced Joey to help her sit up against the pillows. Sitting at her bedside as she did every afternoon, Joey hardly noticed the time passing as they'd chatted and laughed like nothing terribly tragic was happening right in that very room.

"Joey," Elsie said, her tone suddenly serious. "You will take care of Charlie, won't you?"

"Of course I will, Elsie," Joey promised.

"I know she tries to be all brave and strong and she's been so good devoting her life to taking care of me while I'm sick but I know her. I know she's suffering and I know she's putting all her efforts into the practicalities and not dealing with the emotional. When I'm gone..."

Joey bowed her head.

"When I'm gone," Elsie said firmly. "There will a void in her life and she'll struggle to cope."

"I know."

"Please don't let her fill that void with work or arguments with her Dad. Please make her deal with her feelings and protect her while she does."

"I will, Elsie. I'm going to be there for whatever Charlie needs. And I won't let her run away from her feelings. I promise I'll take care of her. And I'll help her take care of Ruby."

"Ruby..." Elsie said softly. "I wish Ross hadn't sent her away. Maybe I'm being selfish but I wish I could say goodbye to her properly."

"I know," Joey replied in the same tone.

They held hands.

* * *

Charlie arrived at her parents' house as quickly as possible and headed straight up to her mother's room where she could hear Elsie and Joey laughing softly. Entering the room, Charlie greeted Joey with a kiss on the lips and then approached her mother's bedside to kiss her forehead. She sat on the side of the bed, careful not to nudge her mother in any way and prepared to start her evening of bedside cheer.

* * *

That evening, Ruby sat on her bed and dialled home on her mobile. It was her usual duty call that she fearfully made. She didn't want to know how her mother was. She was afraid that something terrible would happen every day. All she wanted was to come home and be with her.

"Hello?"

Charlie answered the phone.

"Hi Charlz, it's Ruby," her little sister greeted.

"Hey, Rubes," Charlie said. "How are you?"

"Yeah, I'm good."

"How was school?"

"Boring. How's Mum?"

"Yeah, she's okay. She's right here. I'll pass her over."

Charlie held the phone against Elsie's ear until Elsie could hold it in place herself.

"Hey, baby girl," Elsie said.

"Hi, Mum. How are you feeling?"

"Yeah, I'm not so bad today," Elsie lied. "Joey's been taking care of me all afternoon and she and Charlie are both here now."

"That's good."

Charlie and Joey excused themselves to let Elsie and Ruby talk in private.

* * *

Downstairs, Charlie and Joey began to make dinner for themselves, Elsie and Ross, even though they would leave as he arrived back and Elsie barely ate. In the kitchen, Charlie wrapped her arms around Joey and held her tight. Joey kissed Charlie's neck and breathed in her scent. No matter what, she always smelt so good.

"Hey, um, I don't know if you'll be up for it but Leah and everyone are going for drinks at the weekend if we wanted to go. I said I'd ask you," Joey told Charlie.

"Oh, well, yeah, depending on how Mum is and if Dad's around. It might be nice to socialise a little bit," Charlie admitted.

"Charlie!" Elsie called down the stairs.

Her voice was faint but just about audible. Charlie hurried up to her.

"Ruby wants to talk to you again," her mother said.

Charlie nodded and accepted the phone. She turned back to her Mum.

"Will you be okay if I go back downstairs?"

"Of course," Elsie promised.

Charlie spoke into the receiver as she trotted down the stairs.

"What's up, Rubes?"

"I want to come home."

"Ruby..."

"Mum's dying and I don't want to be away at some dumb school when she does. I want to be allowed to say goodbye."

"Ruby, we can't just take you out of school."

"I'll go to school at home, like I did before. And I can come home each afternoon and spend time with Mum. It's not fair that I'm being shut away like this, Charlie."

"Dad wanted to protect you from all this, Ruby. Mum's sick. It's not fun here. It's hard work."

When Charlie reappeared in the kitchen looking stressed, Joey stopped chopping vegetables and eyed her worriedly.

"I know that, Charlie! I'm thirteen, not the victim of a lobotomy! I know she's sick. I know it's hell at home. Why do you think I want to get back there? I want to be part of our family again. I hate being shut away from you guys. I hate the fact that I've lost my mother before she's really gone."

Charlie failed to fight tears at her sister's sorrow. She sighed heavily, not wanting to make promises she couldn't keep.

"You need to say that to Dad," she said finally.

"He won't listen."

"He'll listen to you a hell of a lot more readily than he'll listen to me," Charlie admitted.

"Are you still not speaking?" Ruby wondered. "Just because of you and Joey?"

"Pretty much."

"Why can't he get anything right?" Ruby sighed, sounding far older than her age.

"I have no idea, sweetheart," Charlie said. "I wish there was something more I could do."

"I know. Thank you anyway, Charlie."

Joey was ready to catch Charlie as she hung up the phone and sank against her, as if her bones were made of rubber. She sobbed into her girlfriend's shoulder.

* * *

A few days later, Joey approached Elsie's room, having just finished the dishes. Elsie was sleeping and Charlie was sitting by her side, watching her. Standing behind her, Joey leant forward and wrapped her arms around Charlie's shoulders. Charlie looked up, smiling sadly. She was met with a kiss.

"Did you give her the next dose of morphine?" Joey asked.

"Yeah, she drifted right off," Charlie replied. "It's terrible but I get panicked when she goes to sleep in case... in case it's the last time."

Joey held her a little tighter.

"Come and sit," Charlie offered, gesturing to her legs.

Joey moved to sit on Charlie's lap, her arm round her neck. Charlie supported Joey's back. They clasped their free hands together.

"Thank you for everything you do, Joey," Charlie said.

It wasn't the first time she'd found herself marvelling at her partner's dedication. Even before they'd got together, Joey had been so caring towards Elsie. She devoted her life to taking care of her as much as Charlie did. She loved her as if she was her own mother. She supposed in a way, Elsie was exactly that to her.

"It's fine," Joey shrugged.

"Thank you for always being here."

"Where else would I be?" Joey asked seriously.

Smiling, Charlie tilted her head. Joey bent lower and kissed Charlie softly on the lips.

"You're my family, Charlie. Elsie's been a Mum to me. She's always been in my life. She's always been so good to me. There's no way I'd leave her now. And there's no way I'd do anything but take care of you too."

They kissed again.

"Besides, I've promised her now," Joey said, chuckling softly.

"Promised?"

"Promised that I'll always look after you," Joey told her. "I swore to your Mum and it's something I'm never taking back."

"I'm glad," Charlie said. "I want us to spend the rest of our lives taking care of each other."

They kissed softly again.

* * *

Ross stood in the doorway on his wife's bedroom. She was asleep. His lesbian daughter and her lesbian lover were sitting together on a chair kissing.

"Do you have no sense of decency?" he demanded.

Both girls jumped in fright. Joey landed in a heap on the floor.

"Making out while your mother dies right in front of you?" Ross yelled.

Charlie bent down to pull Joey to her feet. Both of them looked horrified.

"We weren't making out!" Charlie hissed angrily. "We we comforting each other because we felt sad! Now, would you please keep your voice down? If she wakes up, she'll be in pain and she won't be allowed any more morphine for four hours!"

Ross just shook his head and stormed out of the room. Glancing at each other, the girls followed him downstairs into the living room. Joey couldn't help but rub her back where she'd landed a little too hard.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? That was completely inappropriate!" Ross yelled, turning red in the face.

"If Mum had woken up and seen us kissing, she wouldn't have cared," Charlie argued. "You are the only one with a problem here."

"Well excuse me if I don't like the fact that my daughter is running around with some lesbian!"

"You're not excused!" Charlie snapped.

Joey wished the world would swallow her whole.

"Look, I'm home now so you can go," Ross told them.

"Are you going to be in tomorrow night?" Charlie asked.

"Yes. Why?"

"We're going out."

Charlie took Joey's hand and led her out the door. Watching them go, Ross sank down onto the sofa in tears, cursing himself for mishandling every situation he seemed to find himself in. All he wanted was to do right by his wife and his girls but it seemed impossible.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter Thirty-Eight**

**May 2007**

"Well, here's to us!" Vinnie said proudly.

A large cluster of glasses crashed together in a toast to him and Leah moving in together.

"Straight people do it the other way around," Watson tease, nudging Charlie. "They start dating and _then _they move in together."

Charlie sighed and shook her head.

"I thought the ribbing would end when Joey and I got together and yet it continues!" she said with mock exasperation.

"Hey, I've been poking fun at you for as long as I've known you," Watson protested. "It's part of our loving, wonderful relationship. It'd be abnormal if I didn't tease you."

"Uh huh," Charlie replied, remaining unconvinced.

Watson's grin was the same cheeky one she had always given her. She slung her arm around her friend's shoulders.

"Oh, you know I love you, Charlie."

"Not too much I hope," said a voice behind them.

Turning, they saw Joey trying to look stern but she immediately started laughing. Charlie welcomed her into her arms and kissed the top of her head. It felt good to be out tonight, although there were only very brief moments where she could stop thinking about her mother. Her father was at home with her tonight. It felt weird not to devote a night to Elsie. She and Joey spent every single afternoon and night with her normally. Going out and having fun with their friends was almost surreal.

"You know you're the only one," Charlie whispered, nuzzling into Joey's hair.

She breathed her in and suddenly felt very tempted just to take her home and have their own private party instead of hanging out with their friends.

"Well, you guys did make out that time," Joey teased, raising her eyebrows.

"She's pretty talented at that, hey?" Watson teased.

Charlie clung a little tighter to Joey who appeared completely unfazed.

"Yeah she's awesome. I am the luckiest person on the planet!"

She tilted her head and kissed Charlie passionately to emphasise her point. Shaking her head, amused, Watson wandered away to find Carol.

* * *

"Hey, um... Belle?" Aden said nervously.

Belle turned to him curiously. She spotted the way he was playing with his hands which meant that he was struggling with nerves and was liable to panic at any moment. Carefully, she laid her hands on top of his to stop him. He looked up at her, deep in into her eyes.

"I was just thinking," he ventured.

"What were you thinking, Aden?"

"Well, now that I'm earning and older and everything, there's no need for me to keep staying at home. Tony and Beth have been great and everything and I've always been so grateful to them but Lucas is heading off to Uni soon and Jack and Martha are moving into their own place and getting married and everything and well, I know you're not that happy in your place with your noisy housemates and stuff. And well... I was just wondering if..."

He tried to wring his hands together but she stopped him. He loved the way she knew him so well.

"Are you asking if I'd like us to move in together?" Belle asked.

He looked elated that she'd been forward enough to say the words that he couldn't.

"Would you like to?"

"I would love to."

She confirmed it with a kiss.

* * *

"Joey!" Martha said, tugging on her friend's arm.

Joey turned round to find Martha and Jack grinning at her. She eyed them curiously.

"We'd like you to do a reading at the wedding," Jack said. "Maybe a poem or something. We'll find it. Or, or you could find it if you wanted. But we'd like you to be part of the service in some way. If you'd like to. Would you like to?"

"I'd love to!" Joey beamed. "Thanks, guys!"

She reached out to hug them in turn.

"Oh look, everyone's having a party!" said a slurred voice.

Pulling away from her friends, Joey looked up in recognition. Her brother approached her, wobbling a little.

"Cheating on your lesbian with a girl _and _a boy, are we?" Brett asked.

Joey sighed.

"Just leave me alone, Brett," she pleaded, aware that people were beginning to look.

"We can't avoid each other forever. We need to sort the business out."

"Not tonight, we don't."

"Why did you have to fuck everything up, Jo?"

"I didn't fuck anything up, Brett. You're the intolerant one."

"How am I supposed to tolerate what you do?"

"Everyone else does."

Charlie approached, settling herself behind Joey, silently offering her support.

"Ah, the cavalry's here," Brett declared.

"Why don't you just leave?" Charlie suggested. "We're trying to have a nice evening."

"She was recovering until you stepped in," Brett accused.

"Recovering?" Joey burst out. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You'd stopped doing whatever the hell it is you do with girls and then you and _her _hooked up..."

"I only stopped because I was so desperately in love with Charlie that I was trying to find a way to tell her," Joey said. "And I've been in love with her for as long as I can remember."

"That's bull," Brett insisted.

"It's the truth. Now get out of my face."

Glaring at both of them, Brett turned on his heel and stormed out of the bar.

* * *

Ross lay atop the blanket next to his wife who was snuggled beneath it. They had spent the evening reminiscing about their life together and now they were sharing a rare moment of closeness.

"Ross..." she ventured carefully.

"You're going to talk to me about Charlie and Joey, aren't you?"

She turned, somewhat painfully to look into his face, surprised to find that he was crying. She reached out to hold his hand.

"I'm sorry I reacted the way I did," he said. "I just didn't know what to do. She's my little girl and I... I don't want her to struggle in life."

"She won't struggle if people are willing to accept her," Elsie pointed out.

"But will they?"

"She and Joey have only had two bad reactions and one of them was from you."

"I didn't mean to react badly. It just confused me so much. I mean, I know they've always been close but... but Charlie's always had boyfriends. There was Brett and then... then that awful Roman man and then Angelo and then..."

"And then nobody. There was always Joey. She's always loved Joey. She's always wanted to be with her. It's only now that she's willing to admit it," Elsie explained.

"So, my daughter's gay then?" Ross asked.

"Yes, she is."

"Does Ruby know?"

"She does."

"And how does she feel about it?"

"She's absolutely fine."

Ross shook his head.

"Ross, soon you're going to be the only parental figure left in this house. Ruby's still so young and she's going to need her Daddy. And Charlie, well, I know she's older but she's going to need you too. She's always needed you, Ross. She might pretend that she doesn't but she does. And especially right now, she needs you to tell her that you accept her for who she is."

Ross sighed, clutching Elsie's hand as tightly as he thought she could take.

"You must have noticed the difference in her over the last month. Since she accepted herself and her feelings, since she and Joey finally told each other the truth, they've come alive. Haven't you noticed that at all?"

She watched his mouth twitched as he struggled to admit the truth. Finally, he began to study their joined hands.

"She is happier than she's ever been," he said. "Even when she was with that Roman guy, it wasn't like this. Even when she's around me she can't stop glowing."

"She feels loved and settled and happy," Elsie confirmed. "She loves Joey and she's loved completely in return. Isn't that all any parent could want for their child?"

"Yes," Ross admitted. "Joey does love her, doesn't she?"

"Oh, she truly does," Elsie said. "I don't think anybody could love our girl more than Joey does. And Charlie could never love anyone the way she loves Joey. They're perfect for each other."

"They are," Ross agreed reluctantly.

Elsie squeezed her husband's hand with as much strength as she could muster.

"I'm sorry I've been an arsehole."

"It's not me you need to apologise to."

* * *

"If you're not going to ask them now, when are you going to?" Carol asked, her voice revealing her growing impatience.

"Now isn't the time," Watson insisted, feeling a knot in her stomach beginning to tighten.

Everything seemed to be going so fast.

"When will it be then?"

"Maybe when Charlie's mother isn't about to die, Carol," Watson said, sounding desperate. "Have some sensitivity."

"I'm trying, okay? But I want us to be together. I don't want us to be on hold."

Unhappily, she turned towards the bar. Watson sighed heavily and turned away, bumping right into Joey and Charlie who looked just as glum as she did.

"What was that about?" Joey asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Watson glanced between them and the back of her retreated girlfriend who she could just about still make out. Taking a breath she decided it was now or never.

"We wanted to move in together, like, have Carol move into the apartment," she explained.

"So, what's the problem?" Charlie asked.

"I was reluctant to ask you because of... everything," Watson said, hanging her head.

"Oh, sweetheart," Charlie said, pulling her friend into a hug. "You should have just said. We wouldn't have minded."

"Yeah, she's there all the time anyway!" Joey teased, joining in for a group hug.

"You don't mind?" Watson checked.

"Of course not," Charlie confirmed.

Watson grinned.

"I'll go tell her! That's if she's willing to forgive me!"

She bounded away.

* * *

Charlie and Joey walked home hand in hand, both having silently agreed not to discuss Brett's little outburst.

"Oh, guess what," Joey said, suddenly erupting into a high pitched squeak.

"What?" Charlie asked, although she had a feeling she already knew.

"Martha and Jack asked me to do a reading at the wedding. How cool is that?"

"That's awesome!"  
"You already knew, didn't you?"

"A little bit."

She squeezed Joey's hand and pulled her in closer. Joey stopped them on their travels and turned to Charlie. Reaching out to her, she pulled her in for a kiss. Smiling into Joey's lips, Charlie enjoyed the feeling of being so close with her girlfriend. She wondered if her heart would ever stop doing that little flip every time they kissed or even saw each other after a few hours apart. She hoped not. She would miss it. Eventually, they drew away but Charlie kept gazing at Joey.

"What was that for?" she wondered.

"Just because," Joey replied simply, as they began walking again.

It had been because she loved her. It had been because she could hardly go a minute without kissing her. And it had been because she'd been sweet enough to act surprised and enthusiastic over a piece of information she'd already known. Charlie always seemed to give the best to Joey; she always did everything she possibly could to make her feel good and special.

* * *

Ruby waited impatiently on the doorstep, starting to think her plan had been a bad one. Beginning to fret and feel a little nervous, she stood up, worrying about what to do. She heard footsteps and gentle laughter in the distance.

* * *

Arm in arm, Charlie and Joey approached their front door. They paused when they saw a figure in front of them. Stopping abruptly, the girls just stared.

"Ruby?" Charlie gasped, finally finding her voice.

Ruby threw herself into her elder sister's arms and held on tightly, promptly bursting into tears. Charlie wrapped her arms tightly around her, stunned at seeing her and glanced worriedly at Joey who looked equally as bewildered.

"Ruby, what are you doing here?" Charlie asked.

"I ran away!" Ruby said.

"Well, obviously!" Charlie said, clutching her sister's face tenderly, drawing away enough so that she could look her in the eye.

"Sweetheart, how did you even get here?"

"Bus," Ruby whimpered. "I couldn't... I couldn't let Mum go without... without saying... saying goodbye. Charlie, I couldn't!"

"I know. I know, darling."

"I needed to see Mum," Ruby sobbed. "I couldn't stay away. I love her, Charlie. I love her. I need her."

"It's okay, Ruby. It's good that you're here. I'm just sorry that I didn't come get you myself," Charlie said honestly.

She held her beloved sister a little closer and then nodded for Joey to unlock the door. Joey obliged and the three of them bundled inside.

* * *

Half an hour later, Ruby was tucked into Charlie's double bed. In Joey's room, Charlie was curled into her girlfriend, feeling shaken and guilty.

"I should have realised how desperate she was," she said. "I should have gone up and collected her. She needed to say goodbye. She told me a thousand times and I should have listened. I should have ignored Dad and gone and got her. Instead, I left her to catch the bus and drag herself the whole way here."

"It's done now," Joey said gently. "You can't change it so stop punishing yourself."

"She's spent three hours waiting on our doorstep, too afraid to come find us in the dark and not able to call because her mobile died!" Charlie protested.

"Ssh," Joey whispered softly, stroking Charlie's arm. "It's okay."

"I've let her down."

"Did she seem mad at you?"

"No," Charlie said, shaking her head.

"Well, then."

Charlie looked sadly into Joey's soulful eyes. Joey kissed her nose, making her grin.

"Ruby loves you. That's why she came here instead of to your parents. Because she loves you and she trusts you. She knows you understand her. So rather than dwelling on what might have been the right thing to do, just focus on the here and now. Be there for her now because she's going to need support when she sees Elsie tomorrow. These next few weeks are going to be hard on everyone."

Charlie nodded. Several tears fell. Joey kissed them away. Charlie clung on tighter.

* * *

The following morning, Ross was up early. He spent each night in a little camp bed beside the double he had always shared with his wife. With her drip and pain and awkwardness, it somehow didn't feel right to sleep beside her now. He felt too afraid of hurting her or disturbing her when he wasn't conscious and in control of his actions. So, while he would happily hold her during the day when he was awake, at night, he would sleep separately but in the same room. Rising, he checked on her. She seemed deathly pale. It stabbed through his heart. Her eyes fluttered open, as if she knew she was being watched.

"Morning," she said weakly, forcing a smile.

He bent to kiss her almost bloodless lips. Her smile brightened a little.

"Good morning, sweetheart," he said kindly.

He began to administer her morning medication as he made conversation about how she had slept, even though, having been up with her several times, he knew exactly how the night had gone. It was a morning ritual they had been acting out for months.

* * *

Across town, Joey was making breakfast for three. Charlie was still in bed, feeling drained from the night before. Joey was secretly not feeling much better, more from the encounter with Brett really, but she was choosing not to think about that. There were more important things to think about now. She looked up when a fragile looking Ruby padded into the room in her pyjamas and slippers.

"Morning, Joey," she said. "Thanks for putting me up."

"Of course," Joey said. "This is your home as much as your parents' place. Juice and toast?"

"Yes please."

* * *

Ross had showered and shaved and was sitting out in the garden indulging in a sneaky cigarette as he gazed up at the sky. The nurse was looking in on Elsie. She'd told him that his wife needed help breathing now as her lungs were beginning to struggle. Ross was not looking forward to Charlie and Joey's visit. They were due any time now. They normally stayed all day on Sundays if Charlie wasn't on shift. He didn't think she would cope well with the breathing apparatus and he knew he needed to make things right between himself and his daughter. And his daughter's girlfriend.

* * *

Charlie, Joey and Ruby pulled up outside Ross and Elsie's house. Charlie killed the engine and all three looked at each other. Nobody really wanted to face Detective Buckton but all three wanted to see Elsie. They climbed out of the car in unison.

* * *

Elsie looked up when her bedroom door opened. She was startled when she saw her youngest daughter rather than her eldest standing there timidly. For a moment she thought she was hallucinating. Pulling her oxygen mask down, she whispered her name.

"I left school yesterday," Ruby explained. "Please don't be mad. I had to see you."

Elsie had no intention of being angry. She smiled tenderly at her child and lifted her arm to beckon her over. Ruby perched on the edge of the bed and held her mother's hand.

"Baby girl," Elsie said. "Words could never describe how happy I am to see you."

Ruby beamed at her mother.

"I love you so much, Mum," she said.

* * *

"Did I just see Ruby?" Ross asked, coming back into the house and encountering Charlie and Joey.

"Yes, you did," Charlie replied.

Immediately he jumped to conclusions, believing that they had gone behind his back and collected her from school when they went 'out' the day before.

"Did you take her out of school, Charlie?" he asked. "Did you go behind my back? How could you do this?"

"No!" Charlie protested. "I didn't..."

"How dare you defy me? In case you hadn't noticed, I am the parent here! I make the decisions!" Ross raged, without even listening to Charlie.

"And damn lousy ones at that," Charlie commented. "But if you'd actually give me a chance to speak, you'd know that I didn't do any of the things you're accusing me of."

"So what happened?" Ross asked.

"Ruby showed up on our door absolutely distraught last night. It would have been better if I had collected her because as it stands, she came here all by herself. She was frightened and alone and desperate to see her mother before she dies."

Ross sank down suddenly in a chair with his head in his hands. Charlie and Joey watched in surprised silence as he began to cry. Neither of them knew what to do. Glancing at Joey, Charlie sat down beside her father and put an arm around his broad shoulders. It felt weird to comfort him in this way. This wasn't part of their relationship.

"I'm sorry," Ross whimpered. "I'm sorry for letting you all down."

Charlie glanced again at Joey who seemed rooted to the spot.

"I'm sorry I've been a bad husband to your mother and a bad father to you kids. I'm sorry I've made bad decisions at every single turn."

"Dad..."

"I was never the right person for your mother. I never showed you the love you needed, the love I always felt for you. I do accept you and Joey."

He looked up at Charlie's girlfriend who had begun anxiously inching away from the private scene.

"I accept you as the person my daughter's chosen to be with."

"Thank you," Joey said meekly.

Ross nodded and turned back to Charlie with wide eyes.

"Will Ruby ever forgive me?" he asked.

"She will," Charlie said softly but confidently.

"Will you?"

"Yes," she said even more softly.

* * *

The day passed as if everyone was in some kind of strange dream. Ross, Charlie, Joey and Ruby floated round the house. Elsie stayed in the same sick bed, surviving on oxygen and morphine. She talked gently and laughed quietly but still as often as possible. She longed for people to stay in the room all the time, never wanting to be alone and yet always feeling like a burden to be baby-sat. Towards the late afternoon, the pain was increasing but she didn't tell a soul. Charlie and Joey holding one hand each. Charlie was on the bed, reaching over Elsie's frail body. Joey was on the chair that had been brought up from the dining room many months ago.

"Hey, do you remember the time we all went to see Santa at Santa's grotto?" Elsie asked. "Charlie, you were about eight and you'd already stopped believing in him but Joey, you still believed. You really wanted to go and meet him in the shopping centre and get a gift and have you photo taken but you were so scared that you cried and..."

She took a breath.

"Charlie took my hand and went with me," Joey remembered, smiling fondly at her girlfriend.

Charlie blushed and smiled shyly.

"She was always doing that kind of thing, wasn't she, Aunt Elsie?" Joey said.

"Yeah," Elsie said. "That was the kind of thing that always made me so proud of my girl."

Charlie blushed more.

"And Ross always insisted that it was bravery and wits that would make a good cop out of her and I knew that those things were important but..."

She took another breath.

"But I always thought it was her heart that would be the key."

She turned her attention to her daughter.

"It was always your heart that has made me so proud, Charlie. Your love for people, your heart for looking after those you care about, that's what makes you so good at what you do."

Charlie stroked her mother's hand.

"If I have done anything good in my life, it's raising my girls. And Joey, I know I didn't raise you but I'm as proud of you as I am of them. The three of you, my Charlie, my Joey and my Ruby, you three, you've made my life complete."

Joey could hardly contain how touched she was to be included in that. She looked up sharply as she heard Elsie's breathing become a little more ragged.

"Mum?"

Charlie's voice came out sharply. Elsie closed her eyes.

"Mum?" Charlie said again.

"Charlie I'm tired," Elise said, sounding exactly that.

Charlie leant closer, willing sheer panic not to take over.

"I'm tired, Charlie. I need to rest. It's time to let me go."

"But Mum..."

"And I feel like... like I can go peacefully now, now that I've seen my Ruby and you... you and Joey are h... happy and your Dad... your Dad has given you his blessing. I feel peaceful now."

Charlie looked stricken. Elsie might be ready but Charlie wasn't.

"Take care of Ruby. You be her Mum now, okay?"

"I..."

"And Joey will take care of you. She'll do such a good job. I know she will. She loves you like I love Clara."

Joey felt tears sting her eyes.

"And I'm going to be with her in the next life. I can feel it."

Charlie clutched her mother's hand tightly.

"I'm sorry for leaving you. I hope you can forgive me. But it's not forever. Because love never dies."

Charlie forced herself not to cry. The sound of her tears would not be the last thing Elsie heard.

"I love you," Charlie promised.

Her mother slipped away in her arms.

* * *

_Hi everyone. I just wanted to say thank you all for your commitment to this story and to Elsie. I am so touched that you took her into your hearts. I was so sad writing her death as she really came to mean a lot to me as well but I think we can all say that she certainly did not live and die in vain. She taught our girls to live for what they believed in and that was each other and they might never have got together if it hadn't been for her. I know this is the chapter that nobody was looking forward to and the next one will be fairly emotional as we say goodbye to her but there will be plenty of good times ahead for Charlie and Joey so I hope you will all keep reading. Thank you all once again for keeping reading. All your reviews and everything mean so much. You encourage, delight and bring genuine joy to my life each time I get a message to say someone has responded to something I've written. Thank you so much. IJKS xxx_


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter Thirty Nine**

**May 2007**

It had been the longest day. Now, with the night drawing in and her mother's body having been taken away, Charlie's eyes were red and her body was numb. Ruby had broken down and her father had quietly excused himself, hurrying away as quickly as he could, unable to process his pain. With so many practicalities to deal with on one hand and a sobbing little sister on the other, Charlie hadn't quite known where to turn. Joey had bundled the girls together on the sofa, masking her own sorrow, taking care of what she could and only calling Charlie for things only a real family member needed to be there for. Now with Ross still not home, the girls had tucked Ruby into bed, telling her all about Heaven and how Elsie was happy and safe and healthy with Aunt Clara now. In Charlie's old bedroom, where they had decided to stay for the night, Charlie sank down on the edge of the mattress. She was drained of energy and tears. Silently, Joey sank to her knees in front of her, snuggling in close, wrapping her arms around her waist and resting her head against her tummy. They remained that way for a while, lost in their own thoughts. Eventually, Joey knelt a little straighter. Charlie closed the gap between them and pressed her lips against Joey's. She needed to be close to her. Leaning back on the bed, she pulled Joey with her. Kissing passionately, Charlie's ran her hands frantically over Joey's body. Joey let Charlie lead the way. As much as she was in pain over losing Elsie, it was Charlie who had lost her mother, Charlie who was in the deepest amount of pain and Joey wanted to be there for whatever she needed. Charlie reined kisses on Joey's mouth and face, along her jaw and down her throat. Rolling her over, she began to tug at her clothes, overwhelmed with desire to almost be inside her skin. Joey responded in kind, letting Charlie undress her. She fought with Charlie's own clothes and before long, they were both completely undressed, perspiring slightly as they began to make love in the middle of the bed on top of the blankets. They never stopped kissing as they slipped inside each other, massaging and caressing, serious, concentrating and wanting to bring each other happiness and comfort at a time of such despair. They reached orgasm in unison, clinging to each other. Never letting go, they managed to slink beneath the blankets. They held each other all night.

Morning came too quickly. Charlie's mind and body hurt too much and she didn't want to get up. Realising this and feeling physically affected by the immediate sorrow on her soul mate's face the moment she became conscious, Joey crept out of bed and threw on her clothes from the day before. She used the landline to call the police station and explain what had happened. Jack picked up the phone. He became a little emotional at the news and said he'd tell everyone not to expect either Charlie or Ross at work for a while. Joey had then phoned her own boss and said she wouldn't be in either. Fortunately, her employer was pretty understanding and she'd warned him a while ago that this day would come sometime soon. Padding round the house, she saw that nobody was up yet. She wasn't sure whether Ross had even been home but there hadn't been a peep out of Ruby. Heading into the kitchen, Joey put the kettle on to make Charlie some coffee and then set about making some toast.

In her bedroom, the one that hadn't felt like hers for a while now, Ruby lay looking through the closed curtains at the sunshine that was desperately trying to peek through. Her pillow was wet from tears she had apparently cried in her sleep. There were little trails of salt on her face. Sighing, she considered getting up. No, she wasn't ready yet.

* * *

Charlie lay beneath the blankets, wondering what Joey was doing and why she had been gone for so long. She missed her. It was hard to be alone, even for a few minutes. She looked up when the door opened. Joey appeared with a tray, smiling softly and climbing back into bed. Charlie sat up awkwardly.

"I called work for you and your Dad and explained," Joey said.

Charlie thanked her, considering a piece of toast but it seemed like too much effort to pick it up. Joey read her thoughts. She picked up a slice and put it to Charlie's lips.

"All you have to do is bite and chew," she said.

* * *

The week had gone by excruciatingly slowly. There was a distinct lack of communication between Charlie and Ross, who had largely stayed out of the way. Since Elsie's death it was like he had shut down. He was crushed by a pain he couldn't express. The first night, he'd wound up at Morag's door. Sleeping on her sofa, he'd taken comfort in her company only but even then he felt guilty. He felt guilty for everything these days. It felt like he had for a long time. He felt like he always would. With his inability to function, Charlie had taken the lead in arranging the funeral and now it was the night before they would lay his wife to rest. He had chosen to be one of the pallbearers. He owed her that. And he and Charlie had managed to sit down long enough one evening to work through splitting the eulogy between them. It had been a treasured moment of bonding. Joey and Ruby were giving readings. Joey had given up on dealing with her grief. She remembered very clearly making a promise to Aunt Elsie that she would take care of Charlie and it was a promise that she was determined to keep. She admired her girlfriend's strength as she arranged the most difficult day of her life, the day she prepared to say goodbye to her mother. She watched her take constant care of Ruby who was falling apart in front of their eyes. The youngster was comforted only by the fact that she had impulsively returned home without permission and managed to say goodbye to her mother before she passed away. So Joey had been there for cuddles, kisses and to lend a hand with practicalities, whatever Charlie had needed to keep her sane. She'd been proud of Charlie for not bottling everything up. Each night before they went to sleep, they talked openly and honestly and Charlie seemed willing to share everything she felt. Joey knew it was important for her to keep communicating and she was only too glad to be the person Charlie chose to talk to. All she wanted to do was take care of her.

The morning of Elsie's funeral rushed at the Buckon family far too quickly. Ruby woke early in the morning. She showered quickly and dressed in a pink dress; one her mother had always told her was pretty and should always be saved for special occasions. Elsie's strict instruction for the funeral had been that there be no black. She sat herself down in front of her dressing table and began to try and do something with her hair, which always seemed to be wildly out of control. She felt sad. Normally when there was something she had to look smart for, either Charlie or Joey would come and help her brush it through and make it presentable but somehow it didn't seem right to ask them today.

* * *

Charlie and Joey were up and dressed quickly and anxiously. Charlie was in a white suit with a pale pink shirt. Joey was in a beige one with a white shirt.

"Do I look alright?" Charlie asked nervously.

"You look beautiful," Joey replied honestly. "You're making your Mum proud."

Charlie smiled grateful and looked down again at the part of the eulogy that she had prepared. She felt sick with nerves.

* * *

As Charlie waited at the house with her father and her sister, Joey headed across to Crumble to double check everything with the catering for the wake was going ahead. Leah had offered to take it on free of charge as a gesture of goodwill and the Buckton family had accepted gracefully. With everything seeming to be going well, Joey headed back out, preparing to head back to Charlie's father's house to wait for the hearse. Then she, the Buckton family and the rest of the town would be heading to the church for the funeral to say goodbye to the town's stalwart.

"Sorry," she said politely when she bumped into someone.

She looked up and her heart sank when she realised it was her brother.

"Running home to Charlie, are you?" Brett sneered.

Joey swallowed.

"For goodness sake, Brett, it's Elsie's funeral," she snapped. "Can't you just let it go for one damn day?"

He looked genuinely abashed.

"Sorry," he said. "I didn't realise that was today."

"Well you should have," she said coldly, storming away.

* * *

Charlie wandered round the house wondering where Ruby had got to. She knocked lightly on the door and found her sister sitting in front of the mirror, holding her hairbrush and glaring at herself.

"You okay, Rubes?"

"My hair's horrible," the younger girl said, almost on the verge of tears.

Compassion and memories flooded Charlie. She pulled up a second chair and positioned herself behind her sister. Gently and carefully, as if they had all the time in the world, she began to brush Ruby's hair for her. Silent tears began to roll down Ruby's cheeks but this time from gratitude than grief. She may have lost her mother and her father may be unreachable but her sister was still exactly the same.

* * *

Charlie sat on the front pew with her heart racing. Her mother's funeral had arrived. On Charlie's left was Ruby and on her right was Joey. Beside Ruby was Ross. She tried to focus on the priest as he led prayers and welcomed everyone to the service. The whole town had turned out to say goodbye to Elsie. Even Brett had donned a suit – black – and slipped in at the back. Charlie's head was swimming. She knew she had to concentrate; she was due to get up with her father and share the life story of her mother any moment now. She needed it to be perfect. Joey listened to the priest and watched Charlie. Reaching across the pew, she held her girlfriend's hand. Charlie accepted it gratefully. Using her free hand, she took hold of her little sister's palm. Ruby looked up adoringly at her elder sister, touched by the comfort. She decided to pass it on by reaching out to her father.

* * *

Standing at the front, Charlie trembled slightly as she stood next to her father as between them they shared happy and sad memories of Elsie Buckton's life with her friends and family. They talked about what they knew of her childhood and teenage years before she met Ross, sharing much of her life with Clara, obviously without going into too much detail. Ross then talked about his marriage to Elsie, sharing their happiest times, including the birth of their baby daughters. Charlie became emotional as he expressed their joy at having her and she saw Joey hold Ruby as she cried. Charlie then shared her own fond memories of helping Elsie raise Ruby, making her little sister sob even harder. Charlie talked about her childhood and how she'd had the best mother a daughter could ask for. She fought through her tears to continue, grateful that she had opted to split this with her father. They seemed to take over from each other when it got too much.

"My Mum truly was the best," Charlie said. "And she'd be so touched that you're all here today. She loved everyone. She never had a bad word to say about anyone she met, even when she should have. She saw the best in people to the point that it was almost a fault. But she was the most beautiful and kind person and she had the biggest heart. She welcomed everyone in and she had so much love to give. I was blessed to have her as my Mum and to know with absolute clarity just how much she loved me. And Ruby, she loved you exactly the same. And Joey, she loved you like you were her own. And Dad..."

Charlie turned tearfully to her Dad and lost her words. She clutched his hand instead. Looking at the coffin, Charlie felt herself break down.

"I love you, Mum," she sobbed.

Her heart felt like it was physically breaking in two.

"I love you so much."

Before she realised what was happening, Charlie began to sink to the floor. Before she hit it, arms were around her. Looking round, she gazed into the beautiful eyes she knew so well.

"It's okay," Joey whispered tenderly, guiding her back to her seat. "You were amazing. Your Mum will be looking down from Heaven feeling so proud of you."

* * *

That night, Ruby crawled into bed. Charlie tucked her in and kissed her goodnight.

"You did so well today," Charlie said softly. "I'm proud of you."

Ruby smiled.

"Are you really?" she asked.

"Really," Charlie confirmed. "And Mum must be too."

"Do you think Dad is?"

"Absolutely."

Ruby had read a poem she'd managed to write in memory of their mother. Joey had gone up to the lectern with her to hold her hand but Ruby had read it all by herself with a shaky voice and trembling hands.

"Everyone is proud of you too, Charlie. Including Mum. Especially Mum."

"Thanks, Rubes," Charlie said affectionately.

She moved to kiss her sister goodnight and leave the room.

"Will it hurt like this forever, Charlie?" Ruby asked.

Charlie turned back to her and sat back on the bed.

"No," Charlie whispered. "What happens is that the pain lessens and while we never ever forget the person we've lost, we learn to hold onto the happy memories of them and we stop feeling the pain so severely every day. We hold them in our hearts and we keep them close with us. But we don't feel the way we're feeling right this moment, not all the time. It'll come and it'll go. Like, it'll be worse on birthdays and anniversaries but eventually we'll be able to get through our days without crying and we'll be able to go through hours without constantly thinking about her."

"But that doesn't mean we'll stop loving her, will it?" Ruby asked worriedly.

"Oh, no, it'll never ever mean that," Charlie assured her. "We will never stop loving Mum and Mum will never stop loving us. It's not possible Ruby. You don't need to worry about anything like that."

Ruby smiled and reached out her arms to cuddle her sister close.

"I love you, Charlie," Ruby said. "I know I'm getting too old to say that kind of thing now but I do."

"I love you too, Rubes. And you'll never be too old for that."

She kissed her sister's cheek and ruffled her hair before slipping out of the room and heading to her own where Joey was already in bed waiting for her. Charlie undressed quickly and slipped between the sheets, yawning. Joey opened her arms and Charlie snuggled inside. They kissed gently.

"Is Ruby okay?"

"She just needed a little reassurance," Charlie said.

"I thought she was an absolute star today."

"She was."

"And so were you."

Charlie blushed.

"I nearly collapsed in the pulpit," she pointed out unhappily.

"So?" Joey said.

"It was embarrassing."

"You've been holding your entire family together all week. Come to think of it, you've been holding your whole family together since before... since before."

"Actually, _you've_ been holding the family together, Joey," Charlie said seriously.

She shifted in Joey's embrace so that she could look her directly in the eye.

"Joey, I know how much you've been doing," Charlie said. "You've been incredible. It looks like I've been keeping everyone going and maybe in my own way I have but the thing is, you're the one that's been keeping _me_ going. I couldn't have got through any of this without you. I love you so much, Joey. You're the most amazing woman in the world."

Joey blushed and looked down at the bedding. Charlie cupped her chin and lifted her upwards, planting a soft kiss on her lips. Joey kissed her back tenderly. They wrapped their arms around each other, drawing as close as possible. Charlie traced her fingertips along the contours of Joey's bare skin, over her breasts and across her torso. Joey tingled beneath Charlie's touch. She felt emotional at being so close to her girlfriend. She never wanted to lose her, never wanted to let her go. Charlie was the person she loved more than anyone in the whole world and she couldn't live without her. The lives of both their mothers had taught them both that time was too precious to waste. They lived to regret not chasing their own dreams and searching their own hearts, saying out loud that they wanted and needed to be together. There was no way that either Charlie or Joey were going to waste a single moment together. Letting their mouths and hands gently begin to explore each other, their bodies moved together in soft, sensual rhythm. All they wanted and needed was to be with each other, inside each other's souls and bodies, making each other happy, comforted and fulfilled.

An hour later, finally exhausted from the emotions of the day that had climaxed in their lovemaking, Charlie and Joey rested still and silent in bed. Charlie lay on her side, facing the door, already almost asleep. Joey was behind her, wrapped around her lover's body. She cried silently against Charlie's back, hoping that she didn't notice. She'd spent all day, all week, all month, all year taking care of Charlie and her family. She'd barely had time to say goodbye to Aunt Elsie herself. Now, in the darkness of the room, her own grief finally hit her in waves. Elsie had been her mother's soul mate. She had been Joey's second mother. When Joey had come out, Elsie had been nothing but supportive. She'd always been there with cuddles and jokes and friendly advice. And if it hadn't been for that kind, generous woman, she and Charlie wouldn't be in each other's arms now, not like this anyway. Losing Elsie was like losing her Mum all over again. It was heartbreaking. In the silence of her mind, she bid her goodbye. In her body, she clung a little tighter to Charlie, the woman she loved more than life.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter Forty**

**October 2007**

Joey struggled to disentangle herself from a decidedly persistent Charlie who was desperate for her to stay in bed.

"Sweetheart, I have to go to work," Joey said, having extracted her lower body.

Charlie still had a firm grip of her back and shoulders and was nuzzling into her neck, nibbling and kissing in just the right spot. Without coming up too far, Charlie put in her protest.

"But you _own _the business," she whined. "You're _allowed_ to not show up."

"As the owner, I'm meant to set a good example," Joey insisted.

Her whole body tingled as Charlie traced patterns down her spine. Charlie introduced her tongue into the kisses she was planting on Joey's neck.

"Mmm," Joey moaned.

She flopped back onto the mattress, flat on her back, ready and willing to let Charlie have her wicked way with her. Grinning triumphantly, Charlie rolled on top of her and let her kisses intensify as her hand worked its way from her back to her front, underneath her top and inside her bra.

"You're a very bad girl," Joey muttered, as Charlie pressed her lips against Joey's mouth.

"I haven't even got started yet."

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Joey tried and failed to silence herself as she cried out in orgasm. Her clothes were strewn about on the bedroom floor and she knew she would have to take her second shower of the day. Her boat would have left without her and if she ever managed to make it on board there would be sure to be a lot of smirking and nudging. It was far from the first time she'd been late due to Charlie tempting her beneath the sheets. They had been together for six months now and it seemed they were still deeply immersed in the honeymoon period and couldn't get enough of each other. In revenge, Joey had made Charlie late plenty of times too. Exhausted, Joey late flat against the pillows, breathing hard. Breathing even harder, Charlie resurfaced from beneath the blankets and curled up against her lover. Joey cradled Charlie against her chest, holding her tenderly and stroking her hair.

"Don't go to work today," Charlie suggested.

"Charlie," Joey sighed. "I can't just abandon my business."

"Oh, you can for a day," Charlie said certainly.

As Joey had prepared to turn twenty two, she and Brett had sat down with lawyers, and specifically with Morag, to discuss their options. They had finally reached an agreement where Brett would own the house and Joey would own the business. After a lot of talking and organising and signing of contracts and passing of invisible money that Joey secretly hadn't really understood but trusted that Morag and Ross had, she now finally owned her father's beloved trawler business like she had always dreamed she would. The first decision she'd made was to demote Gibsy. He'd considered kicking up a fuss but with them both knowing exactly what his employment record was like, he'd decided just to be grateful not to get fired. In his place, Aden was now second in command. And with the trawler being one team member down, Joey had held interviews for a new employee. She hadn't specifically been looking for a woman but a girl around her own age called Kayla Howard had shown up just as Joey hadn't thought she would find anyone she liked and she'd given her the job. So far, everyone seemed to be getting on well. Business was thriving and life was good. Aside from the still raw pain of Elsie and everyone else she'd lost not being around, Joey's world felt pretty perfect these days. Sharing the flat with Charlie, Watson and Carol was going well; especially the Charlie part.

"I can stay until the afternoon, okay?" Joey said, glancing at her watch. "Then I really, really have to go and join my crew."

Charlie kissed her, taking time to explore the fullness of her lips and the texture of her tongue.

"I guess that'll have to do," she grumbled.

"Don't pout," Joey instructed. "Let's make the most of it."

Charlie brightened. Joey grinned and rolled her quickly so she was lying flat on the mattress.

"I think it was my turn to pay you back."

* * *

The afternoon came too quickly. Joey left Charlie doing the dishes from lunch so that she could get ready quickly. Doing it separate from her partner seemed to be the only way to leave successfully. Dressed in shorts and a vest top, Joey exited the bedroom and through to the kitchen so that she could say goodbye to Charlie. Turning away from the washing up, Charlie pouted at seeing Joey dressed. Charlie was still in her dressing gown, having thrown it on after a glorious morning of love making. Joey reached out to hug her. She felt Charlie bury her face in her neck, snuggling in close and kissing the skin she found there. Joey grinned and hugged her tighter, breathing her in. Reluctantly pulling away, Joey kissed Charlie just once and then stepped back.

"I'll see you after work," Joey promised.

"Okay," Charlie replied. "Get home quickly. We're going out."

"Where?"

"It's a secret."

Joey eyed her curiously, loving the twinkle in her eye. The past few months had been difficult to say the least but it meant a lot to both of them that they had been able to draw together. They'd been strong for each other over losing Elsie and it felt good now to be able to share in joy again. When everything had been sorted with Brett, the house and the boat, they'd been elated. Charlie was also preparing for an interview at the end of the week. It was looking likely that she would be promoted to Senior Constable and she was nervous and excited in equal measure.

"Then I'll look forward to it," Joey replied, smiling.

They kissed once more before Joey forced herself to leave.

* * *

Charlie got ready at her leisure, taking a long time in the shower to enjoy the hot water cascading over her body. Dressing and drying her hair, she wondered what to do with her afternoon while she waited for Joey to get home. Heading out, she walked into the Jukebox. She had a heavy week ahead of her, culminating in an interview for the position of Senior Constable. She desperately hoped that she'd get the title and the responsibility that it entailed. To say that it had been a bad year would be the understatement of the Century and Charlie still missed her mother every day. Ruby had gone back to school mid-tantrum a week after the funeral. Charlie had pleaded with her father to let her stay and go to the same school Charlie had instead of boarding school. But Ross had been firm and his decision hadn't changed. Since then, he'd been distant and fragile as he tried to cope with the loss of his wife. He seemed to spend days upon days away from home and Charlie couldn't help but worry about him. Despite all the arguments, she loved her Dad and she wanted him to be healthy and happy. And she wanted to make him proud. If she was the first of the group of new recruits to step up the ladder then she was certain Ross would be pleased with her. He would be happy. He would have a reason to smile and want to be around her again. Ordering her drink, she was happy to find Martha working behind the bar. Settling down on a stool, she decided to spend her afternoon catching up with her friend.

* * *

"You are a very bad boss, young lady," Aden commented.

Joey and her team were out at sea hoping to pull a large catch in. She grinned at her friend and attempted to look innocent.

"Don't you try and win me over," Aden said firmly. "I know exactly why you were late. Why you're _always _late!"

He laughed at the way she blushed.

"I'm not always late," she insisted. "Just sometimes."

"And it's pure coincidence that those times are when Charlie has a day off or a late start!"

"Of course!" Joey laughed. "Pure coincidence!"

Aden shook his head. They had both come a long way since they'd first met that day on the beach. Back then, Aden had been frightened of everything, having escaped the trauma of his grandfather only to have to support his Dad through his alcohol addiction. And Joey had been hiding in the closet, in love with Charlie and unsure of herself. Joey and Aden had started dating even though they knew right from the beginning that it would never work. And yet that had never mattered. They were the best of friends and they would love and support each other through anything. Now, Aden was with the love of his life living with Belle. It had been a hard road to get them to that place but they had finally succeeded together. And Joey and Charlie had at long last got their act together too. Aden didn't think he had ever seen his friend so happy before. It was wonderful, especially after everything she had been through with losing her parents, becoming essentially estranged from her brother and then being attacked by Robbo. They'd both had their hearts broken and now they had pulled through the storm.

"I hope you had fun," Aden chuckled.

"I always do!"

* * *

"So, what have you been up to today?" Martha asked.

Charlie blushed involuntarily, prompting Martha to burst out laughing. Charlie blushed even more and stirred her coke with her straw.

"I don't need to ask if things are going well with Joey then?"

"Oh, Martha, she's so amazing!" Charlie gushed.

She looked surprised by her own outpouring of sappiness. Martha leant forward, fully prepared to listen to how happy her friend was.

"I just feel like the luckiest person in the world," Charlie continued. "Not to mention the biggest idiot for letting it take so long."

"Yeah, you two did wait a while!" Martha commented. "And I'm sure I distinctly remember you claiming to be heterosexual when Joey came out to us."

Charlie frowned and looked down. She had certainly done that. Having fought with her feelings since she was a young teenager, she'd been so desperate to be straight. She'd had boyfriends as substitutes and she'd tried being single and celibate and not in love with Joey but all of that had failed.

"I was fairly heavily in denial," Charlie said, looking back up at Martha. "I mean, this story starts when I was fifteen. That was the first time we kissed and it kept happening over and over again. We kept insisting that it didn't mean anything but I think we both always knew it did."

"Why didn't I know about any of this?" Martha asked. "You never said a word."

"I was too scared of what I was feeling," Charlie sighed. "We were in love with each other but neither of us thought we stood a chance. But hey, at least it happened eventually."

"Yeah, maybe these things happen at the right moment. You know, for a reason?" Martha suggested.

Charlie smiled. She liked to think of it that way. She and Joey had grown up together. Perhaps they had had to learn certain things about themselves and life before they could truly be happy together. And they were definitely happy together now. Charlie didn't think she would ever stop thanking her mother, even though she was far away now, for making it happen.

"I think things always work out for the best," Martha added. "I mean, not so long ago I thought I'd lost Jack forever and he... he means everything to me. I hated myself for making such a stupid mistake that cost me so much but we're meant to be together and he was willing to forgive me. And now we're getting married! I mean, how amazing is that?"

"It's pretty amazing," Charlie enthused.

She'd been as devastated as the rest of their friends when Jack and Martha had temporarily broken up. And she'd felt so torn. Martha had been her friend since school but Jack was her colleague and they had got to know each other much better during their time away at training. Charlie had been very torn between the two and was so glad now that they had worked it through. She was also quite excited to be one of Martha's bridesmaids.

"Hey, do you think you and Joey would ever tie the knot? I mean, I know it's not a legal thing but do you think you'd have a ceremony or something like that?"

Charlie shrugged. She liked the idea.

"Maybe," she said. "It would be nice someday. I know I want to be with her forever. It'd be nice to pledge our commitment one day. But hold your horses! We've not even been dating for a year yet!"

"Oh come on, Charlie," Martha teased. "You and Joey have been together your whole lives."

Charlie laughed and nodded. It was true. She'd never lived her life without Joey and she didn't plan on ever finding out what it was like either.

"One day," Charlie confirmed.

"So, what are you up to tonight? Dare I ask?"

"I'm taking her out for the evening," Charlie said.

"Anywhere nice?"

"Well..."

Charlie launched into the details of Joey's surprise.

* * *

Joey waved goodbye to Gibsy, Aden and Kayla and set about checking everything was in order for the night. She turned in fright when she heard a footstep behind her but then broke into a smile when she saw Charlie standing there with a bunch of flowers in her hand. Joey almost ran to meet her and launched herself into her girlfriend's arms. Charlie flung the flowers on the floor to stop them being squashed by their colliding bodies. She held Joey in her arms and spun her round in a circle as if they had been parted for years instead of hours. Setting her down, Charlie kissed her.

"What's all this in aid of?" Joey wondered, stooping to pick the flowers up.

"Just wanted to surprise you," Charlie said. "Now I need you to get home and ready because we're going out."

"Going where?"

"You really don't understand the concept of a surprise, do you, sweetheart?" Charlie teased, taking her hand and leading her off the boat.

"A little hint?" Joey begged, clutching her hand and skipping along beside her.

"Nope," Charlie said firmly.

"One tiny hint?" Joey persisted as they walked to the car together.

* * *

Joey eyed Charlie curiously as they pulled up outside a small building in town.

"Where are we going exactly?"

Charlie nodded towards the sign above the door. It was a dance studio.

"We're dancing?" Joey asked.

"I booked us into a six week beginner's class," Charlie explained. "You mentioned a few times that you wanted to learn to dance so here we are."

"You really listen when I talk, don't you?" Joey said as if in awe.

"Why wouldn't I?" Charlie replied.

Joey beamed at her, leaning across the car seat and rewarding her girlfriend with a kiss.

* * *

Giggling and a little sweaty, Charlie and Joey exited their dance lesson and headed to the car. Today, they had learned the Cha-cha.

"One, two, cha, cha, cha!" they giggled.

"Excuse me," a woman said. "Do you know where the Mithras Hotel is?"

"Um, it's just across the street," Charlie said.

"Thank you," the woman said.

"Wel-come, cha, cha, cha!" Joey and Charlie replied in unison, still amused by their dance lesson.

The women gave them a grin and headed off in the direction that Charlie had pointed in. Jumping in the car, Charlie drove them home. They were still adding 'cha, cha, cha' onto the end of every sentence when they stepped through the door. From the couch, Watson eyed them very curiously.

"We went dancing!" Joey announced.

"I'm getting that," Watson laughed.

"And I'm exhausted so I'm off to bed and Joey, you're coming with me!" Charlie said, grabbing Joey's hand and beginning to pull her into the bedroom.

"Good-night, cha, cha, cha!" Joey giggled.

"She's so not exhausted," Watson said to herself.

* * *

On Friday morning, before Charlie headed out and to her interview, Joey caught her round the waist and gave her a cuddle and a kiss. Charlie smiled and gazed into her partner's face, admiring for perhaps the millionth time just how beautiful she was.

"Call me as soon as you know, okay?" Joey said.

"I promise. I'm so nervous!"

"You're going to be great. You deserve this, Charlie."

Charlie smiled gratefully and kissed Joey one more time.

"I um... I got you this," she said.

She offered up a small angel pin. Charlie gazed at it, looking so tiny in Joey's hand and then she looked into her eyes.

"It's just a good luck thing," Joey said. "If you wanted it."

"I love it," Charlie said sincerely. "Thank you."

She took the pin and stuck it on her shirt, just beneath her collar so it wasn't too conspicuous but she would know that it was there.

"That's so sweet of you," Charlie said.

She kissed her again, slipping her arms around Joey's waist.

"Tonight we'll go out and celebrate, right?" Joey said.

"If there's something to celebrate."

"There will be."

* * *

Joey clung to her mobile phone all day, waiting for Charlie to call and let her know what the outcome of her interview had been. Out at sea, she was nervous of losing reception but fortunately they hadn't gone far enough out for that and she had just about managed to retain one bar most of the time.

"You know a watched phone never rings," Aden teased.

"She'll find out any moment today," Joey said. "She promised she'd call as soon as she knew."

"And she will. The phone will ring and you will hear it, even if it's in your pocket. That's the power of these things," he teased, wiggling Joey's ears.

Joey pouted and put the phone in her pocket. She caught Kayla giggling to herself.

"This just means so much to her, you know?" she said.

"I know."

"I want to hear her voice when she tells me that she's Senior Constable Buckton. She's going to be so excited. I've booked a restaurant in town and everything. Posh and expensive!"

* * *

Charlie fought tears of joy as Matthew told her that she was being promoted to Senior Constable. Her heart hammered in her chest as she broke protocol and flung her arms around him.

"Did you get it?" Watson yelled across the room.

"Yeah!" Charlie shrieked jubilantly.

Watson charged over and swept her housemate into a big hug. Charlie couldn't stop grinning and she blushed as other colleagues, including Jack came over to congratulate her. Once they had all filtered back to what they were doing, Joey turned to Watson, smiling uncontrollably.

"I've got to call Joey," she said, hurrying outside pulling her phone out of her pocket.

* * *

"Charlie?" Joey squeaked into her phone the moment it rang.

Aden stopped what he was doing in order to listen in. He had become as involved as Joey with the amount she'd gone on about it.

"I got it!" Charlie said, still grinning.

She pulled the phone away from her ear as she heard Joey shrieking and yelling to Aden that she got the promotion. Charlie chuckled as she pictured Joey jumping up and down on deck.

"I am so proud of you, Charlie! So, so proud!" Joey said, finally stopping jumping up and down.

"Thank you, darling."

"I've booked a table at _Picasso's _tonight," Joey announced.

It was Charlie's favourite Italian restaurant.

"You have?"

"Yep. I booked it ages ago."

"You really believed in me?"

"Of course I did. I do. Well done, sweetheart. I'll see you after work."

"I can't wait."

* * *

Charlie and Joey sat across from each other at a candlelit table right by the window which had a wonderful ocean view. The moonlight bounced off the water and the night was warm and romantic. They held hands across the table as they sipped wine and waited for their main course to arrive.

"Well, I propose a toast," Joey said, lifting her glass. "To Senior Constable Buckton. May she catch many bad guys, zoom up the ladder and be the most respected and loved policewoman in the whole world. And may she always love little old me."

"Well, I am hoping to go places in my career but one thing I know for absolute certain is that I will love you for the rest of my life," Charlie confirmed.

They toasted their future and Joey lifted Charlie's hand to kiss the back of it.

"I've never been so excited about the future before, Charlie," Joey said.

Charlie smiled and waited for her to continue.

"Just... you know, with the business and your promotion and everything. And I'm so happy with us, where we are right now. I love you and us and living together. I just feel so happy. And I'm sorry if I shouldn't because of... because. But I do. I can't help it."

"Mum would be thrilled to know how happy we are. I miss her every day but you're right, Joey. The future is exciting. I love you and us and living together and everything you mentioned."

This time she kissed Joey's hand.

"You make me happier than I ever thought I could be."

* * *

After dinner, the couple had stumbled upon a quiet bar that was having a salsa dance class. Grinning at each other, they had gone in and participated in the lesson, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Salsa was going to be a future dance covered in their dance school and they'd firmly decided that it was very enjoyable, very sexy dance that they wanted to do again and again. Holding Charlie's hand as they exited, Joey didn't quite feel ready to go home.

"Beach?" she suggested.

Charlie nodded and they headed across the street down to the sand. When they reached it, they took their shoes off, holding them in one hand and using the other arm to hold onto each other's waists. Charlie smiled to herself as she felt Joey's hand stroke her hip and back before finally settling on her bottom. She turned to look at Joey, who met her gaze and dropped her shoes, wrapping both arms around her girlfriend and pulling her closer. Charlie followed suit and they kissed gently in the moonlight. Joey ran her hands over Charlie's body, relishing the feel of her skin, her touch becoming firmer when she encountered the smooth material of Charlie's dress. She let her lips slip down from Charlie's, burying themselves in her neck. She moaned as Charlie ran her hands up and down her back, using her nails lightly but significantly. Joey placed several kisses on Charlie's shoulder, slipping the thin strap down in order to get it out of her way. She then switched her attention to Charlie's other shoulder, doing the same thing with that strap also.

Moving lower, she kissed every area of expose flesh that was on offer, paying specific attention to Charlie's cleavage. Nuzzling down at the hint of a gap between Charlie's breasts and let her hands stroke her over the top of her clothes. Charlie felt her whole body respond to Joey's touch. She knew if they didn't stop now, they wouldn't stop at all. Clutching Joey to her, Charlie let them fall back onto the sand. Joey leant her body over Charlie's, reaching behind her to undo the zip of her dress. Tugging the top down, she released Charlie's breasts, thrilled with the lack of bra so that she could begin to play immediately. Both were vaguely aware that they were in the middle of the beach where anyone could stumble across them but neither of them cared. She took Charlie into her mouth, coming up only when she felt her reach for the buttons on her shirt. Allowing Charlie to quickly undo her clothing and ease her bra down, Joey resumed her work while Charlie kept her fingertips on Joey's chest, teasing her softly and making her gasp.

After a long while, Charlie rolled them over so that Joey was on her back. She swiftly undid Joey's smart, black trousers, which were now completely covered in sand. She watched Joey's face as she slipped beneath the material of her underwear and began to explore excruciatingly slowly. Joey opened her legs as wide as possible, offering deeper contact. She closed her eyes as she reached climax. Charlie kissed her passionately as she felt Joey contract around her fingers, crying out in pleasure. Stopping her motions but keeping her fingers firmly inside, Charlie continued to kiss Joey, closing her eyes when she felt Joey's hands begin to tease her breasts. Charlie began to penetrate her girlfriend again, making Joey gasp and work harder on what she was occupying herself with. She shifted to use her mouth, becoming less tender and more passionate as she came. Joey shifted again to kiss Charlie's mouth.

Reluctantly, Charlie removed her hand as Joey took control. Guiding Charlie onto her back, she positioned herself further down her body and lifting the hem of Charlie's dress. Slipping her underwear to one side, Joey began to kiss her, quickly introducing her tongue and letting her fingers join in. Charlie writhed beneath her, thrusting her hips every now and again, seeking deeper intimacy. Finally, as each wave of orgasm hit her, she settled back on the sand, exhausted and satisfied. Joey crept back up Charlie's body, laying atop her and resting close. They kissed softly for a long time before unwillingly pulling themselves off the ground. Dusting the sand off their bodies and clothes, they held each other's hands and left the beach, heading to the taxi rank in order to get home.

* * *

The following morning, Charlie woke to find Joey gone. It was a Saturday and she wasn't working. Normally they had a lie-in together if Charlie wasn't on shift. Climbing out of bed and wrapping her dressing gown around her, frowning when she realised that despite their best efforts, they had indeed brought half the beach back with them, Charlie exited the bedroom. She found Joey sitting at the kitchen table looking unhappy.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked gently.

Joey handed her a letter. Robert Cruze's trial was set for three weeks time.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter Forty-One**

**November 2006**

It hadn't been Joey's turn to give evidence on the first day of Robbo's trial but she was overwrought with emotion as if she had. Tanya had been on the stand all day, encouraged by the prosecution and ripped apart by the defence. Morag had once again stepped in to help Joey, the same way she had with the house and the business exchange. She'd taken on Tanya and Joey's case at a reduced fee and all Joey could hope was that the next day, when it was her turn, Morag would ask the right questions to bring out the truth. And that when it was Robbo's turn, she would rip the rapist to shreds. At the end of the court session, Joey watched the man who had attacked her be led back to his cell. Exhausted, she took hold of Charlie's hand and hurried outside. She needed to breathe. Outside the building, Joey leant against the wall and gulped in more than one lungful of air. Charlie stood close enough to let her know that she cared and far enough that she didn't crowd her. She squeezed Joey's hand. Joey forced a smile. Morag appeared next to them.

"We'll go through everything tomorrow before the trial starts again, Joey," she said. "You just go home tonight and try to relax."

Joey nodded. A fragile blonde caught her attention as she hurried out of the building with her parents.

"Tanya!" Joey called.

Tanya stopped and turned. Frightened eyes met and Joey broke away from Charlie to go and see the woman that Robbo actually had raped instead of just nearly.

"You were amazing today," Joey said.

They held each others hands in support.

"Thank you. I'll be there tomorrow to support you too," Tanya promised.

She broke contact and headed towards the car park with her parents. Charlie stepped up beside her girlfriend.

"Shall I take you home?" she offered.

"Can we go to the cemetery?" Joey asked.

***

Charlie stood a polite distance away as Joey laid flowers at her parents' graves. On her knees she wept and spoke softly.

"Please be with me tomorrow, Mum and Dad," she said tearfully. "I'm so scared about giving evidence tomorrow and I'm afraid of not being strong enough. It was so hard hearing Tanya today. I'm scared to do that myself. I wish you were here with me. I miss you both so much. But I know that whatever happens, I won't be alone. Charlie makes me so happy, just like you always thought she would, Mum."

She turned and reached out a hand to Charlie, who came to kneel beside her. They held hands. Charlie laid her own flowers on Elsie's grave. Together, they began to talk softly to their parents.

***

Joey woke after a fitful night's sleep feeling completely un-rested. In a daze, she and Charlie got ready and waited for Morag to arrive. Sitting through the meeting about what was to come, Joey desperately tried to concentrate but she hardly even felt connected to her body. They were in court before either of them realised. Charlie reluctantly left Joey in the waiting room and took her place in the public gallery with her father, Martha, Jack, Watson, Carol and Aden. She stood with baited breath as the judge came in and settled everyone. Morag stepped up and Joey was called to the stand.

***

Joey took a breath and looked around her at all the expectant faces. She looked at Robbo. Seeing him yesterday had been hard enough but now, with him looking at her directly, she fought the urge to throw up. He was in a suit and wore a cocky grin. She shifted her gaze quickly to Charlie who leaning forward in her seat, clutching Ross's hand and attempting to convey reassurance. She succeeded. Joey looked at Morag.

***

"Could you guide me through your relationship with Robert Cruze?" Morag asked.

Joey looked frightened.

"How do you know him?" Morag clarified.

"We worked together. On my father's boat. And he was best friends with my older brother."

"And did you get along with him?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Since I was a young teenager, Robbo... Robert Cruze has been inappropriate towards me. He always made me uncomfortable."

"In what way?"

"He made sexual advances towards me. Comments, sometimes grabbing hold of me. And it only got worse when we started working together."

"How so?"

"He didn't like me working on the boat," Joey explained. "He was determined to make me leave."

"Are you saying that he bullied you?"

"Yes, he did. He made my life very difficult."

"So, why did you stay?"

"Because I was too stubborn for my own good. All I've ever wanted to do was work on the water and I didn't want to be chased out of my job, especially as it was the family business."

"Were any of your other colleagues aware of what was going on?"

"They were all aware. Harry Gibbs was friends with Robbo so he didn't care. The person I was closest to on board, Aden Jeffries, kept begging me to tell my brother, once he'd taken the business on after my father died. He was desperate for me to speak up but I didn't want to."

"And were there any violent incidents at work before the one we're here for today?"

"He pushed me overboard once," Joey said.

She tried not to look at the jury who were unreadable as they absorbed what she was saying.

"And do you have witnesses for that?"

"Everyone who was on board."

"What led up to Mr Cruze attempting to rape you?"

"He found out... He... He found out that I was in a relationship with his sister," Joey said shakily. "He assaulted me and then swore that he'd get revenge. Raping me was his revenge."

"Could you talk me through what happened on November 12th?"

Joey took a breath, glancing at Charlie for reassurance.

"I um... I was just finishing work, tidying up below deck and Robbo appeared behind me. He blocked my exit and told me that he wanted his revenge now. He grabbed hold of me and I kept trying to push him away but he was too strong. He got as far as unzipping his jeans and then got momentarily distracted because he was trying to keep me still and sort himself out at the same time."

"Then what happened?"

"I managed to knee him in the thigh. When he pulled away, I pushed and ran."

"And you're certain that he was going to rape you?"

Joey looked down at her hands. She didn't want to get into specifics.

"He'd pressed me into a corner, undone his jeans and had an erection. He kept saying that he was going to punish me for my relationship with his sister."

"Were you and his sister, Zoe Cruze still an item at the time?" Morag asked.

"No. No, we'd broken up before that."

"Can you tell us a little more about the intimidation you experienced at Robert Cruze's hands?" Morag probed.

It had all been very matter of fact so far. She needed more emotion if she was going to get justice for Joey.

"He frightened me," Joey admitted. "I never knew what to expect. Every time he threatened me... I ended up living in fear of him and what he was going to do to me. It was almost a waiting game. I never knew what was going to come next. It was terrifying. I... I couldn't sleep properly, I couldn't eat. My friends became worried about me because I was so depressed."

Joey trembled as she remembered everything that had happened. It was difficult to open old wounds that she so desperately wanted to heal and forget.

"And what was going through your mind when you were attacked on the boat?"

"I felt sick. I was so frightened. I knew he was planning on... on... on raping me but I didn't know what else he might do. He was so angry, so determined to hurt me and it had been building up for such a long time. After I got away, I ran home and I was a mess all night. I was a mess for a very long time after that."

***

The court took a short break. Joey launched herself into Charlie' arms. It had been hard enough being interrogated by her own lawyer but being grilled by the defence was going to be hell. An usher stepped out to call her back in. Charlie hurried back to the gallery and Joey shakily re-entered the room. This time, Robbo's lawyer stepped up to interrogate her. She saw Robbo sit back more comfortably, obviously expecting his brief to rip Joey to shreds. She was expecting the same thing.

***

Almost an hour later, Joey was a trembling wreck. Robbo's lawyer, John French had accused her of lying and having an early grudge on his client and being willing to make up any kind of story to hurt him. He claimed that Joey heard about Tanya's rape claim and decided to jump on the bandwagon. He'd then made out that Joey was sexually immoral by having secret affairs and wanting to stake her claim on her father and then brother's business and get Robbo out of the way.

"Robert Cruze didn't attack you, did he?" French said.

"Yes, he did."

"You claim he had an erection. How could he have if you hadn't engaged him in some way?"

"He was getting off on the power is all I can presume," Joey said firmly.

Her voice trembled and tears threatened but she was determined to say her piece.

"Nothing happened between you. You've had a grudge against this man since you were a child. You wanted him out of the way."

"He tried to rape me!" Joey burst out. "He pinned me down and tried to brutalise my body. He tried to destroy my life. He threatened and intimidated me for years."

"If he was intimidating you for this long then why did you never do anything about it?"

"I hoped that if I ignored it, the problem would go away. It didn't."

"But surely if it was as terrible as you claim, if he'd have assaulted you and thrown you into the sea, been as vile as you insist he was, you wouldn't have put up with that?"

"Our boss was my brother. My brother who got along with Robbo better than with me," Joey said, fighting tears of desperation. "I didn't think I'd have any support and I didn't want to leave my job. Eventually I had to anyway. After he tried to rape me I couldn't stand to be anywhere near the boat, him or anything or anyone associated with him."

"No further questions," French said, looking frustrated.

Joey wasn't proving to be as easy to break as Tanya had been. She was glued to her story and determined to speak out. There was no way to trip her up. Continuing his line of questioning would only ram home her point even more.

***

The day couldn't have ended quickly enough as far as either Charlie or Joey were concerned. Joey felt like she'd done several rounds with Mike Tyson. She was exhausted and in physical pain as her stress came out through her body. Outside the building, she caught up with her friends. Ross stepped forward and touched her shoulder.

"You did great today, Joey," he said.

It had taken a while but he'd finally come round to the idea of Charlie and Joey loving each other. He supposed it made sense and hadn't impacted his daughter's career at all. They seemed happy together and he knew they'd relied a lot on each other's strength through this and Elsie's death. He could never deny his daughter love and if Joey was the person who provided her with it then so be it.

"Thank you," Joey said softly.

She held onto Charlie, not sure if she would be able to support her own body weight.

"The worst is over now," Aden told her.

He hated Robbo for what he had done to his best friend. It had taken every ounce of resolve not to charge over and claim his own kind of justice. Belle had supported him as he'd stressed over the whole thing and tried to hide it from Joey. It had brought up so many old wounds and had taken a while to deal with it.

"We're really proud of you," Martha added.

Jack nodded and smiled.

"You really did wonderfully. Now we just need to get through the rest and he'll be safely in jail," Morag said.

"Do you really think we'll win?" Joey asked.

"I think we have a very good chance."

***

Charlie held Joey in her arms all night. Joey had eventually cried herself to sleep while Charlie remained awake, stroking her hair and her back, kissing the top of her head every so often. It was Aden, Gibsy, Watson and Charlie's turn to give evidence the next day and she was dreading it. She was certain that the defence would tear her apart, especially considering she'd assaulted Robbo when she'd found out what he'd done to Joey. That wouldn't exactly make her look like a good person.

***

Joey sat beside Morag. Tanya sat on the lawyer's other side. Watson had given her report about the case and Gibsy had stood up and defended Robbo. Aden had almost broken down on the stand as he described the years of torment Robbo had put Joey through. Now, Charlie was up. Morag had asked her masses of questions and then sat down. John French stood up.

"How did you react to your friend... sorry, you're girlfriend's claim that she was almost raped?" he asked.

Charlie swallowed.

"I was upset," she said. "I hated to think of him hurting her like that."

"Would it be fair to say that you were angry?"

"If you want me to admit hitting him then I will; you don't have to ask leading questions. The following day, having spent a sleepless night consoling Joey as her world fell apart, I bumped into Robbo who was proud of what he'd done. He taunted me and mocked her and I hit him. I shouldn't have. I know this and I was reprimanded for it. But if you'd put yourself in my position..."

"A lover wanting vengeance. Correct?"

"Joey and I weren't a couple then."

"But you are now?"

"Yes."

"Did you have feelings for each other then?"

"Yes."

"I'd suggest that you're not a credible witness, Miss Buckton. You obviously have a vendetta against this man. Personally, I find it abhorrent that you were allowed to investigate any rape claim against him – either one of them."

"I investigated Tanya's case as an impartial party. I was aware that Robbo had been intimidating Joey but that had no bearing on Tanya's case."

"I don't believe you. I think this was a plot cooked up between you and Miss Collins," the lawyer said. "I don't believe that this alleged rape ever took place."

"It did!"

"You have no evidence but your girlfriend's word."

***

Charlie hadn't slept. She was overwrought with guilt, certain that she had left Joey down. Joey's reassurances didn't seem to matter. She'd failed and she was sure that if they lost the case, it would be her fault. In court, Joey sat feeling very tense. She worried about Charlie, who seemed to be guilt stricken for no reason and now Morag had informed her that someone else had come forward to support Joey and Tanya's case against Robbo. Unfortunately, court had been called into session and she hadn't had time to reveal who it was. Now everyone was waiting to see who the surprise witness was. Her breath caught when Zoe Cruze walked into the room and up to the stand. She looked back at Charlie who looked just as shocked. Then she glanced at Robbo who was deep in angry conversation with French, probably wondering what the hell was going on.

***

"And you saw your brother assault Joanne Collins?"

"Yes," Zoe said quietly.

She was shaking and dared not look at Robbo or her parents who had wholeheartedly supported their son throughout every accusation. She stared at Joey instead who looked just as unnerved as she did.

"What led up to this?"

"He caught Joey and I kissing."

Charlie involuntarily pulled a face.

"He hit and kicked her several times and threw her down the stairs. I also know he'd been bullying her for months up to that point. It was no surprise to me that he attacked her later."

"Has your brother ever been violent to you?"

"No. But I've seen him get into multiple fights. And I've seen him assault Tanya, his ex-girlfriend as well as Joey."

Morag nodded.

"So, in your own mind, you have no doubt that these two violent incidents occurred?"

"Unfortunately, no, I have no doubt at all."

She began to cry softly. She hadn't wanted to betray her brother and she knew that testifying was the final nail in the coffin as far as it came to having any kind of a relationship with her family. But she had to protect Joey, even if it was long overdue.

"I wish I could stand up here and defend him. I love him," she said. "But I had to do what I felt was right."

"Thank you, Zoe. We appreciate how hard this has been for you. No further questions."

***

Robbo whispered something to French as the man stood up.

"Can you talk me through this alleged assault on Joanne Collins?" he said. "Was it really that Mr Cruze was angry about you being a couple or was it because you lied and claimed that your girlfriend was sexually assaulting you?"

Zoe blanched. Joey held her head in her hands.

"I did lie to him," Zoe admitted. "I did say that. But only because I knew he'd attack one or both of us if he knew the truth. When the truth did come out, he convinced my parents to throw me out of the house by making it utterly unbearable to live there. And it seems he attempted to rape Joey."

"Well, if you're a self-confessed liar then how are we supposed to trust your word now?" French asked.

"Because I learnt from my mistakes. I was afraid of him. Joey and I both were."

"If we're sitting here condemning Robert Cruze for being angry towards Joanne Collins then we need to reprimand Charlotte Buckton for reacting badly to news of Joanne's apparent assault. He thought his little sister had been abused. He reacted."

"He would have reacted the same even if I'd told the truth," Zoe insisted. "That's why I didn't! Because I was afraid of him and what he would do to Joey and I."

***

The evening arrived and Robbo sat alone in his cell. Prison would have been bad enough for any crime other than a sexual offence but even here, amongst a bunch of criminals, he was scum. The men he shared unwilling residence with, didn't believe his story and could only imagine Tanya and Joey as their girlfriends or little sisters. They treated him with contempt and often violent outbursts of anger. If he went down tomorrow, his life would be over.

***

Ross headed back to Morag's house. They'd been seeing each other for a few months and he was happy, albeit it ashamed that he had moved on so quickly after such a long marriage. He had shared his news with neither of his girls and out of respect for Elsie's memory he had never invited Morag back to the house. But he knew she wanted to share his life with her. Elsie was his wife. They had loved each other very much but their hearts had never truly belonged to each other. Elsie belonged with Clara and if the three of them all ended up in Heaven one day, he was sure that's who his wife would choose. And he in turn, had loved Morag for many years. They'd enjoyed an affair or two and he'd held off being with her again since Elsie passed away. But the time was right. He wanted to share his life with her. Unfortunately, that meant coming out to his girls.

***

Zoe got into her car and drove back out of town. Joey and Tanya had thanked her for standing up for them and her parents had berated her for betraying her big brother. Now, it was done and she wanted to get as far away town as possible. She'd lost her family and she'd had to see Charlie and Joey presenting themselves as couple. She'd spoken up because she thought it was the right thing to do but she'd also spoken up in hope that it might bring her forgiveness and perhaps a reunion with Joey. But it hadn't. In her absence, apparently Joey and Charlie had finally admitted what everybody knew. They were in love. And there was no room for anybody else.

***

Watson sat in front of the television feeling tense. It had been painful to say the least to watch her housemate go through so much trauma as she had to explain and justify her version of what had happened to her. She just hoped that justice would be served and soon. That monster needed to be locked away for the rest of his life.

***

Aden lay on the sofa in Belle's arms. It was difficult to sit in court every day listening to the nasty facts about what Robbo had done to both Tanya and Joey. It brought up so many painful memories, the fear and the devastation. It opened up a world of feelings that he just wanted to forget about. He'd been abused by his grandfather and let down by his father. He'd spent so much of his time feeling alone. Joey had been his rock. She'd supported him without fail. He just hoped that he was happy with him for playing his part, stepping up to the mark and telling the court everything he knew, everything he could to protect her from never being hurt again.

***

Charlie and Joey sat on the beach looking out at the water. Joey had been distressed and the water always made her calmer. She was cuddled up against Charlie who had her arm around her, holding her close.

"It's his turn tomorrow," Joey said, even though Charlie knew that already. "I feel sick just thinking about it."

"We'll all be there with you. Tomorrow it could be over, depending on when the jury make their decision. Tomorrow he could be in jail and you could be free."

"What if they find him not guilty, Charlie?"

"Then we'll cope. But to me, the evidence seems pretty damning."

"How will we cope?" Joey asked. "I'm going to be a mess, Charlie, if I have to see him every day. It'll be hell like it was before."

"Joey, we'll do anything we need to," Charlie said firmly. "Even if you want to move or something, anything... we'll do it. I'll do whatever it takes to protect you."

Joey lifted her head and kissed Charlie's cheek.

"But I'm certain he'll be found guilty," Charlie added. "They have to. He _is _guilty."

"Let's just hope," Joey said softly.

***

Joey fought the constant urge to throw up. She'd spent forty-five minutes sitting beside Morag as Robbo retold the story of how Tanya had been attacked on the way home. A gang of thugs had apparently raped her and she'd crawled back to the house in agony where the police had burst in and found her. He swore that was all he knew about his girlfriend's trauma and claimed that his only guilt lay in not being there for her when she needed him. As far as Joey was concerned, he said that the two of them had never got along but that he was not the kind of man who would threaten and intimidate another person, especially a young woman. He confessed that he had hit her once when he had been under the impression that she had sexually assaulted the little sister he loved so much. But as soon as he'd been told the truth, he said he had felt guilty and never laid a hand on her since. He passed the incident where Joey had fallen overboard as an accident. He'd been distressed over his break-up with Tanya, not looked where he was going and bumped into his colleague. He insisted that after work on that fateful day, he'd left immediately and gone home. The first he knew of the attempted rape claim was when Joey's girlfriend, Charlie had charged up to him screaming the odds and throwing her fists around. He said everything so calmly, so convincingly that Joey and Tanya were fearful of him winning the jury over, especially when he began to talk about the terrible time he'd had in prison for a crime he had hadn't committed. When his lawyer sat back down, Morag stood up, more than ready to take him on.

***

It was an agonising wait as the jury retired to consider their verdict. Both representatives had offered strong closing arguments and nobody seemed to know which way the coin was likely to fall, although everyone crowded around Joey and Tanya had their own hopes. Aden arrived back with coffees for everyone. He looked extremely pale. Joey gazed at him, suddenly feeling guilty that she hadn't realised how hard a rape case would be on him. All this time, she had only thought of herself and Tanya. But Aden had never got justice for what happened to him as a child. To this day, as far as Joey knew, only she and Belle knew the truth outside of his own family. She silently vowed to spend some time with him after the trial, make sure that he was alright. She accepted Charlie's hand as it slipped into hers. Joey knew she would never have got through the trial, or indeed the original trauma, if it hadn't been for Charlie's love. She was the centre of her universe and as always, she had been the one to keep her going. She looked up and smiled lovingly at her partner. The door opened.

"The jury are coming back in," Morag said.

***

"Regarding the rape of Tanya Gannon, do you have a verdict on which you all agree?" the judge asked.

Tanya's heart raced in her chest. She never thought she would be here today. Over the years, while she and Robbo had been together, she'd been a submissive woman. She'd put up with bullying and violence right up until the night she'd dared to speak to another man, one that she wasn't particularly interested in, and been raped by her boyfriend in return. She'd fled and sworn to put the whole thing behind her. It was only when Charlie and Watson had starting begging her to press charges for the second time that she'd given in. They'd mentioned that Robbo had almost succeeding in raping another woman. It hadn't taken a genius to work out that it was Joey. He'd had it in for her for years. Tanya suspected it was borne of frustration of never having her. She'd heard on the grapevine that Joey had been caught making out with Zoe, which again, wasn't a surprise. And she was also aware that had it been Joey who'd alerted the police and rescued her that night. It was Joey who had noticed the anger between them and begged Charlie to send a team round. If they hadn't shown up, according to her doctor, she may well have bled to death. Joey had saved her life. And Tanya had wanted to help.

"Yes."

"And on the count of raping Tanya Gannon, do you find the defendant, guilty or not guilty?"

"Guilty," the foreman of the jury said without any hesitation.

Robbo fought the urge to vomit. Even without Joey's little claim, he would now be jailed as a rapist. He was a condemned man. Rapist was a title that a man could never shake.

"And regarding the attempted rape of Joanne Collins, do you have a verdict on which you all agree?"

"Yes."

Joey's mouth went dry but she was shaking too badly to even attempt to sip her water. She felt Morag's hand reach for hers and accepted gratefully, never taking her eyes off the foreman.

"And on the count of attempting to rape Joanne Collins, do you find the defendant guilty or not guilty?"

It felt like an eternity for Charlie as she waited for the words she so longed to hear. Watson held her hand tightly as Charlie leant so far forward on her chair that she could fall out of it at any moment if she relaxed her rigid body.

"Guilty."

Tears instantly sprang from Charlie's eyes. She let her body go slack. Between them, Martha and Watson caught her and sat her back in her chair. She rubbed her eyes with her hands as relief flooded her. Joey just continued to stare as if she didn't understand.

"The case we've heard this week has been one of the most sickening and violent stories. Robert Cruze, you have lied, manipulated and bullied both of these women to the point where you thought you'd broken them. But today, you've been found guilty of two very serious sexual offences and your sentence will be reflective of the suffering you've inflicted. For the rape of Tanya Gannon, I sentence you to fifteen years in prison. And for the attempted rape of Joanne Collins, I sentence you to five years, giving you a combined period of twenty years in custody. You will have to serve a minimum of twelve years before you'll be considered for parole."

***

Joey had quietly enjoyed drinks at the Jukebox with her family and friends, including Tanya and her parents as they celebrated Robbo being treated exactly as he deserved. Now, tired from such an emotionally turbulent week, she, Charlie, Watson and Carol headed home. Saying goodnight, Joey led Charlie into their room and sank down on the bed. Tears of relief flooded her soul. Charlie crept onto the bed beside her, pulling her lover into her lap. She stroked Joey's hair, whispering repeatedly that she loved her and that everything was alright now. Joey forced herself to sit up. She gazed into Charlie's eyes.

"It's over now, isn't it?" she said.

"Yes, sweetheart. It's all over. We can move on now. You're safe."

Joey crushed her lips against Charlie's, wrapping her arms around her shoulders. They held each other tighter, kissing tenderly.

"I love you," Joey murmured.

"I love you too," Charlie replied. "With every breath in my body, I love you. And I will spend the rest of my life showing you exactly how I feel. I'll hold you and protect you and adore you, Joey. Always."


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter Forty-Two**

**December 2006**

It felt strange to be preparing for Christmas without Elsie but Charlie and Joey were doing their best. Watson was taking Carol home to her family for a few days and with Ross's hospitality not being the best, Charlie and Joey had decided to have him and Ruby over for dinner at their house. The hope was that it wouldn't feel so empty without Elsie if it wasn't in her family home. Ruby had been back for a few days and she'd chosen to stay with Charlie and Joey for the whole holiday as Ross was often out and she'd said if she was coming back to spend time with her family then she was going to spend time with them, not sit alone in a house where her mother had died. It felt strange to be around her. At thirteen, living away from home, Ruby had changed significantly. She was sarcastic and moody a lot of the time, a far cry from the bubbly little girl who had first gone away. Once upon a time, Ruby had never ceased talking but these days Charlie was finding it hard to get her sister to open her mouth. She supposed that she was just getting older. She distinctly remembered going through a stroppy phase around the same age. Back then, she'd even considered herself too cool to hang out with Joey like she wanted to, just because she was a couple of years younger.

"Shall we go to the Juke for some drinks?" Joey suggested.

Ruby shrugged and continued watching television.

"That sounds like a great idea," Charlie agreed. "Rubes?"

Ruby shrugged again.

"Come on, it's Christmas Eve," Charlie coaxed. "Your mates might be there. And Xavier."

"Like I'm into Xavier anymore," Ruby replied. "I'm totally over him. I moved on ages ago."

Charlie frowned and looked at Joey.

"Well, we're going to the Juke," Joey said brightly, grabbing her shoes and sitting down to put them on. "Join us if you like."

Charlie followed suit and Ruby eyed them. She wanted to go. Sighing in an over-exaggerated manner, she reached for her shoes and put them on.

"Fine," she said. "Let's go."

***

The girls arrived at the Jukebox. Many people had obviously had the same idea and the atmosphere was charged as people drank and danced. Joey and Ruby found seats in the corner while Charlie headed up to the bar to order drinks.

"Busy night!" she commented to Martha.

"Tell me about it! I didn't realise this many people lived here!"

Charlie giggled. The place was definitely packed.

"What can I get you?"

"Two beers and a diet coke please?"

"Joey and Ruby?" Martha guessed.

"Yeah. Family Christmas. What are you guys up to?"

"Jack and I are going to his parents," Martha said. "Lucas is coming back and Belle and Aden are coming round. Should be fun. Aside from Gina's clan being there. Jack and Hugo still don't talk."

"Ooh, awkward," Charlie said, pulling a face.

"Always is. It's horrible. I just feel so shitty about it. Brings it all back."

"Well, it's all in the past now," Charlie said. "Jack's forgiven you and you're getting married."

"I hope that Jack and Hugo could find some peace one day."

"I hope so too."

She presented Charlie with her drinks. Charlie handed the cash over and wandered back to her family. Handing out drinks, she sat beside Joey and put her arm around her.

"So..." she began.

"Ooh, there's Xavier!" Ruby squeaked. "See you later!"

She jumped up and hurried away. Charlie and Joey exchanged glances.

***

In the morning, Ross left Morag's house at the same time she did. She was heading over to her brother's house to celebrate Christmas with him and Ross was going to see his girls. Their relationship was still a secret. More and more he wanted to share it with his daughters but it never quite felt like the right time.

***

The day was going well. Ruby had cheered up considerably, especially when she'd received her gift from Charlie and Joey, which was a brand new laptop. For the remainder of the day the sullen girl they'd been living with so far was gone and she couldn't stop saying thank you and giving them hugs. Dinner had been nice but far too filling, although nobody had at any point chosen to stop eating it.

"I'm going to get us all a top up," Joey announced.

She didn't move.

"In like a minute or two," she added.

Charlie stroked her belly affectionately and kissed her cheek.

"I need the bathroom anyway so I'll get more drinks when I get back. There's no need for more than one person to stand up unnecessarily."

Joey grinned gratefully and Charlie hauled herself to her feet. Ross watched them and smiled. They really were very sweet together and very domesticated. He was impressed. Suddenly, his phone rang. Looking at the caller ID, he excused himself and headed into the back hall to talk to Morag.

"Thank you again for my present," Ruby said.

She'd kept the item close by her, not wanting to let it out of her sight.

"We wanted to get you something useful," Joey said. "Glad you like it."

"I love it!"

***

Charlie exited the bathroom with the intention of heading into the kitchen. She stopped when she heard her father's voice.

"I wish I was spending Christmas with you too," he said into his phone. "Maybe next year when things are calmer."

Charlie stopped and listened.

"Okay, I'd better get back to my family. I love you."

Ross hung up to the phone and headed back towards the living room, only to top short when he saw Charlie glaring at him.

"Who do you wish you were spending Christmas with, Dad?" she asked.

***

Joey and Ruby jumped when they heard raised voices heading in their direction.

"How could you?" Charlie yelled.

"I was going to tell you, Charlie..." Ross pleaded.

"Mum's only been gone for seven months!"

"Charlie, you of all people know that our marriage wasn't a conventional one towards the end. And seven months feels like I long time."

"Really? It feels like nothing to me! It's not even been a year, Dad! We haven't even commemorated an anniversary or anything!"

Ruby and Joey watched their interaction feeling startled.

"What's going on?" Ruby finally asked.

"Dad has a girlfriend," Charlie said bitterly.

"What? What about Mum?" Ruby squeaked.

"Your Mum's gone, sweetheart. She'd want me to move on with my life."

"Is it Morag?" Charlie asked, fully aware of the affairs they'd had while Elsie was alive.

Ross looked down at the floor.

"You could at least have picked someone you hadn't cheated with!" Charlie snapped, immediately feeling guilty and aware that Ruby knew nothing about the situation.

"You cheated on Mum?" Ruby shrieked, leaping to her feet.

Joey stepped in to hold onto her.

"Nice one, Charlie. You know the situation was more complicated than that."

"Sorry," Charlie said sincerely. "But how could you... How could you?"

"Morag and I love each other. You can't help who you fall for."

He shot a look at Joey.

"Can you?"

Joey shifted uncomfortably and still held onto Ruby whose mind was reeling. There suddenly felt like so much she didn't know.

"Me falling for Joey and you falling for Morag are completely different things," Charlie said.

"Well neither of us can help it so why don't we just be happy for each other?" Ross suggested.

"Can someone please tell me what information I'm missing?" Ruby asked.

***

That night, Charlie and Joey lay in each other's arms. Charlie felt terribly guilty for blurting out about her father's affair in front of Ruby. She'd just been so angry she hadn't been able to curb her words. Ross had explained that he and Elsie had loved each other very much but that they hadn't been in love for a long time. He said that they'd been completely honest and open with each other about things and that Ruby's mother had never been hurt during their marriage. Ruby had reluctantly accepted it but stopped being cheerful for the rest of the day. Everyone else had stopped being cheerful too and Ross had gone home. During the evening, Charlie, Joey and Ruby attempted to play some games and have a nice time together but they'd ended up in a sad but affectionate conversation about Elsie, Clara and Paul for most of the night.

"That wasn't quite how I expected Christmas to turn out," Charlie said sadly.

"I know," Joey replied softly. "But it can't be helped now."

Charlie reached up and kissed Joey's lips.

"Can we finish Christmas nicely at least?" she asked.

Immediately, they kissed again, happily losing themselves in each other.

***

Ruby was up and out the next morning. She'd arranged to go and meet Xavier at the beach along with his new friends, Annie, Geoff and Jai. It felt strange to spend time with Xavier now. They had been so close before she went to boarding school but with everything that had happened in her life, she was aware that she was changing and so was he. Once upon a time, she'd believed that she and Xavier were meant to be together, just like Charlie and Joey were but that didn't make sense anymore. She wasn't sure how she felt about it either.

***

Charlie waited anxiously at home for her father to arrive. Joey had slipped out to see Aden to give father and daughter some time alone. Charlie wanted to apologise for exploding, although she was still furious that he and Morag were an item. It felt like he was cheating on her mother and that did not sit well with her.

***

Joey and Aden met at the beach.

"Did you have a good Christmas?" Joey asked, gazing out to sea.

"Don't ask!"he frowned. "You?"

"Same."

"What happened?"

"I told you not to ask!" Joey giggled.

Aden grinned at her. She really was his best friend in the world.

"Charlie and Ross got into an argument. It was pretty tense for a while. What happened at the Holdens?"

"Hugo and Jack happened," Aden told her. "You'd have thought that maybe after all this time and with Jack forgiving Martha, he might be able to forgive his cousin but no, he hasn't managed it yet."

"Sounds wonderful," Joey said sadly.

"To be fair, Hugo wouldn't stop gazing at Martha, same as he does whenever she's around. I guess he's not over her."

"Obviously it's Jack that I care about," Joey said thoughtfully. "Because he's the one that's my friend and I don't really know Hugo, except that he hit on Charlie once. But I do feel kind of bad for him. I mean, Martha was as guilty as Hugo was and she's fine and forgiven now. But Hugo's never really had the chance to bond with anyone here. I'd be surprised if he didn't end up leaving."

"I think he only stays out of devotion to Gina and the boys," Aden admitted. "And possibly the hope that Martha will change her mind one day."

"She won't though, will she?" Joey asked worriedly.

"Highly unlikely bordering on impossible, I'd say," Aden replied confidently.

***

"I'm sorry for some of the things I said yesterday," Charlie ventured when her father was seated. "I just..."

"I know," Ross said softly.

"I guess it's reasonable to accept that you're moving on," Charlie said. "It's just hard to see."

Ross took a deep breath and reached out for his daughter's hand. They had never had the most fantastic of relationships and he was aware that much of that was his fault. But he loved her and he wanted her to be happy.

"I miss your Mum too, Charlie. Every day I miss her. But we weren't really husband and wife anymore, not for a long time."

Charlie nodded.

"She told me that she told you everything about me and her, and Morag and Clara."

"Yes, she did."

"So do you understand even a little bit?"

"I do," Charlie said, fighting tears.

She still couldn't think about her mother without crying.

"And Morag's a wonderful woman. Just look at how good she was with Joey those times that she needed her. If you... if you'd be willing to give her a chance then I'm sure you'd get on."

"Would I have to see you together at the house? That's... that's what upsets me – to think of you and Morag in Mum's house..."

"Morag has never been to the house aside from meetings with Joey, the ones that you were present for," Ross confirmed. "I couldn't betray your mother like that."

Charlie was grateful for that at least.

"But I do want us to be together, Charlie. I want us to live together, be a proper couple."

Charlie chewed her lip.

"So I want to sell the house."

Charlie blanched. Her instinct was to argue. All her childhood memories were there, her mother's life had revolved around that house and her family. But she took a breath and nodded.

"If that's what you want to do," she said, a lump in her throat.

"It is," Ross replied, a little startled at his daughter's reaction.

***

Ruby stretched out on the sand. It was nice to see Xavier again. Geoff was good looking, Annie was quiet and Jai was funny. They were a good enough crowd, she supposed.

"What are you guys doing for New Year?" she asked.

Xavier shrugged. He hadn't really thought about it. Mostly, his mind had been fixated on Ruby. It was strange to have her back in his life. It felt strange every holiday and his heart broke a little more each time she left. And this holiday was the worst because they hadn't flirted or been close like they used to be. Ruby was in a world of her own. She didn't seem interested in him anymore. She was distant but still the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

"Well, I heard some guys talking about a massive beach party. Do you guys want to go?"

Xavier agreed willingly. The others looked uncertain but were prepared to go with the flow.

"Cool! Well, let's set about getting some alcohol then."

***

"He's really selling the house?" Joey asked.

The two of them were organising a small buffet for the evening. Ross, Ruby, her friends, Aden, Belle, Jack, Martha, Rachel, Leah and Vinnie were coming round for food. Joey knew that Charlie secretly liked to play the hostess. She supposed it was a trait she'd got from Elsie and Joey was more than happy to indulge her.

"Yeah. He wants to set up home with Morag but not tarnish Mum's memory."

Charlie sighed heavily and began to fuss with serviettes.

"Are you okay with that?" Joey asked.

"I feel sad about it. To know that I can't go over there and..."

She trailed off, not wanting to think about it anymore.

"Maybe you could," Joey said thoughtfully.

Charlie looked at her quizzically.

"Like make friends with the new owners in a creepy, stalker kind of way?" she asked.

Joey grinned.

"No, maybe we could... Maybe we could buy it."

Charlie dropped the pile of forks she was holding, her eyes wide. Joey shifted nervously. While they had been inseparable from the day Joey was born, they had technically only been dating since May. Perhaps it was too soon to talk about something like that.

"We could... well, we're both doing well for money and, I mean, we could go and talk about a mortgage and your Dad might even let it go cheaper if it was us buying."

Joey's voice had become high pitched with nerves.

"What do you think?"

"It's a big commitment," Charlie managed.

Disappointed, Joey continued to set the table.

"And I'd love to make that commitment to you," Charlie said. "To us."

Joey looked up, smiling happily.

"You would?" she asked. "You didn't seem too sure just then."

"I was just surprised. I hadn't even thought about it. But yes, I'd love to buy a house with you, especially that one."

Both of them were grinning. They met each other in the middle, hugging in excitement over their new plan.

"You can tell Watson, by the way," Charlie added. "Considering it was your idea!"

Joey looked set to object but changed her mind. She hugged Charlie a little tighter.

***

New Year rolled around and Charlie couldn't help but be a little disappointed that Ruby was going to a different party instead of the Jukebox where most people, including Charlie and Joey were going to. Charlie realised that Ruby wanted to do her own thing and she would never have considered doing something with her family when she was her age, but with their limited time together, she had a desire to keep her little sister close. Entering the bar, she cheered up considerably, however. It had been decorated brightly with balloons and banners and there were party poppers on every table ready to count midnight in. Everyone also got a free first drink and then later, Martha would be bringing out the champagne. It was strange as she never thought she'd feel this way on this particular New Year but it seemed that she had a lot to celebrate. She'd got her desired promotion and she was so deeply in love with Joey that she couldn't even think straight. Now that they had decided to buy Charlie's childhood home together, she felt more connected somehow. To get both their names on one mortgage felt like they were really sharing something. It made it more official somehow that two soul mates had found each other.

***

Out on the beach, Ruby was already feeling tipsy. She had successfully pinched several bottles from Charlie, Joey, Watson and Carol's stash. Annie and Geoff had objected to getting drunk saying that thirteen was far too young. Jai had reluctantly joined in, wanting to impress Ruby and Xavier had been more than willing. Now, sitting by the fire, she smiled at Xavier sitting beside her. Even though they weren't together anymore, that they hadn't really ever been together at all, she still thought he was beautiful. She loved his blonde hair and could easily get lost in his eyes. It was interesting to see him again after so many months. He was taller, still very slim and there was a distinct hint of stubble on his face. She looked back down at herself, aware that she had changed also. She was developing a curvy figure and she and her friends had even had to go bra shopping for something bigger. That all felt pretty exciting, although she couldn't help but feel sad that she wasn't doing it at home. As much as she loved her school and her friends, still if she had a choice, she would have stayed at home. She was upset with her father for sending her away and stealing time with her mother from her. Now Elsie was gone and it was too late to be close to her, to be loved by her and to tell her just how adored she was. And Charlie was firmly a grown up now with her job and her house and her relationship. If Ruby didn't have a mother anymore, she wanted Charlie. But she felt too lost to tell her about it.

***

Jack settled himself at the bar. Martha would be stuck behind it working all night and he hoped to keep her company. He could hardly believe that in just five months time, Martha would become Mrs Holden. It was very exciting and he was eager for them to officially start their lives together. She finally had a break in people wanting drinks and stopped to catch hold of her fiancé's hand. Leaning across the bar, she kissed him.

"Bad barmaid!" Rachel giggled, coming to sit beside Jack and tease him and Martha.

They pulled apart and grinned at her.

"Where's mine?" Rachel asked, pretending to be serious.

"Don't tempt me, Rachel!" Martha laughed. "You know I can't say no to a dare!"

"Just to make it clear, that would be totally okay," Jack laughed.

Both women stared at him in surprise.

"What would be okay?" Vinnie asked.

He and Leah appeared behind Rachel and Jack as if from nowhere.

"Girls kissing," Jack said. "Even my girl."

Vinnie leered at the thought.

"Are you serious?" Leah asked, alarmed.

"It's a guy thing," Vinnie said.

"So, seeing Charlie and Joey..." Martha said, nodding towards the women.

They were kissing in the corner, arms wrapped round each other.

"Well, um..." Jack said a little flustered.

"I mean... they're both pretty hot," Vinnie said, terribly worried about getting himself into trouble.

"And they're together so..." Jack added.

They glanced at their unimpressed girlfriends.

"But they do nothing for me," Jack lied.

"I've only ever looked at you, darling," Vinnie told Leah.

***

Charlie and Joey reluctantly pulled away from each other's mouths, resting their foreheads together as they swayed gently to the music.

"I can't believe we're buying a house together," Charlie said softly.

Joey beamed at her. She'd been so nervous about suggesting the move. It was a big step but she'd been thrilled when Charlie had agreed so willingly.

"It's pretty exciting," Joey agreed.

They kissed again, brushing their lips gently together before letting it develop. Charlie closed her eyes, taking in every sensation Joey was offering. She loved her taste and the feel of Joey against her mouth. Breathing in her scent was intoxicating and it felt so right to hold her in her arms. It was where they belonged.

***

Ruby leant closer to Xavier, pretending that she was having trouble hearing him over the music and everyone else chatting and laughing. He leant into her, coming ever closer and before she knew what was happening, Ruby was engaged in her first proper kiss.

***

Hugo entered the bar feeling completely out of place. Sleeping with Martha behind Jack's back was the single worst thing he'd ever done and yet he couldn't quite bring himself to regret it. Their short lived romance had been the most wonderful time of his life and he hated Jack for stealing her back. He hated Martha for never giving him her heart. But more than hating her, he loved her. Glancing over at the bar where she, Jack and their friends were talking together, he sighed and considered going home. He should have just done the right thing and let his mother enjoy her New Year and looked after Brendan while she went out with her friends. But he'd been too selfish for that. He found Brendan hard work and didn't want to be trapped at home with him when there was a chance to go out. He was just about to turn round and head for his boat to go for a New Year dive, when Aden offered him a beer. Aware that Aden and his girlfriend were taking pity on him and his loneliness, he considered refusing but then decided not to cut off his nose to spite his face.

"Cheers," he said, following them back to their seats.

***

Ruby felt high on life, love and alcohol. Kissing Xavier had been amazing and Charlie's beers had gone to her head. She'd forced them down even though she didn't like the taste and now she was starting to feel a little dizzy.

"Hey guys," Annie said anxiously. "We were thinking of going into the Jukebox. It's a bit lame out here, don't you think?"

"I'm having a great time," Xavier confirmed, gazing at Ruby.

"If you're not having fun, I'm sure there's something more entertaining we could do," Ruby told the others.

"Like what?" Jai asked, interested.

He was keen to do anything that didn't involved Ruby and Xavier making out.

"I don't know," Ruby said, thoughtfully. "But I'm sure we could think of something."

***

Ross sat in Morag's living room. They'd had a nice evening together so far, sharing a meal and wine.

"Morag, would you...? I'd like for us to live together," he blurted out.

She looked surprised.

"Really?" she said.

"Yes. What do you think?"

"Well, yes, I'd love to."

"I'm going to sell the house," Ross said. "But I would like to stay near Charlie and work. Would you consider getting a place together?"

Morag nodded.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea to me," she said, leaning over and kissing him.

***

Annie and Geoff had decided to go to the Jukebox but Ruby, Jai and Xavier had stayed out and were now running a little dizzily through the empty streets pushing over trash cans. Having drunk too much and feeling that they were very rebellious, they'd definitely begun to enjoy themselves.

***

"Oh, you're back!" Joey greeted Watson excitedly. "Hooray!"

She pulled her housemate into a hug and then stepped up to hug Carol.

"We missed you," she said, sitting back down.

"Glad to hear it!" Watson grinned, sitting down next to her.

She turned to Charlie.

"Did you miss us too?" she asked.

"Oh, Watson, I felt like I couldn't breathe without you," Charlie giggled.

"No-one likes a smart arse!" Watson pouted.

"Joey does!" Charlie replied triumphantly, pulling her girlfriend in for a kiss.

"Damn kids!" bellowed a male voice.

Charlie, Joey, Watson and Carol looked up to find a very disgruntled Brett storm into the bar.

"You!" he said to Charlie. "Your little sister is causing mayhem out there with her mates."

Charlie stood up, suddenly feeling a little more sober.

"What are you talking about?"

"She and her little buddies are tipping rubbish all over the street and letting the bins roll down the road. Sort it out, _Constable._"

Unhappily, with Joey and Watson trailing behind her, Charlie headed out of the bar. There was indeed rubbish strewn all over the road. Joey pointed when she saw a metal cylinder roll past just ahead of them. All three women headed in the direction it had come from. They spotted Ruby, Xavier and Jai pretty quickly.

"Ruby!" Charlie yelled.

The teenager stopped laughing, immediately looking guilty.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Celebrating New Year?" Ruby offered.

"Are you drunk?" Charlie demanded.

"Sssh.... Don't tell Dad. He might start caring," Ruby replied, slurring her words.

"You three are cleaning this mess up right now," Charlie instructed.

"I don't want to," Ruby argued.

"It's not a request."

"Your sister's pretty strict," Xavier giggled.

"Do you want me to get your brother out here, Xavier?" Charlie asked.

"No, Charlie," he replied quietly.

"Then get to it," Charlie snapped. "All of you."

She, Joey and Watson watched the three miserable teenagers started tidying up, complaining very loudly as they did so.

"Can you believe them?" Charlie said.

"Sounds like you've got things under control," Watson said. "I'll leave you to it."

"Oh, gee, thanks," Charlie said, rolling her eyes as Watson disappeared.

When they were alone, Joey turned to Charlie with a smirk on her face.

"You know, you _are _pretty strict," she said, keeping her voice low.

Charlie caught the look and grinned. She felt Joey slip her arm around her waist and then down to her bottom, squeezing it cheekily. Charlie licked her lips and, making sure that nobody was watching, she bent down and kissed her.

"I wouldn't mind seeing more of the commanding side to you," Joey almost growled.

"Oh really?" Charlie said, pulling her a little closer and kissing her again.

"Mmm..." Joey replied, wrapping her arms tighter around Charlie.

"Hey!" Ruby squawked. "If we're working, you're not making out!"

"You are doing exactly as I tell you," Charlie insisted, immediately returning her attention to her girlfriend.

***

At half past twelve, Charlie and Joey finally fell in to bed. They'd made Ruby, Xavier and Jai clean up their mess, dragged Jai home and handed Xavier over to Hugo, allowing the teenagers to stop only to welcome the New Years itself in. Then they'd taken Ruby back and she'd stormed to bed, shouting at Charlie for humiliating her.

"What a night!" Charlie complained.

"Not quite how I was hoping it would be," Joey agreed.

She moved to cover Charlie's body with her own. Charlie looked up and couldn't quite resist peering down Joey's top at her very inviting cleavage.

"And what were you hoping for?" she asked, certain that she already knew the answer.

"Well... it's our first New Year officially together," Joey said.

She placed a delicate kiss on Charlie's neck, licking at her pulse point. Charlie wriggled a little beneath her, closing her eyes.

"So I was kind of hoping we could do a little of this," she said, stroking her hand over Charlie's breast.

"And maybe a little of this," she said, running the same hand between their bodies and briefly touching Charlie between her legs.

Charlie opened her eyes and smiled at Joey, forgetting completely about her little sister's antics. Joey kissed her more passionately, taking Charlie's breath away.

"You're taking our little tradition far more seriously this time, Ms Collins," she said.

Joey nodded.

"Yes. Yes, I am."

Both of them thought back to their make out sessions over the last few years, especially the time on Charlie's couch when Charlie had straddled Joey to the point that her dress had risen up excruciatingly high. Smiling together, they kissed again. Joey settled her body down on top of Charlie and began to slip the strap of her dress off her shoulder, replacing the strap with several kisses. Before she knew what was happening, Joey found herself flat on her back. She giggled as Charlie settled herself on top, kissing Joey passionately and then gazing into her eyes.

"I think you said something earlier about wanting me to be commanding?" she said.

Charlie ran her hands all over Joey's body, eliciting moans of excitement. They kissed harder.

***

Ruby was in a foul mood when she woke up. Her head hurt, she felt sick and she was thoroughly annoyed with Charlie. Her sister had made her look like an idiot in front of Xavier and Jai. Throwing herself on the sofa in her pyjamas, she bundled herself up in a blanket and watched television, hoping that what she presumed was a hangover would go away quickly. She looked up when Charlie walked into the room in her dressing gown looking extremely pleased with herself.

"You're up early," the eldest Buckton said.

"So? Aren't I even allowed to get up when I want to?" Ruby snapped.

Charlie sighed, her good mood suddenly dissipating. After the debacle with the bins, Charlie and Joey had got home and not managed to sleep until four in the morning. It had been a glorious night. She came to sit beside her sister.

"Ruby, please don't be like this," she tried.

"You humiliated me, Charlie."

"You were trashing the street," Charlie reminded her.

"So?"

"And you'd been drinking!"

"You were drinking," Ruby pointed out.

"You're thirteen years old. I'm twenty-three. I'm allowed."

Ruby just pulled a face.

"Where did you even get alcohol from?" Charlie asked.

She interpreted Ruby's guilty face to mean her fridge.

"Ruby..."

"Like you never misbehaved when you were a teenager."

Joey shuffled into the room. Charlie had told her she'd be back to bed with coffee. She started making it herself while the siblings argued.

"I never did anything like that."

"No, you just screwed a soldier."

Joey gripped the kettle a little too hard at the memory. Charlie's jaw dropped.

"I was seventeen. You'd better not be thinking about anything like that, young lady."

"You're not my Mum."

"I'm aware of that, Ruby but right now it's up to me and Dad to take care of you."

"By sending me away to school? By leaving me with the distinct impression that you don't want me around messing up your pretty little life?"

"Ruby, that's not true," Charlie insisted, feeling upset. "You know if Dad let you switch schools I'd have you here in a heartbeat. I miss you when you're away."

Ruby gazed into Charlie's eyes, trying to figure out if her sister was being honest.

"Whatever," she finally said, looking back at the TV.

"Don't do anything like that again, Ruby," Charlie said sternly. "I'm so disappointed in you."

"Oh great, this disappointment speech."

"What's got into you?"

"I'm growing up!" Ruby said, getting to her feet and storming towards her bedroom.

"Well you're doing a rubbish job!" Charlie yelled after her.

She sank back on the couch. Joey moved over and handed her a coffee, sitting beside her. Charlie looked very unhappy.

"She'll come round," Joey said. "She's just being a teenager."

"I know," Charlie sighed. "I guess I just never thought I'd have to be the one to deal with this stuff."

"Hand it over to your Dad," Joey suggested. "It's his job."

Charlie shook her head, certain that her father finding out about the previous night would only make a bad situation worse.

"Hey, everything will be alright," Joey assured her. "It's Ruby. How bad can she be?"

Charlie nodded, feeling comforted.

"Anyway, what shall we do on the first day of the year?" Joey asked.

"How about we go out for lunch? We can invite Ruby if she cheers up."

"That sounds like a great idea to me. And tomorrow, we need to go and talk about mortgages."

Charlie grinned, instantly pleased to be reminded of their plans.

"Yes," she said, kissing Joey's lips. "We do."


	43. Chapter 43

_For all the Ruby fans... IJKS xx_

**Chapter Forty-Three**

**March 2008**

The sun was warm and Joey was hot, having worked hard since very early that morning. It had been a long few weeks and she was looking forward to the beginning of the following month when she and Charlie were going on holiday for their first anniversary. They'd decided to hire a boat for the week and go sailing, the way they had in the past. It felt like they would be coming full circle as it had been on a boat trip that they had shared their first ever kiss, back when Joey had been thirteen. And then when Charlie had returned from the police academy, they'd taken another boat trip where they had almost kissed again. Now, they were very much looking forward to spending an entire week together on the water with nothing but each other, the sunshine and the ocean. But for now, Joey had a tight schedule to keep to and Ruby would be arriving home for two weeks for her school holidays. Judging by the last time she'd been to visit, it wouldn't be plain sailing either. Gone was the happy little girl who worshipped her big sister. Ruby was stroppy and sullen and definitely turning into a handful.

"You look like you have the world on your shoulders," Kayla commented.

Startled from her thoughts, Joey smiled at her friend.

"Oh, just thinking about Ruby coming home tonight," she said. "That's Charlie's little sister."

Kayla nodded. She had only lived in the area for six months and was still getting to know the place and the people.

"She's a bit of a handful," Joey explained.

"How old is she?"

"Fourteen going on eighteen."

Kayla nodded. The twenty year-old had a younger sister who sounded fairly similar. She missed her now that they didn't see each other anymore. When Kayla had come out to her family and admitted that she was gay, they had disowned her and sent her packing. Now, they didn't speak to her, although her little sister did manage to sneak the odd email and text in her direction. She didn't care at all that Kayla was gay. She was still her sister and she loved her.

"I know the type," she said.

"Lucky you!"

Kayla smiled. She liked Joey. She was funny and sweet and she'd given her a chance even though she had very little work experience. It was also not lost on Kayla that Joey was very pretty. She appreciated how toned she was. Joey had good, strong arms and beautiful skin. Kayla liked her hair and her smile. She liked everything about her really, except for the fact that she already had a girlfriend.

* * *

Charlie finished work and drove to the bus stop, ready to collect Ruby who was arriving home for the holidays. She had only been there for a few minutes when the bus pulled up. Charlie climbed out of her car and waited. Ruby bounded off the bus first and leapt into Charlie's arms. Taken aback, having been unsure as to what to expect from her sister after the somewhat turbulent Christmas holidays, Charlie was pleased to be greeted so warmly.

"Hey, Rubes," she greeted.

"Hi, Charlie!" Ruby said.

The bottom of the bus lifted up and Ruby began to rummage around for her bags. She pulled out two large suitcases.

"Geez, Rubes! You're only here for two weeks!" Charlie complained, as her sister loaded her up. "How much stuff did you bring?"

"As much as was necessary!" Ruby replied.

They hauled Ruby's belongings to the car and climbed in.

"I thought we could go to Crumble for dinner tonight to welcome you back," Charlie said. "What do you think?"

"Sounds great to me," Ruby replied.

* * *

Ruby dumped her belongings in her new room. Since she'd been back at school, Charlie and Joey had bought her parents' house from her father. They had taken Ross and Elsie's room, with it being the largest and they had given Ruby Charlie's old bedroom as it was the next biggest. Her little room now served as the spare and she was elated to have been upgraded. She'd always eyed Charlie's bedroom with some envy while she was growing up. They had even decorated it in pink, her favourite colour, and nervously waited to see if she'd like it, which she did. She felt a little guilty for giving them a hard time at New Year and hoped to make up for it now, although she did still have a few surprises in store that they may not be too happy about. She headed back into the kitchen, thrilled to find Joey had arrived home.

"Joey!" she said.

"Hey, Rubes," her sister's girlfriend greeted.

They hugged.

"You're coming for dinner tonight too, right?"

"Of course I am."

"Great! I'm just going to jump in the shower."

The teenager scampered off.

"She's more cheerful," Joey commented.

"Yep," Charlie agreed. "And so am I. Come here."

Joey accepted Charlie's embrace.

"I need a shower after Ruby," Joey complained.

She hated coming home smelling of fish, although Charlie never seemed to mind. Charlie glanced at her watch.

"Well, we have an hour and a half till we need to go so I think I could come and help you. Maybe multiple times," she said, kissing Joey softly.

Joey grinned.

"Multiple times sounds amazing to me," she said.

* * *

The following evening, Joey and Charlie were seated round a table at the Jukebox with Jack, Martha, Aden and Kayla.

"No Belle tonight?" Joey asked, sipping her wine.

"She's working late on a story but she might swing by later," he told the group.

"Working late is so inconvenient," Joey said pointedly, smirking at Charlie who looked offended.

She poked Joey playfully in the ribs.

"I don't work late that much!" she protested.

"Yeah, right!"

Charlie pouted. Joey compensated with a kiss, making her smile.

"They get sappy like that all the time," Aden told Kayla, who hadn't socialised with anybody very much since she'd arrived in town.

"No we don't!" Charlie and Joey insisted in unison.

"They really do," Jack said.

"Oh, you can hardly blame them," Martha said.

She thought it was adorable that her friends were so besotted with each other. After all, it had taken them long enough to get together. Joey grinned gratefully at her and held onto Charlie's hand.

"And you cops do work ridiculous hours," Martha added.

"Hey!" said Jack.

"So um, you guys all grew up here?" Kayla asked, changing the subject.

"Martha, Joey and I did," Charlie told her.

"I moved here during high school," Jack said.

"So did I," said Aden.

"And everyone knows each other and hangs out and stuff?"

She'd never lived in a place like this before. People were unnervingly friendly.

"Pretty much," Joey said. "And now you're one of the gang."

Kayla smiled and blushed, touched to have been invited, especially by Joey. She was far from a typical boss. Joey was laid back and very flexible. There seemed to be no divide between boss and staff. Everyone was friends. To be fair, she could hardly comment on tardiness even if she wanted to. Joey was late all the time and if Kayla guessed correctly, it was normally due to hormones and Charlie.

* * *

Ruby and Pat kissed on Ruby's bed. She was feeling particularly proud of herself for having sneaked her boyfriend in while Charlie and Joey were out with their friends. She knew she had to come clean about her little mishap at school soon and that she would eventually have to introduce her family to her boyfriend but she wasn't quite ready yet. They continued to kiss until they heard noises downstairs. Ruby jolted away from Pat and looked at the time. She'd hardly realised how late it had got.

"You have to go!" she hissed.

"How?"

"Out the window!"

"We're on the first floor!"

"Charlie used to sneak Joey and in and out all the time when she was a kid," Ruby remembered, although she didn't think her sister knew she knew about that.

"Rubes!" Charlie called. "Are you up?"

Ruby panicked as she heard her sister climb the stairs.

"Window!" Ruby shrieked, shoving Pat hard in the chest.

He scrambled across the room and struggled with the window. Charlie knocked and nudged the door open.

"Ruby? I stopped by the Diner and got you some cheesecake."

She stopped at the sight before her. Pat froze. Ruby looked very guilty indeed.

"What the hell is going on here?" Charlie demanded.

"Um... Charlie, this is Pat."

"And who the hell is Pat?" Charlie yelled.

Hearing shouting, Joey trotted up the stairs to find out what was happening. Hovering in the doorway, she found Ruby in her room with a boy who was several years older than she was.

"Pat's my boyfriend," Ruby said.

"I don't think so!" Charlie said sternly. "Get out!"

Pat began to struggle with the window again.

"Through the door, you moron!" Charlie snapped.

Obediently, Pat shuffled past her and Joey towards the exit, mumbling goodbye to Ruby as he did so.

"I can't believe you threw my boyfriend out!" Ruby snapped.

"I can't believe you sneaked him in here!" Charlie argued.

Sighing and deciding to leave the siblings to it, Joey headed down stairs to make sure Pat had really left.

* * *

The atmosphere was tense the following morning and Joey almost wished it was a working day so she could escape. Ruby's holidays were going to be eventful if the youngest Buckton had any say. Padding into the kitchen of a house she never dreamed would ever be hers, Joey started making coffee. Before long, an already dressed Ruby flounced into the room.

"Morning," Joey said. "Breakfast?"

"No thanks. I'm meeting Pat."

"Um, I don't think Charlie's going to be too happy about that, Rubes."

"I don't care. He's my boyfriend and he's travelled all the way from school to see me."

"You go to an all girls school. How do even know the guy?"

"He's the gardener," Ruby said.

"How old is he?" Joey asked worriedly.

Ruby had always felt like her own little sister. She couldn't help feeling protective of her.

"Sixteen."

"You're dating someone two years older than you? I don't think so, Ruby!"

"Oh, don't you start, Joey," Ruby complained. "There's a smaller age gap between Pat and I than there is between you and Charlie."

"It's not the same."

"Why not?"

"Because a gap at our age doesn't matter."

"You're seriously trying to tell me that nothing happened between you when you were my age?" Ruby challenged, folding her arms.

Joey licked her lips, trying to figure out a way to answer.

"Charlie was fifteen not sixteen."

"Why does that matter?"

"It just does."

"I'm not going to stop seeing him," Ruby said.

"Yes you are!" Charlie said loudly, entering the room.

Ruby spun round to glare at her.

"You're not seeing that boy again!" Charlie insisted.

"You don't even know him."

"I know he was in your room last night. And that was not okay, Ruby."

"We were only kissing," Ruby faltered.

"It's still not okay."

She hated the thought of her sister growing up and making out with boys.

"You did it," Ruby accused.

"I wasn't making out with boys in my bedroom at fourteen!"

"Just girls, hey?"

"Not even girls!"

Charlie was always embarrassed to admit that she was a late bloomer. Joey had been her first kiss when she was fifteen years old, although Brett had tried to be her first. Prior to that, nothing had ever happened for her. And she didn't want anything happening for her little sister either.

"I don't believe you," Ruby declared.

"I don't care! You're not having him over again!"

"I can do what I want!"

"No, you can't! While you live under my roof, you live under my rules!"

Ruby made a disgusted sound.

"When did you turn so boring, Charlie?" she snapped, storming out of the house.

Charlie watched her go and then, defeated, sank into a kitchen chair. Joey came to sit beside her and covered her hand with her own.

"It'll be okay," she said softly.

They'd been up half the night talking about Ruby and Pat and not managed to come to any conclusions yet.

"How will it?" Charlie asked sadly. "I don't want her going off with boys so young, Joey. Especially older boys."

"Maybe we're going about this the wrong way," Joey suggested.

"What do you mean?"

"Well perhaps the more we dig our heels in, the more she's going to want to be with him. Isn't that how it worked with Roman?"

Charlie nodded. She distinctly recalled much of her decision to lose her virginity to the mysterious SAS man was because her father hated it and them so much.

"Maybe what we need to do is ask to meet Pat and be supportive," Joey said.

"Maybe," Charlie said.

They hugged.

"I'm not boring, am I?" Charlie asked worriedly.

Joey grinned.

"I can assure you, you're not boring."

* * *

At work the next day, Joey decided to have lunch on deck where she could enjoy the sunshine. On her way off the boat, Kayla stopped and smiled.

"Are you staying here?" she asked.

"Yeah," Joey said.

"Would you object to some company?"

Joey moved over on the bench and gestured for Kayla to join her. Her employee did so, sitting nervously and unpacking her own sandwiches.

"Do you have lunch out here often?" Kayla asked.

"Sometimes," Joey said. "I love being out on the water. Charlie says I'm obsessed."

She smiled.

"She thinks I'm the only person in the world that could work on a boat all week and then agree to go sailing for our anniversary."

Kayla chuckled.

"That is boat dedication," she said.

"Makes me happy, I guess," Joey told her. "Plus, sailing with Charlie always turns out well."

She grinned, thinking back to that very first kiss. Even though Charlie had panicked and run off, those moments when their lips had met, had been perfect. Joey's heart still soared when she thought about it. She'd never thought that she would ever have the opportunity to be that close to her perfect woman and yet on that trip, she had. And now, here she was, years later, even closer than that. She smiled even more as she thought about just how close they were.

"So, have you and Charlie been together long?" Kayla asked.

"It'll be a year on 2nd April," Joey said. "Hence the anniversary."

"I see."

"But we've been friends our whole lives – literally. She met me the day I was born."

"Really?"

"Yeah, our Mums were best friends."

"And suddenly it turned into more?" Kayla asked.

She was interested in finding out everything she could about Joey. She found her fascinating, although it was disappointing to realise just how committed she was to Charlie, although she was lovely as far as Kayla could tell.

"We were in love for a long time," Joey said. "It just took us a while to actually get together. Looking back, it's hard to get my head around why but for one reason or another, it took forever to actually sit down and admit how we felt. But I'm so glad we finally did."

She smiled and sipped her drink.

"How about you, Kayla? Do you have a significant other?"

"Me? No, I'm eternally single," Kayla replied sadly.

"Nobody's _eternally_single, I'm sure," Joey said.

Kayla shrugged.

"It's not easy to find a girlfriend in a small town like this," she said. "I guess it was different for you."

"Well, I'm pretty sure we could arrange a night out in town," Joey said. "Me, you, Charlie, Watson, Carol... It could be a riot!"

"That sounds fun!" Kayla enthused.

* * *

Charlie, Joey, Ruby and Pat sat down to dinner in Charlie and Joey's kitchen. Charlie had agreed with Joey's plan to be nice to Pat and get to know him for Ruby's sake. She didn't like it and nor did Joey but they felt it was the only thing they could do.

"So, um, this is the house you guys grew up in?" Pat asked, politely making conversation.

"Yes," Charlie said. "This was our parents' house. My Dad sold it a few months ago and Joey and I decided to buy it. We wanted to keep it in the family."

"That's nice," Pat said. "I don't really have a lot of family so..."

"Sorry to hear that," Joey said genuinely, knowing how it felt.

"It's okay," Pat shrugged. "I'm pretty happy now I have Ruby."

Charlie tensed as he put his arm around his little sister. Joey put a reassuring hand on Charlie's leg under the table.

* * *

The following afternoon, Ruby and Pat wandered across the beach hand in hand. They stopped when Ruby spied Xavier up ahead with a buxom, blonde girl. They were kissing. Ruby was immediately unhappy. Even though she was with Pat now and she was sure she loved him, Xavier would always have a piece of her heart. He'd been the cute little blonde boy she'd grown up with, the one who'd held her hand when they thought nobody was paying attention to them; and he'd been her first kiss at the turn of the year. She didn't like the thought of him being with someone else, especially this girl who even from a distance seemed so sure of herself. And she was a typically beautiful girl. Ruby suddenly felt under-confident. Determined to compensate for her insecurities, she kissed Pat, clutched his hand and charged over to Xavier and his new girlfriend.

* * *

"So, are you looking forward to our trip?" Joey asked.

She and Charlie were further along the beach, both having finished work early to enjoy the last of the sunshine. In bikinis, they were stretched out side by side on beach towels.

"Mmm," Charlie said dreamily. "Me, you, a boat and the ocean sounds like bliss to me."

Joey found Charlie's hand. She could hardly believe sometimes that life had worked out the way she'd dreamt of. But it had. She was really about to celebrate an entire year with the woman she loved. It felt amazing. Rolling onto her side, she propped herself on her elbow and gazed into Charlie's face. Her eyes were shut against the sun and Joey had permission to study every feature. She was flawless, Joey decided.

"What are you looking at?" Charlie asked, aware of Joey's close proximity.

Joey kissed her gently on the lips, just once.

"Just you," she said.

Charlie opened up her eyes, taking in Joey's smile. She smiled back.

"I'm so excited," she said. "This is going to be the first of so many anniversaries."

Joey's smiled grew wider.

"Yes, it is," she said.

They kissed again and Joey shifted closer. Their breasts pressed together through their bikini tops and skin brushed skin as their kiss developed and hands began to wander.

"I love you," Joey whispered.

"I love..."

She stopped, her eyes becoming wider as Joey's fingers found their way into Charlie's briefs.

"Joey, we're in public!" she gasped.

Joey looked around. There was hardly anybody in sight.

"There's nobody here," she replied, continuing her tentative exploration.

It was good enough for Charlie who relaxed and gave into Joey's every whim.

* * *

Two weeks later, the holidays were coming to a close and Ruby still hadn't spoken up. She'd thought about it and almost gone ahead several times but it never quite felt like the right time so she'd stayed quiet. Now, she was heading to the school to enrol herself as a student.

* * *

"Charlie Buckton," Charlie said, by way of answering her phone.

"Hello, this is Principal Bartlett from the high school," said Charlie's old and much disliked teacher who had obviously been promoted since she'd left.

Charlie furrowed her brow, intrigued.

"I've got your little sister here," he said. "I need you here if she's going to enrol."

"Enrol?" Charlie said. "Sorry, there must be some mistake. She goes to boarding school in the city."

"Apparently not," Mr Bartlett said.

She could tell he was frowning.

"Apparently she wants to come here."

"Hang on," Charlie said, wondering what Ruby was up to now. "I'll be right there."

* * *

Joey jumped with fright when Charlie and Ruby came charging into the house shouting at each other. She stared from one to the other and just about managed to figure out that Ruby had been expelled from boarding school and had moved back home without actually telling them. She'd enrolled herself at the local high school, the one that Charlie and Joey had attended and was now desperate to live with them and not leave town again.

"Why on earth didn't you say anything?" Charlie asked.

"Because I didn't know if you'd let me," Ruby said.

She threw herself into a chair.

"Ruby, if you'd have just..."

"You would have told me that it was Dad's decision and he would have forced me back. And now it's too late so I win. Finally!"

Charlie just stared. Ruby looked close to tears even though she'd got what she wanted. Charlie sat down beside her sister. Joey remained silent.

"Ruby, I didn't realise you were so unhappy," she said.

"Well, you should have!" Ruby snapped. "I told you from the first day that I didn't want to go to that stupid school but you ignored me."

"Ruby, I don't have legal guardianship of you," Charlie said, almost pleading. "I can't say where you go to school. It's up to Dad."

"Well now it's not," Ruby replied. "Now it's up to me and I say I go to school here. Please can I live with you?"

Charlie and Ruby both turned to look at Joey.

"It's fine by me," Joey told them.

"And it's fine by me," said Charlie. "But we do need to talk to Dad, okay?"

Ruby nodded.

"How did you get expelled anyway?"

"I um... I got caught making out with Pat," Ruby admitted.

Charlie shook her head.

"Ruby..." she sighed.

"I like him, Charlie. You of all people know what it's like when you're overwhelmingly attracted to someone," she said, looking at Joey again.

Joey blushed and looked away.

"You'd better be being innocent about this," Charlie warned.

"Of course I am," Ruby insisted. "I'm only fourteen for goodness sake!"

She giggled. Charlie didn't look quite so amused but secretly she was thrilled to have her little sister back home. She'd hated Ruby being away. She wanted to keep her close, having always felt protective of her. While it was hard to see her growing up, especially with Pat, being near her again would be wonderful. She missed her terribly, especially with her mother gone. Having Ruby back felt like a dream come true.


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter Forty Four**

**March 2008**

Charlie watched Joey bent over her suitcase, packing clothes into it. Holding her t-shirt in her hand, she used it to slap Joey playfully on the backside. Joey straightened up and spun round, grinning. She picked up a pair of socks and tossed them at Charlie who caught them with ease. They were packing for their holiday and both were very excited about getting away and enjoying their first trip as a couple. Charlie looked around and picked up a thong out of her own suitcase. She pinged it across the room. It hit Joey on the head. Joey stared at her startled and then folded her arms. The underwear was still on her head.

"You realise this is war, right?" she questioned.

Charlie threw another thong. Joey leapt into action and hurtled across the bed. Charlie ran round to the other side of it and within a matter of seconds the two of them were running around the room, chasing each other and laughing with delight. Finally, Charlie caught up to Joey and grabbed her round the waist. Swinging the laughing woman around, she flung her onto the bed, pinning and straddling her before smothering her in kisses. Still giggling, Joey wrapped her arms around Charlie, pulling her closer.

"Happy almost anniversary," she said.

Charlie rested her forehead against Joey's.

"And to you," she said softly, kissing her one more time.

They broke apart when they heard a loud banging noise coming from downstairs. It sounded adolescent and bad tempered. Both momentarily considered ignoring Ruby but then decided they were bad sisters if they did such a thing. Kissing Joey so passionately she took her breath away, Charlie hauled herself off the bed. She took Joey's hand and pulled her up too and they made their way down the stairs.

* * *

Ruby grabbed a large tub of ice cream and threw herself down on the sofa. She tugged the blanket down from the back of the couch and snuggled into it, sighing unhappily. Charlie and Joey emerged, looking worried.

"It's an ice cream day," Charlie said. "What happened?"

"Pat dumped me and left town!" Ruby exploded.

Charlie was surprised but she could hardly say she was disappointed. She hated the idea of Ruby having an older boyfriend. And even though she was packing Ruby off to stay with Ross and Morag for the week that she was away, she didn't trust her Dad to pay careful enough attention to his daughter to keep them as far enough away from each other as he should. Charlie came to sit beside her. Joey approached from the other side.

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Charlie asked kindly.

"Do I look okay?" Ruby snapped.

Charlie and Joey exchanged glances. Both of them were sure they hadn't been so sharp with their elders when they were Ruby's age. But then, with age came wisdom and retrospective memory was ever such a creative thing.

"What happened?"

"Well, we kind of got into a war with Xavier and _Freya_."

She said Xavier's girlfriend's name like it created a bad taste in her mouth. It was no secret that Ruby and Freya didn't get along. In fact, it was no secret that Freya didn't get along with many people. She was trouble maker and had had more than one run in with law enforcer Charlie since her arrival in town.

"What kind of war?" Joey asked.

"Who was the hotter couple."

Charlie pulled a face, dreading to think what that kind of war entailed.

"And...?" Joey urged.

"And Pat got pissed off..."

"Language!" Charlie objected.

Ruby glared at her.

"Pat got _annoyed _and started spouting all this cra... rubbish about me still liking Xavier. I mean, as if!"

"Oh yeah, as if!" Joey said sardonically.

Ruby switched her glare.

"And what is that supposed to me?"

"Nothing!"

It was obvious that Ruby and Xavier still liked one another. Charlie and Joey had talked about it on several occasions since Ruby had moved back home. But apparently Ruby was oblivious.

"I don't like him!" Ruby insisted.

"Okay," Charlie and Joey agreed.

"I'm going to go and pack," Ruby frowned, dumping her ice cream and heading upstairs, her mind a whirl of confusion.

* * *

The following morning, Charlie and Joey packed Ruby off to stay with Ross and Morag. Their father had sold them the house and set up an entirely new place with his new girlfriend. It had all taken a bit of getting used to but Charlie had to admit that Morag was nice and she had been ever so good to Joey. She and her girlfriend would always be grateful to her for that and the knowledge that Elsie was now with the woman she truly loved, the woman who would always have outshone her husband, made the situation a little easier. Saying goodbye, they climbed into Charlie's little blue car and headed down to the docks ready for their holiday.

* * *

An hour later, Charlie and Joey were setting sail for their glorious week away and both of them were excited. While Joey stayed at the wheel, even though it was early in the morning, Charlie opened a bottle of champagne. Pouring two glasses, she handed one to Joey and then stood behind her, wrapping her arm around her waist.

"I shouldn't drink and drive," Joey commented.

"A couple of sips won't hurt," Charlie said.

"Bad police officer!" Joey laughed.

They clinked their glasses together in celebration and Joey took a couple of sips before putting it safely down, leaning her head back and kissing Charlie's cheek. Charlie held her tightly, slipping her hands under the hem of her t-shirt and stroking her taut tummy with her thumb. With Joey focussing back on the water ahead of them, Charlie buried her face into Joey's neck. She breathed in the scent of her skin and her shampoo as her hair tumbled over both of them. Kissing the bare skin of Joey's neck and feeling like the happiest woman on earth, Charlie thought about all the wonderful things she and Joey would get up to on their trip.

"You know, last time we were on a boat together, I had to fight to keep my hands off you," she remembered.

Joey grinned. On their last boat trip, Joey had been dating Zoe and Charlie had been dating Angelo. Their attraction to each other had been as strong as ever but they'd resisted, absorbing themselves in 'innocent' touches and longing looks.

"I don't think we'll have that problem this time," Joey remarked.

"Good! Now that I know what it's like to touch you and be with you, I never want to stop."

Hugging Joey closer, she reached round and kissed her lips, continuing to stroke her tummy as she did so.

* * *

Night had fallen. Joey was solely in charge of sailing because she loved it and because Charlie didn't know what to do. Having settled, Joey opted to take a nap while Charlie cooked dinner in the little kitchen of their cabin. When she was ready to serve up, she crept into the bedroom and onto the bed. Rousing Joey by kissing her, she whispered that dinner was ready. Joey smiled and stretched and allowed Charlie to guide her out of bed.

"Meet you on deck," Charlie said, handing her partner a bottle of wine and bottle opener.

Joey obeyed and Charlie stayed inside, serving up. She brought their plates out and found Joey sitting comfortably at the table. Setting the plates down, she kissed Joey one more time and then sat opposite her. It was two days before their actual anniversary but they had decided to celebrate for the whole week they were away.

"This is lovely," Joey said, once they began tucking in.

"Thanks," Charlie said, pleased with herself.

"I'm so excited about this week."

"Me too. Just me and you and the open water. What can be better than that?"

"Um, let me think... Nothing!"

* * *

**April 2008**

Joey was up early the following morning, checking everything was in order. It had been particularly difficult to emerge from beneath the blankets where Charlie was keeping her deliciously warm. The evening before had been perfect as they had eaten, talked and laughed before falling into bed and making love until well into the morning hours. Finished with her work, Joey crept back into bed and snuggled back up to Charlie.

"Your feet are cold," Charlie protested sleepily.

"Better warm me up then," Joey murmured.

Charlie opened her legs and captured Joey in between them, wrapping her arms around her also and burying her face into her neck. Without even opening her eyes, she began to kiss her lovingly. She traced her fingertips up and down Joey's spine. Joey giggled.

"You're not even awake yet!" she said.

Charlie's hand slipped beneath the blanket.

"Are you protesting?"

"Hell no!" Joey gasped.

* * *

"So, we're pretty much going to have sex all week, right?" Joey asked.

She was stretched out against the pillows with a very satisfied grin on her face. Charlie lay on her side next to her, a smile playing on her lips, idly stroking Joey's breasts.

"That's pretty much the plan," she said, her voice husky.

"I like it," Joey confirmed. "Maybe we should stay out here forever."

"That would be amazing."

Charlie moved out of bed to open the curtains. Joey immediately missed her touch. Glorious sunlight poured into the bedroom, almost blinding them both.

"Wow!" Charlie said. "It's a gorgeous day!"

"You forget I've already been out there," Joey said.

"Oh yeah," Charlie blushed.

She approached the bed and reached out her hand to Joey who accepted it. Charlie pulled Joey to her feet.

"Let's go swimming," she said.

"Sounds good to me," Joey said.

She turned to rummage in a drawer for their swimsuits.

"We don't need them," Charlie told her, dragging her from the room.

* * *

Out on deck, Charlie and Joey felt very naughty to be exposing themselves, even though there was nobody else around. Joey watched Charlie walk just ahead of her, admiring her beautiful body. She was tanned, toned and curvy. Joey reached out and pulled her girlfriend back to her, planting a kiss on her lips. Charlie smiled into their kiss, wrapping her arms around Joey, stroking her skin. Eventually pulling away, Charlie led them to the edge of the boat and jumped in. She landed with a loud splash and shrieked at the cold water. Plunging beneath the surface, Charlie kicked back up and waited for Joey to join her. Joey shrieked as she jumped in also. When they were both in, they reached out, wrapping their naked bodies round each other, kissing again.

* * *

An hour later, Charlie and Joey were still messing around in the water. They had chased each other through the waves, catching each other's legs, swum more seriously and of course, kissed a lot. Now, in each other's arms, they kissed again. With her hands beneath the water, Charlie reached her fingers down between Joey's legs. She felt Joey react and saw her smile. Charlie began to stroke her softly, exploring and teasing. Feeling a little weak at the knees, Joey supported herself by wrapping her legs around Charlie's hips, also allowing Charlie further access. Charlie worked hard to keep the two of them afloat by kicking her legs as she continued to play with Joey beneath the waves. She watched as Joey's breasts dipped in and out of the water and bent her head to capture one in her mouth, absorbing the taste of skin and salt. She used her free hand to hold onto Joey's back while Joey wrapped her arms around Charlie's shoulders. Joey gave into every sensation Charlie was providing as waves lapped all around them. Charlie's strokes got bolder and more provocative as Joey responded more vocally, finally giving in to overwhelming pleasure. As she calmed down, the two women clung together and kissed tenderly over and over again.

* * *

Back on the front deck of the boat, still undressed and drying in the sunshine, Joey held Charlie's hand.

"You know, you're stronger than I ever gave you credit for," she mused.

Charlie peered at her curiously.

"I am?"

"Supporting me and making love to me all at the same time? That's pretty impressive," Joey said.

"Well, everything's lighter in the water," Charlie reminded her.

"You still kept us afloat," Joey pointed out.

Charlie grinned proudly. Joey kissed her way down Charlie's body, soaking up various drips of water until she reached her centre. Settling between Charlie's legs, she was determined to bring her to as wonderful a climax as she'd received in the water.

* * *

It was Wednesday, one year since they had first declared their love for each other, when they woke up, tangled in each other's embrace.

"Morning," Charlie murmured.

"Morning," Joey replied.

"Happy Anniversary," they said in unison.

They kissed gently.

"This time last year I woke up with no idea of what joy the day was going to bring me," Charlie said softly.

"And I woke up terrified of telling you how I felt," Joey admitted.

Charlie smiled.

"I'm so happy that you went through with it," she said.

"I just wish we'd have got our act together sooner," Joey said. "Just think, we could have had all this for so much longer."

She trailed a hand up and down Charlie's body, making them both tingle.

"Maybe it all happened in our own perfect time," Charlie smiled, leaning in close for another kiss.

"I have a gift for you," Joey said.

"I thought our trip was our gift to each other," Charlie said.

"It is," Joey said. "This is an extra."

She shuffled out of bed and delved into the bottom of her bag, returning with a small box, which quite obviously contained jewellery.

"I know it's cliché but..."

Charlie placed a finger on her lips to quiet her and then opened the box. Inside was a silver, heart-shaped necklace.

"Joey! This is beautiful!" she beamed.

Joey beamed back.

"I thought it would go nicely with the earrings your Dad got you for your 21st," she said shyly.

"It will," Charlie agreed. "And I brought them!"

The two women smiled joyfully at each other.

"Help me put it on?" Charlie asked.

She handed the box over and sat up. Joey took a few moments to gaze at Charlie's exposed breasts, licking her lips hungrily before shaking herself out of her desire and taking the necklace from the box. She fastened it round Charlie's neck and turned her round to inspect what it looked like. She licked her lips again.

"It goes really, really well with your boobs," she decided.

Charlie blushed.

"I got you a little something too," she admitted.

"Charlie! What happened to not getting gifts?"

"Ha!" Charlie laughed, pointing at the necklace.

Joey grinned. Charlie dived out of bed and rummaged around in her own bag. She returned to bed with a small envelope. Joey eyed it curiously before opening it. She read the message on the card and grinned as she learned that Charlie had bought a star in Joey's name. She looked into Charlie's anxious eyes.

"Do you like it?" she asked nervously. "I just thought, you know, with your fascination and everything... It's probably really silly but I hoped..."

"I love it," Joey said.

"You just need to call the number and register the star. You can name it whatever you want."

"I'll call it Charlie," Joey decided immediately.

Charlie blushed. Joey kissed her lips.

"Oh!" she said when they parted. "Your card!"

She scampered out of bed again.

* * *

After a filling breakfast, Joey and Charlie had set sail towards a deserted beach they had heard about before they'd taken their trip. Charlie was busy distracting Joey from the wheel by kissing, touching and flashing her. Giggling for the entire journey and not being able to resist kissing her back and letting her hands leave the wheel to play on occasion, Joey finally got them to their destination. Arriving at the shore, the girls climbed off the boat, their legs feeling strange as they wobbled onto land. The sand felt good between their toes as they carried their picnic and blanket between them, ready to explore the serene island they found themselves on. The sun was hot and they appeared to be completely by themselves.

"Ready for lunch?" Joey asked.

"Not yet," Charlie grinned. "But I do have an appetite for something else."

They kissed, softly at first before letting it develop. Their tongues danced together as they held each other so closely, there was no air between their bodies.

"I'll lay the blanket down," Joey whispered, pulling away briefly to do just that.

She lay down pulling Charlie with her, kissing her passionately and running her hands up and down her back.

* * *

As night drew to a close, Charlie and Joey were back out on the ocean, preparing to make a slow journey home again. By the end of the week, they would be back to their normal lives but for now, they had three glorious days ahead of them and they were planning on enjoying every moment. Lying on deck in the moonlight, the two women held hands.

"Where do you see yourself in ten years time, Charlie?" Joey asked.

"Hmm..." Charlie mused. "Well, let's see, I'll be thirty five years old. I'm hoping I would have made Detective by then."

"I'm absolutely certain that you will have," Joey said confidently.

Charlie smiled.

"And maybe you and I will be thinking about a family," she said shyly.

"Would you like a family?" Joey asked.

"I'd love one," Charlie admitted. "I could see us in our lovely house; raising kids like Mum did, starting off the next generation of Buckton's and Collins's."

Joey smiled, thinking about Elsie and Clara raising both of them, cooking in kitchens and fussing over them as kids.

"Would you like to do that, Joey?" Charlie asked.

It wasn't something they'd discussed before.

"I would," Joey said.

"We could get up for work and make breakfast, send the kids off to school while we hurried off to work," Charlie smiled. "And then at lunch times we could go to Crumble and in the evenings, we'd all crowd round the table and tell each other what we did all day. I think it'd be wonderful."

"And none of our babies would ever feel like we didn't love them," Joey added.

"Nope," Charlie agreed. "It would never matter how busy with work I was; I would always have time for my son or my daughter."

"And I would always love them and be proud of them; always."

They played with each other's fingers. Charlie brought Joey's hand to her lips and kissed it softly.

"So, um... would you like to go to a clinic and conceive that way or...?" she asked nervously.

"I think I'd like to adopt," Joey said, equally as awkwardly.

Charlie shifted to look at her.

"Because... because then we could make a child happy that... that might not have loving parents otherwise. We could mean so much to a kid that needed so much. You know?"

"I know," Charlie said, moved by Joey's thoughtfulness. "I like that idea too."


	45. Chapter 45

_Hi everyone! Thank you as always for your wonderful reviews and commitment to this story. Just to say, the game and all the forfeits in it are real. They're from a drinking game I own so I take no credit for the slightly strange things the girls are going to get up to on Martha's hen night. I just chose who got to do what! Enjoy! IJKS xxx_

***

**Chapter Forty-Five**

**May 2007**

"Here to the blushing bride to be!" Rachel declared.

Everyone clinked their glasses together in a toast to Martha who hadn't been able to stop smiling all night. She could hardly believe that when she woke up in the morning, she would be getting ready to marry the man she loved. It had been a long road, starting with a high school dance when they had ever so shyly admitted that they liked each other. While it had hardly been plain sailing, she was so happy that the two of them had finally reached this place where they were willing to stand up in front of everyone and declare their love and commitment to each other. And Martha was more than ready to commit, to forget the misdeeds of the past. And she hoped that Jack was too. She knew she had hurt him terribly when she'd had an affair with Hugo. It had been the biggest mistake of her life. But they were over it now and they were getting married. Tomorrow was going to be the happiest day of her life.

"Thanks so much everyone for coming tonight," she said, still smiling.

She looked around her at her oldest friends, Rachel, Leah and Charlie. They were her three bridesmaids and they had helped her so much with the wedding and she didn't think she'd be so calm if it hadn't been for them. Joey was of course present. She had been Martha's friend for almost as long as Charlie and she had been especially asked by Martha and Jack to do a reading at the wedding. And besides, Charlie and Joey were like two peas in a pod. Where one went, the other was sure to follow. Watson and Carol had also been invited to the evening. While Carol was a little quieter, Watson was one of the funniest people Martha had ever met. A party wasn't the same without her. Joey's friend Kayla had also received an invitation to the hen night. She was shy, although Martha had spent a few evenings in her company with the others and she seemed nice enough. Joey had taken her to one side during the week and asked that Kayla come so that she could feel more included in their group of friends. Always one for 'the more the merrier', Martha had been more than happy to let her come along. And so far, everything was going well. The group had had a couple of drinks and caught a taxi into town, opting for a pub crawl. Now in their fifth bar and more than a little merry, the girls had settled for the night and were sitting not so quietly and demurely round a table.

"Shall we play the drinking game we brought?" Leah asked.

"Drinking game?" Watson asked, her eyes lighting up.

Kayla shifted, feeling a little nervous. Everyone here knew each other so well and she still felt a little bit like the outsider even though everybody had been perfectly nice and friendly. Still, perhaps a little drinking game would bring her closer in.

"Don't get too excited," Rachel said. "We bought it for a couple of bucks in some random store last week. But it looks amusing enough."

"Let's go!" Martha said a little too loudly.

Leah dug a small pack of cards out of her bag and undid the wrapping.

"It says you need these," she said, waving them. "And a bottle."

"No problem," Watson said, downing her beer.

"Okay, basically, you spin the bottle, pick the top card and do the forfeit. And if you don't do it, you drink."

"I think we should make it more interesting," Watson said with a grin.

Everyone turned to look at her.

"If you do the forfeit, you drink anyway. If you don't, you have to drink even more than if you'd done it."

"Agreed!" Martha said.

"But..." Carol began to protest.

"I'm the bride to be. What I say goes. And I'm spinning first."

"Wait, we all need top ups!" Charlie said.

She stood, glancing round the table taking note of what was needed before dragging Joey up to the bar with her.

***

Five minutes later, everyone was seated with their drinks. Martha spun the bottle.

"Leah!" she said, delighted.

Leah cringed, immediately wondering why she thought buying this game was a good idea. She picked up a card.

"Moo like a cow," she said. "What the hell?"

Glancing around at her friends, she mooed, quietly at first and then a bit louder, catching the attention of an older couple enjoying a glass of wine nearby. The others began to laugh as the couple glared at Leah, who had turned a little pink. They then each began to moo together, making more and more people look. Leah grabbed her drink and gulped some down. She spun the bottle. It landed on Kayla who turned white. She had not mooed like a cow and wasn't planning to. Joey gave her an encouraging smile. She picked up her card.

"Do three cartwheels," she said. "I _can't_ do that. I never learned."

"Oh, you could try," Charlie encouraged.

Kayla shook her head.

"Then you shall drink," Watson declared.

Kayla drank and spun. It landed on Watson.

"About time!"

She had been itching to play. Reading the card, she snorted with laughter and promptly leapt of her chair. The others watched her as she began jumping round the bar announcing that she was a mad bunny. Bouncing back to the table, she sat down heavily and swigged her drink. The older couple turned to the barman who had been watching the activities with amusement.

"Can't you do anything about them?" the woman asked.

"They're just having fun," the guy said dismissively.

Watson was delighted when her spin landed on Carol who picked up a card and sighed. Hauling herself to her feet, she ran the length of the bar shrieking that she loved lobsters.

"Do all these forfeits involve things so... public?" Charlie asked worriedly.

She held Joey's hand under the table, not wanting to be a mad bunny or to declare a love of lobsters to anyone, no matter how many beers she had had.

***

A short while later, Rachel, who had been forced to use eye liner to draw cat's whiskers on her face was, in a separate forfeit rubbing her head and patting her tummy and doing a terrible job of it. In between Rachel's actions, Kayla had declined to do a belly dance, prompting Watson to declare loudly that she wouldn't mind seeing Carol do such a thing. Charlie and Joey had expressed their own ideas in mere looks. Rachel drank and spun the bottle. It landed on Joey who blanched. She had got far too comfortable with not participating. She picked up a card.

"Kiss the person to your..."

Charlie felt her heart race as she worried about Joey having to kiss Kayla. It had not gone unnoticed that Kayla had spent most of the night looking at her girlfriend and it was beginning to irritate her. A kiss would make Charlie lose her rag.

"... right, on the lips," Joey finished.

She grinned at Charlie, who was sitting on her right, triumphantly.

"I think I can manage that," she declared.

They came together in an apparently chaste kiss but within a matter of seconds, it deepened, mouths opening and tongues probing.

"Guys!" Martha protested. "Break it up!"

Charlie felt Watson poking her in the back but she continued.

"Stop or we'll chuck your drinks over you," Leah warned.

They reluctantly broke apart, grinning. The older couple stormed past them and out of the bar in disgust.

"Nice one, girls!" Rachel said, genuinely pleased with their work.

They both drank and Joey spun the bottle.

***

As the game continued, Charlie had walked like a penguin and later skipped round the room, Rachel had put socks on her hands, Carol had, with permission kissed Kayla very chastely on the lips and now a very inebriated Leah was sitting with her underwear on her head.

"How long does this stay on for?" she asked.

"Till the end of the game when I can stop looking like a cat with cold paw," Rachel said.

Leah spun the bottle and Martha picked up her card. Then she barked. For two whole minutes, she behaved like a canine, wandering round the table, sniffing her friends and pretending the pee. She even rolled over and let Leah tickle her tummy before spotting the cat whiskers on Rachel and giving chase.

"This is a ridiculous game," Charlie said, shaking her head, although she thought it would most definitely be a night to remember, and hopefully for the entertainment and not for the fact that Kayla was clearly undressing Joey with her eyes.

Charlie decided to take the moral high ground however. After all, she was the one who got to undress Joey with her hands later. Settling back down, Martha spun the bottle again.

"Ugh! Me again?" she said.

"Pick a card, baby," Leah giggled.

She did.

"I have to pretend to be a chicken laying an egg," she stated, looking highly unimpressed.

She sat in her chair and clucked, pulling a somewhat constipated face. Watson and Charlie exchanged glances and burst out laughing.

"It's Joey's saf fane!" they declared in unison.

Everyone, including Joey looked utterly bewildered.

"You were drunk, honey," Charlie said to her girlfriend. "You were trying to pull a sad face and you came up with something much like that."

"That's my sad face?" Joey asked. "I dread to think what my sex face is like!"

Charlie snorted with laughter and nuzzled against Joey's ear.

"It's very, very hot."

Joey giggled and gave Charlie a kiss. She turned back to the group to find that the bottle had landed on her.

"Uh oh," she said, frowning as she collected a card.

Her instruction was to tell a joke. Her mind went blank.

"Um... uh... I'm meant to tell a joke by the way. I can't think of any. Um... Oh!"

She thought back to something very lame that Aden had told her a few months back that had made her giggle.

"How do you upset Lady Gaga?"

Everyone waited.

"Poke 'er face!" she declared jubilantly, making a little jabbing motion.

The other laughed, largely at Joey's enthusiasm rather than the joke itself. She drank and spun the bottle.

"Kayla!" she grinned.

Kayla hadn't been very forthcoming during the game so far and Joey was determined to make her play. Kayla picked up the card. She half laughed and half cringed.

"Will you do it?" Joey asked.

Charlie shifted, disliking the attention that Joey was paying Kayla, even though she knew she was just being friendly and trying to make her feel included. Suddenly everyone jumped as Kayla shrieked, "Who let me out?" very loudly and made some wild gestures. A guy on the next table spilt his pint in fright. She grinned proudly at having completed a forfeit. If she was being completely honest with herself, the only one she would have liked to have done would have been one that involved kissing Joey. Instead, she'd kissed Carol on the lips and had to sit through Joey and Charlie making out and being cute.

"Nicely done, Kayla," Martha said, still laughing at the spiller next to them.

Kayla spun. It landed on Martha.

"I knew I was feeling too confident," she sighed. "Ooh, kiss the person on my left."

She turned to Leah whose eyes went wide.

"You ready for me, babe?"

"You know the boys' heads will explode when they hear about this?" Leah giggled.

The others turned to eye them curiously.

"Lesbians are hot apparently," Martha explained.

"Lesbians _are _hot!" Watson said, nodding.

Leah and Martha came together in a kiss that landed somewhere between the innocence of Kayla and Carol and the definite lack of innocence of Charlie and Joey. Then Martha spun the bottle. Martha picked up a card for her, as the socks on her hands prevented her from doing something so delicate. She showed it to Rachel who growled.

"Why am I getting all the physical deformity ones?" she demanded. "Could to get my lipstick out please?"

The others watched as Rachel inelegantly smeared her mouth with an excessively thick coating of lipstick. Between that, the whiskers and the socks on her hands, she definitely looked like an idiot.

"Oh, it's the last card," Martha said sadly.

Rachel just about managed to spin the wheel. It landed on Joey.

"Lucky me," she said, picking up a card.

She read it and smiled.

"Who wants to bet she gets to make out with Charlie again?" Watson asked.

"I have to rub noses with a player of my choice," she said.

She received a chorus of coos. Turning to Charlie, she smiled and took her hand, leaning in and softly rubbing noses with her. They finished with a gentle kiss.

***

Charlie and Joey said goodbye to Watson and Carol and jumped a little giddily out of the cab. Martha, Rachel and Leah were all staying the night at Leah's house so they and Kayla had got into one taxi and the other four had caught a separate one. Waving goodbye, the couple linked arms and headed towards the front door. Joey fumbled with her key, trying to fit the key in the lock but the alcohol in her system and the fact that Charlie's hands were all over her were making it very difficult to concentrate. She giggled when Charlie's hands slipped inside her shirt. Giving up on the key, Joey turned around, resting against the wall. Charlie's mouth devoured her immediately, hungry to be as close to her as possible. Their lips crushed against each other and their tongues sought more intimate contact. Charlie's hands continued to play underneath Joey's shirt and Joey let her hands trace their way across Charlie's shoulders, arms and torso.

"I need you," Charlie breathed.

"Well, we should..."

They kissed passionately.

"Inside..." Joey managed.

Charlie moaned as they kissed harder. She nudged Joey away from the door and round to the side of the house, letting her hand slip from Joey's shirt and beneath her waistline, delving inside. Joey relished the feel of Charlie's exploration and she was more than ready for anything she had to offer. She allowed Charlie to slip inside her, teasing her, penetrating her and bringing her quickly to the point of orgasm. She cried out into the night, pulling Charlie's body close against hers, perspiring and gasping for breath. They kissed again and again.

"Let's continue this inside," Charlie whispered, reluctantly removing her hand from inside Joey's underwear and leading the way back to the front door. Charlie just about permitted Joey to let them in and they quickly locked up behind them, dumping their bags on the table and hurrying off to their bedroom, hoping their antics hadn't woken Ruby.

***

The following morning, Charlie kissed Joey tenderly goodbye as she headed over to Leah's in order to do her bridesmaid duty and help Martha get ready. Joey had yet to see the bridesmaids' outfits and she was really looking forward to checking Charlie out. She in turn had opted to keep her own outfit hidden from Charlie so that they could both surprise each other.

"See you at the church, sweetheart," Charlie said.

"I'm looking forward to it," Joey said, blinking into the dimness of the room.

They kissed again and Charlie turned to leave. Joey caught her hand to keep her in place.

"Last night was amazing," she said.

Charlie grinned and kissed Joey one more time before forcing herself to leave.

***

Joey and Ruby were waiting outside the church. Most of the other guests had gone in but both girls wanted to wait for the bridal party to arrive to wish Martha luck. Joey largely wanted to see Charlie before the service started as they had to sit separately.

"You really do look amazing," Ruby said.

Joey blushed and thanked her. Not normally one for dresses, Joey had gone out and bought a slim fitting, satin, sky blue dress with thin straps. It enhanced her cleavage a little more than she remembered from the shop but she was pleased with the outcome. And she hoped Charlie would be too.

"So do you," Joey said.

Ruby was in a delicate, pink number and she felt happily pretty in it. She was hoping to turn Xavier's head. Even though he was still dating that horrid girl, Freya, she'd caught him looking at her a lot. And now that she was single again and Pat had left town, she was hoping to win her old boyfriend back. Freya was no good for Xavier, that much was clear. She'd never seen two people get hauled to the Principal's office so many times in a week.

"Thank you, Joey. Hey, look, here the are."

They both looked up expectantly as a white limousine arrived. Martha, Leah, Rachel, Charlie and Martha's father got out. Martha looked stunning in her dress, a perfect bride. Bu Joey only had eyes for Charlie. She sought her out amid the group and smiled when she got a clear view. Charlie stood looking more beautiful than Charlie had ever seen her. She was wearing an almost floor-length, plum coloured dress. It accentuated every curve, hugging her body in all the right places. Most of her hair had been piled on top of her hair, looking glossy and shiny, which some of it falling down by her perfectly featured face. She was holding a small but lovely bouquet of flowers that matched the ones Rachel and Leah were holding. Charlie spotted Joey and nearly dropped her flowers. She smiled and glided over.

"You look beautiful," Charlie said.

"So do you," Joey replied.

Sensing smoochies were about to happen, Ruby moved towards the bride to compliment her dress and wish her luck. Charlie and Joey didn't notice as they melted into each other's arms. They kissed tenderly.

"I don't think I've seen you in a dress since you were about five years old aside from your school uniform," Charlie remarked.

"Because I haven't worn one since I begged my mother to stop forcing me into them," Joey said. "Aside from that awful school uniform."

They kissed again.

"Hey, where did Ruby go?" Charlie wondered.

"I think she gave up on us and went to see Martha," Joey said, pointing.

Taking each other's hands, they headed over to the bride.

***

Jack waited nervously at the altar. His Dad, Tony was his best friend and therefore his best man. He glanced at him for reassurance. Tony patted him on the back as they waited for Martha to arrive. It had taken a long time for Jack and Martha to finally to get to this place, to be standing at the altar but he was glad they had reached this point in their journey. And he was looking forward to taking the rest of their journey through life together.

***

Joey hurried in through the church doors and took their seats. The music started and everyone rose as Martha, escorted by her Dad and trailed by her three bridesmaids. Everyone looked amazing. They all took their places and Jack and Martha looked elated to see each other. The priest welcomed everyone and began the service.

***

Hugo sat at home alone. His entire family were at Jack and Martha's wedding and he was the only one who had been excluded. He felt like jumping on his boat and leaving forever but he knew that his mother needed support with Brendan, especially now that Xavier was constantly getting into trouble at school. Hugo hadn't failed to notice that the youngest Austin was still the golden boy though and his devotion to the middle child hadn't wavered. He sighed, hating to think that Martha, the only woman he had ever loved was right now declaring her love and commitment to Jack Holden. Before he knew what he was doing, he was on his feet and out the door.

***

Everyone was sitting in church, waiting for Jack and Martha to begin their vows when the door opened loudly at the back. Everyone, including the bride and groom turned to stare. Hugo, in jeans and a scruffy, white t-shirt stood, unshaven and desperate.

"Martha, you can't marry him!" he bellowed.

Martha paled. Jack tensed.

"I love you! I need you!"

"I think you need to get out of here!" Tony said, speaking on behalf of his son.

"What we had was special! You know it was! We could be so happy if you'd only give us a chance. Martha..."

Martha didn't know what to say. It was her worst nightmare coming true. Jack looked broken, as memories of the affair came rushing back to him. Ross got to his feet and nudged his way past Joey, deciding that whether the wedding went ahead or not, Hugo had to leave. He headed to the back of the church and guided him, somewhat forcefully out of the door. Jack and Martha turned back to each other.

"Shall I go on?" the priest asked.

"Yes," Martha said.

She looked back at Jack, searching his eyes.

"Yes Right?" she asked him.

Jack just stared at her.

"Jack..."

"You do love me, don't you?" Jack asked.

"More than anything," Martha promised.

Jack turned to the priest.

"Go on," he said.

***

Charlie was touched by the vows Jack and Martha shared. She glanced across the church at Joey and caught her wiping her eyes. She smiled to herself, loving that Joey was such a sappy romantic. _And the most beautiful woman in the world_, she added.

***

The wedding had been beautiful, the speeches had been funny and now the disco reception was lively and entertaining. Joey and Charlie stood side by side as Jack and Martha took their first dance together.

"Aw, it's so romantic," Joey swooned.

"You're so cute," Charlie said.

"Am not," Joey denied, pretending to be offended.

"I saw you crying during the vows," Charlie teased.

Joey blushed.

"It was nice," she said. "Especially after everything they've been through."

"Ladies and gentlemen, feel free to take the floor," the DJ said.

Charlie and Joey looked at each other.

"Shall we?" Charlie asked.

"We shall."

They danced the way they had learnt in class, holding each other close, taking it step by step.

***

Several days later, Ross, Charlie, Joey and Ruby stepped silently out of Ross's car. In solemn respect, they approached Elsie's grave, which was next to those of Clara and Paul. Ross stepped forward and knelt in front of where his wife had been laid to rest. The three girls turned away, wanting to give him some privacy. He swallowed hard and studied to words on the stone. _In memory of Elsie Buckton, the perfect wife, mother and friend_. He laid flowers down and stood up. He didn't have any words. Turning round, he hugged Ruby who was crying softly.

"I'll meet you guys back at the car," he said, hurrying away.

Charlie turned to her little sister.

"Do you want to say hi together?" she asked.

Ruby nodded and clutched Charlie's hand.

Joey moved over to her own mother's grave, laying her own flowers down and tuning out of the sisters' time with Elsie, marking the first anniversary of her death. Ruby looked up at Charlie, her eyes wide. She didn't know how to do this; she didn't know how to talk to a gravestone. They both rested their flowers beside Ross's.

"Just tell her that you're here," Charlie said gently.

"Hi," Ruby said, her voice gently.

She looked up at Charlie again, worried that she was doing it wrong. Charlie put an arm around her shoulders. Ruby continued to weep.

"I miss you," Ruby ventured. "I miss you every day. And even though you're gone I love you just as much as I always did. I love you so much, Mum. And I wish you were here. But I know that you're happy in Heaven now. Charlie said you were. She said you were probably cooking for everyone up there with Aunt Clara!"

She giggled through her tears at the thought. Charlie hugged her a little tighter.

"And... and I want you to be happy because I know you were in so much pain. And I love you. I said that already."

She looked worriedly at Charlie.

"It's okay. She'll never get tired of you telling her that you love her, Ruby."

"I... I finally left boarding school and came home," Ruby said.

She turned back to Charlie.

"Will she want to know this stuff?" she asked.

"She'll want to know anything you tell her," Charlie said.

Keeping her own tears at bay, wanting to be strong for her sister, she listened to her tell Elsie all about the things she was doing at school and what it felt like to be home and to have a bigger bedroom and to own her own laptop. Charlie said her own words in silence, wanting to give Ruby all that space she needed. She turned to look at Joey beside her. She'd laid flowers by her mother and father's graves and Charlie was suddenly struck by just how much Joey had lost. She reached out her right hand. Joey clasped it. The three of them stayed that way until they were ready to say goodbye.


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter Forty-Six**

**August 2008**

Charlie sat across the table at Crumble and smiled at her sister.

"What?" Ruby asked, worried that she had food round her mouth.

"Nothing," Charlie said, shaking her head and focussing back on her own meal.

Ruby eyed her curiously.

"What?" she asked again.

"I was just having a sappy, big sister moment," Charlie admitted. "We can move past it."

"Did it involve a compliment?" Ruby asked, brightening.

"Maybe a little one."

"Then tell me all about it and great detail!"

Charlie laughed and put her fork down.

"I was just thinking about what a beautiful young woman you're becoming," Charlie said.

It was the eve of Ruby's fifteenth birthday and Charlie had taken her sister out for a meal and some bonding time. Over the last few months, Joey had extended her business to doing some night trips out and tonight was one of those nights, although that had been an accident. She usually timed them for when Charlie was on shift. But tonight, the Buckton sisters were alone and having a wonderful time. Charlie watched the blush creep up Ruby's face as she giggled.

"Do you really think so?" her younger sister asked.

"You're stunning, Rubes. And you have Mum's eyes. I love and hate that you're growing up so fast."

"Don't worry," Ruby said. "I'll be thirty and you'll still be the big sister that takes care of me."

Charlie smiled and nodded.

"I'll always look after you," she confirmed. "No matter how old you get. I promised you that when you were born and intend to keep that promise."

"I feel pretty lucky to have you, Charlie," Ruby said. "Thank you for everything. And for letting me live with you and Joey."

Charlie grinned.

"I was really touched that you wanted to live with us. So was she."

"Really?" Ruby asked. "I thought it was a given. I mean, I love Dad but I didn't want to live with him, especially not in a different house with Morag. She's cool but she's not Mum. That felt like too much of a change. And you and I, well, we always got along. I know we have the odd spat now and again but we've always trusted each other, always been close, you know?"

"I know. I feel the same," Charlie said.

It was the first time in a long time that they'd talked like this. Charlie was very glad that they were opening up to each other.

"And I know I gave you a bit of hell last year," Ruby said, studying her plate. "But I'm better behaved now, right?"

"Much better behaved," Charlie giggled. "And you weren't _so _bad."

"Aside from the insults and trash cans and sneaking boys in and..."

"You might not want to remind me," Charlie said. "Let me look back with rose tinted glasses, hey?"

Ruby nodded.

"Ruby, why did you act out?" Charlie asked seriously.

Ruby chewed her lip, a family trait and looked up into her sister's eyes.

"I felt like the black sheep of the family," she admitted. "Like I wasn't really part of it anymore."

"Ruby, you were always part of the family..." Charlie said tenderly.

"I know. It was just that with being away... I know it wasn't meant like that but it felt like I wasn't wanted. And you and Dad and Joey, you all had this shared experience of looking after Mum and spending time with her during the last year of her life. I didn't have that. I feel like I was cheated. And I was angry about it."

Charlie reached out to hold her sister's hand across the table.

"And then when Dad sent me right back to school after the funeral... it was like he didn't want to see me grieve. I just constantly felt like nobody wanted me, or needed me. It hurt."

"I'm so sorry, Ruby."

"It's not your fault. I know you tried to get him to change his mind."

"I should have tried harder. I felt guilty at the time that you only got to be with Mum on her last day because you came home of your own accord, not because I came and got you. I should have come to get you."

Ruby squeezed her hand.

"It's not your fault," she said again.

They let go of each other and resumed eating.

"Charlie?" Ruby said, her voice tight.

Charlie looked up at her.

"Do you think Mum loved you more than she loved me? Because you did more for her? Because you were around more?"

"No!" Charlie said quickly. "Ruby, she loved us both the same. Don't you ever even consider that she loved one of us more than the other. She didn't. She wouldn't. She never stopped telling me, till the day she died, how much she loved you, how much she needed me to take care of you when she was gone."

Ruby wiped her eyes quickly.

"She loved me the same as you? Even though I was away? And because... because I didn't... couldn't help as much?"

"Most definitely, Ruby."

"You're sure?"

"One million billion per cent."

Ruby smiled, relieved.

"And I know... I know I'm not her. I know I can't be your Mum," Charlie said a little shyly. "But I'll be the best big sister or whatever you need me to be... I'll be the best I can possibly be for you, Ruby. I will."

"You're already the best, Charlie," Ruby said sincerely.

* * *

Joey glanced at her watch, glad that they were on their way home. She was out on a night haul with Kayla and Aden. Gibsy had declined the extra work. She thought he might jump ship, figuratively speaking, fairly soon and she knew she wouldn't mind seeing the back of him, although it meant seeking a replacement staff member. She looked out into the night and could just about see the lights of the land. And lights meant home, and bed, and Charlie. She hoped that Charlie and Ruby had had a nice dinner. They were having a birthday party for her the following evening. Smiling, Joey thought about her own birthdays. She'd shared her second kiss with Charlie on her fourteenth. After a family meal, the girls had gone upstairs so that Charlie could give her a birthday present. It had been a CD that had somehow turned into a kiss. Joey blushed, wondering if it was strange that she still tingled every time she thought about Charlie and pictured being with her. They'd been dating for over a year now and they felt like they were still in the honeymoon period. Perhaps honeymoons could last forever.

"Hey, Joey."

Joey turned and smiled at Kayla.

"Hey, how's it going?"

"Pretty good. These night trips are actually pretty fun."

"You reckon?" Joey chuckled.

"Why do you do them if you don't like it?" Kayla wondered.

"It makes good business sense. And don't get me wrong, any opportunity to come out is a good opportunity in my book but to be honest, I'd rather be curled up at home with Charlie."

She didn't notice the way Kayla frowned at the mention of her girlfriend's name.

"You're lucky to have something better to do," Kayla said. "I'm not sure I've settled in as well as I'd like to here."

"You're not thinking of moving on, are you?" Joey asked worriedly.

"No," Kayla said. "I'm staying. I just... I need more of a social life. It's just hard to be the only single, gay girl in the village, as it were."

Joey nodded, supposing that most people were coupled up. The only other singleton in their group now was Rachel and she was so busy and had such a vibrant life without a boyfriend that it didn't seem to matter.

"I know I said we'd all go out a while ago," Joey said, feeling a little guilty. "And we will. Things have just been a bit hectic."

"I know."

"But we'll go. It'll be fun. You never know, you might meet the woman of your dreams."

_I already have_, Kayla thought to herself, keeping her musing safe inside her mind. She gave Joey a lingering look, one that went unnoticed because Joey was gazing off into the world around them again, probably picturing her own dream woman. Then she moved away to continue working. Below them, Aden shook his head. Kayla liking Joey could not end well for anyone. He thought it was cute that Joey was completely oblivious. Still, she had never been too quick on the uptake when it came to women. He'd had to spell it out to her when Zoe had been interested and it had taken years for her and Charlie to get their act together. He just hoped that Charlie hadn't noticed Kayla's attraction either or there could be a big row on their hands.

* * *

Ruby was having a lovely birthday party. Charlie and Joey had taken time off work during the day to come home and decorate the house and Leah had convinced her boss at Crumble to lay on a buffet at a discounted rate. It was almost free. Ruby had arrived home delighted with all the effort they had gone to and every single one of her school friends had shown up. And for now at least, Freya had stayed away, which could only be a good thing. Wandering away from Jai and Geoff, she moved through the crowd in order to mingle. Charlie and Joey had given her the liberty of staying up as late as they wanted – within reason – providing they were permitted to stay in the house to keep an eye on them. Ruby had agreed that they could stay, considering they were older sisters rather than parents and they had promised not to get in the way too much. She stopped when she came face to face with Xavier. He smiled shyly. She smiled back.

"Happy birthday, Ruby," he said.

"Thanks."

"Are you having a nice time?"

"Yeah, I'm having a great time," she told him. "Are you?"

"Yeah, I am. I... I'm really glad you're back, Ruby. I'm glad you left boarding school."

"Me too."

"I missed you."

Ruby nodded, unsure of what to say next. They looked each other a little longer before both hurrying away.

* * *

Tucked upstairs, safely in their room, Charlie and Joey were feeling a little frustrated. They'd created a no sex rule for the duration of the party, not wanting to be caught out or have to stop in order to go and deal with something. Also, they were floating in and out, making sure food was topped up, spillages were cleaned and a short while later they would be getting ready to present Ruby with her cake. But now, lying side by side on the bed, pretending to watch television, they were regretting their own suggestion. Joey let her hand drop between them on the bed. Charlie immediately let her hand crawl over to take hold of it. In silence, staring at the TV set, they entwined their fingers.

"This is good," Joey said, more to convince herself than Charlie. "It's good practice to show restraint."

Charlie nodded without commitment. She licked her lips. Joey watched the movement and began to fidget. She shifted a little closer to Charlie, feeling the warmth of her body. Charlie cast her eyes over Joey's body and licked her lips again.

"How long till the cake?" she asked.

"About fifteen minutes," Joey said.

"Well, you know, after that, we won't need to go down there for a while."

"What happened to spillages and emergencies?" Charlie grinned.

"They're fifteen! How badly can they behave?"

Charlie just raised her eyebrows.

"Not a helpful argument," Joey conceded.

She let her thumb stroke Charlie's hand. Charlie felt her entire body tingle. In one swift movement, she turned and pounced on Joey, kissing her quickly.

"What about...?" Joey managed.

"We'll be really, really quick!" Charlie said, fumbling with Joey's clothes.

"Works for me," Joey said, returning her fervent kisses.

* * *

The following morning, Joey was out on her Saturday morning work trip, leaving Charlie and Ruby to clean up, which she'd express guilt over. She'd tried to convince them to wait until she got home but Charlie had insisted that it was fine. She didn't mind that Joey worked the odd Saturday morning or the odd evening. What she minded, albeit secretly, was that she spent so much time working with Kayla. Although she had no concrete evidence, she was sure that she had designs on Joey and she was not happy about it. So far, she had decided against bringing it up. For her part, Joey seemed completely oblivious, which was just typical really. She had no concerns at all than anything would happen. Joey was more devoted to her than she ever had been and even while they'd been just friends, they had been committed. But still, the thought of Joey being the subject of such adoration and lust was not a pleasant one.

"You look lost," Ruby commented.

Charlie blushed and shook her head as she scooped empty paper cups into a bin bag.

"I'm fine," she said. "Did you have a good party?"

"It was amazing, Charlie. Thank you so much!"

"Glad to be of assistance!"

Charlie turned back to the mess. Teenagers weren't tidy.

"Hey, um, Charlie?" Ruby said awkwardly.

Charlie turned back to her. Ruby sat down on the couch and gestured for Charlie to join her. She did, waiting for Ruby to speak.

"I kind of had a moment with Xavier last night."

"A moment?" Charlie asked.

"He was being all shy and then he said he was glad I was back from school and that he'd missed me. Do you... do you think that means anything?"

"Quite possibly. Do you want it to mean anything?" Charlie asked.

Ruby blushed and played with her hands. Charlie smiled.

"You still have a thing for him," she concluded.

"Well, at New Year, we kind of... we..."

"What?" Charlie asked worriedly.

"Relax, Charlz," Rubes said gently. "We kissed. Like properly. With _tongues_."

She practically whispered the last word. Charlie had long since accepted that Ruby was doing such things after the debacle with Pat and could now focus on the cuteness of Ruby's embarrassment.

"Okay..." she said.

"But then... then I went back to school and he started dating Freya and I started dating Pat and now I'm single but he's still with _her_ so it can't go anywhere but... but I guess he still means something to me."

"Ruby, if you're meant to be together, you'll find each other," Charlie said confidently. "If he likes you, he'll see sense and leave Freya to be with you."

"Do you think he likes me?"

"I think he'd be an idiot not to."

Ruby grinned.

"Charlie, when was your first kiss?"

Charlie looked down.

"I uh... I don't remember."

"Liar!" Ruby smirked. "Tell me."

"When I was fifteen."

"Fifteen?" Ruby bellowed.

"Alright! You don't need to shout about it! Geez..." Charlie pouted, moving to get up off the sofa.

Ruby pulled her back down, apologising.

"So, who was it with?"

She tried to remember what she knew about Charlie at fifteen.

"Was it Brett?"

Charlie snorted.

"No. He was my second kiss. Because of my first kiss."

Charlie looked away.

"Joey!" Ruby realised. "Your first kiss was with Joey!"

"Yeah," Charlie said.

"When? Where? _How? _You never came out until later. And you've dated boys between then and now."

Charlie sighed and decided to explain, realising that she'd never really shared the complexity of her relationship with Joey to her sister before.

"It was when we took that boat trip for Joey's thirteenth. Do you remember?"

"Vaguely."

She had only been five at the time.

"Well, it was then. It was on our last night and we were up on deck talking and... it just happened."

"Weren't you scared? I mean, to kiss a girl when you didn't know what your sexuality was?"

"I was so terrified that I stopped talking to Joey and started dating Brett," Charlie informed her.

"Oh!"

"I just panicked. I couldn't believe that I'd kissed a girl. I didn't know what it meant for me or my life. And I didn't _want_ to know what it meant. And then when it kept happening, it kept freaking me out until finally, I guess I grew up enough to just accept it."

"And did you enjoy it? I mean, I know you enjoy it now, obviously. But then, the first time... did you enjoy? Kissing Joey?"

"It was amazing. That's probably what scared me the most," Charlie admitted. "Afterwards, I ran when really, all I wanted to do was do it again."

"I want to kiss Xavier again," Ruby admitted.

"Then maybe you should try and figure out how he feels about you," Charlie said. "And not that I would advocate stealing someone else's boyfriend or girlfriend – you're much better for him than she is."

"Thanks, Charlie," Ruby beamed. "And thanks for sharing with me."

"I enjoyed it," Charlie admitted.

It made her feel closer to Ruby than she had felt since her little sister had gone away to school. She hadn't wanted her to go. Now that she was back, she felt like they were rebuilding their sisterly bond again and it made her very happy.

"Me too," Ruby said.

"Now, we'd better get this place cleaned up or Joey will come home and think we really did wait for her!"

* * *

Aden arrived home from work feeling cheerful. The sun was shining, they'd had a successful morning's work and he had a nice afternoon planned with Belle. Opening the door of the apartment he and his girlfriend shared, he stopped, his smile fading. Belle looked nervous. The man beside her on the couch stood and walked towards him.

"Hi, son," Larry said.

Aden swallowed. He'd almost blocked the memory of his father from his memory.

* * *

**September 2008**

A couple of weeks later, Joey finally fulfilled her promise and she, Charlie, Watson, Carol and Kayla had headed into town to go gay pubbing and clubbing. Charlie was not having a nice time.

"I think that girl's looking at you," Joey said to Kayla.

She nodded towards a redhead at the bar who was indeed staring right at their little group. Kayla barely noticed. Charlie gripped her pint glass so hard she was at risk of breaking it. Noticing, Watson wrenched it out of her hands.

"Why don't you go over and say hi?" Joey suggested to Kayla.

She sat back on the leather couch and snuggled against Charlie, turning to look at her when she realised how rigid her body was.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Fine. Perfectly fine. Why wouldn't I be?"

Joey licked her lips nervously and looked at Watson.

"What did I do?" she asked.

Watson shifted uncomfortably. She didn't think it was Joey that was the problem to be fair. The poor girl had spent a fair amount of the night pointing out girls for Kayla. The problem was that Kayla just shrugged and didn't seem very interested in them. At first Watson had assumed she was just shy but the more the evening had progressed, the more blindingly obvious it had become that Kayla only had eyes for one person in the room. Joey ran through the evening. They'd gone to a bar and everything had been nice there. They'd all talked, they'd all laughed and all got a little tipsy. When Carol and Watson had gone to get the next round in and Kayla had gone to the bathroom, Charlie and Joey had taken advantage of being alone and made out for as long as they could get away with. She was sure she hadn't said anything mean to Charlie or ignored her or anything terrible like that. Frowning, she tried to take her hand but it was limp and uninterested.

"Charlie?" she said.

Charlie looked into Joey's big, sad eyes and her heart melted. It wasn't Joey who had upset her and she knew that she wasn't just playing dumb. Relenting, she apologised and kissed her. Joey kissed her back but was more confused than ever.

"What's wrong?" she asked as quietly as she could get away with over the loud music.

"Just... It doesn't matter."

Charlie caught Kayla watching them over Joey's shoulder and clenched her jaw.

"Charlie?" Joey said, noticing.

"It doesn't matter," Charlie repeated, forcing herself to cool down.

Still unsure, Joey snuggled in a little closer and decided to keep her mouth shut for a little while, just in case Charlie didn't like her looking around at other girls, even if they were for someone else.

* * *

The evening continued and Joey was more subdued than she had been, which made Charlie feel guilty. She looked at Watson who was keeping the conversation going almost single handed and had taken over the role of checking women out for Kayla.

"Do you want to dance?" Charlie asked Joey.

Joey smiled and the two of them excused themselves, heading up to the dance floor. Kayla watched them go.

"Kayla... you might not um... well..." Carol began when the couple were out of earshot.

"Stop being so obvious," Watson finished.

Kayla flushed and finished the rest of her drink.

* * *

On the dance floor, even though the Katy Perry track was hardly offering slow dance material, Charlie and Joey got close to each other and barely moved. Charlie moved in even closer and kissed Joey a little possessively. When they pulled apart, Joey gazed into her girlfriend's eyes.

"What was wrong?" she asked, keeping her hand on her hip.

"Someone's been checking you out all night," Charlie said unhappily. "Someone other than me."

"You weren't checking me out?" Joey pouted.

Charlie grinned and kissed her again.

"I always check you out. But someone else was too."

Joey furrowed her brow and looked around the club, completely missing the fact that Kayla was watching them. Charlie however, caught her and grimaced.

"Who?" Joey asked, returned her gaze to Charlie.

"Kayla!" Charlie said as if it was the most obvious conclusion to come to.

And perhaps to everyone in the room but Joey, it was.

"Kayla? No, Charlie, you've got it all wrong. She's just my friend. She..."

"She likes you. I can see it. Watson can see it. Carol can see it. You're the only one who can't."

Joey swallowed.

"How can you tell?"

"She can't take her eyes off you for starters."

"She can!"

"She's looking at you right now!"

Joey turned back. Kayla looked quickly away.

"That could be coincidence."

"Your innocence is irritating," Charlie stated.

Joey looked hurt.

"Adorable. But irritating."

Joey felt a little better. Charlie kissed her.

"It doesn't matter anyway, even if you're right," Joey said brightly. "I mean, so what?"

"I don't want some woman fantasising about my girlfriend!" Charlie said, pulling a face. "Especially right in front of me."

"I'm sure lots and lots of people fantasise about you," Joey said.

Charlie looked a little startled.

"You're a beautiful woman, Charlie. And you look extremely hot in your uniform. I very much doubt a day goes by when at least one person doesn't think 'wow, I'd like some of that'. But as long as you're not thinking about them, it's okay," Joey explained.

"You'd mind if I knew them," Charlie said, still blushing at the compliment.

Joey sighed.

"Okay, yeah, I probably would," she admitted. "I'd probably get really jealous and cranky."

"So, do you understand where I'm coming from?"

"I do. But you don't need to be worried. I mean, as if I'd so much as look at another girl when I have you. You don't spend twenty years in love with someone you can't have, finally get her, keep her for a year and a bit and then go, 'oh, I'm bored now'. No, I'm afraid I'm in this for life and you get no say in the matter."

She smiled. It lit up her whole face. Feeling comforted, Charlie leant in to kiss her. They realised that they hadn't actually danced for most of the time that they'd been up on their feet.

"Come on, we've only got a chorus left," Joey said.

She began to bounce up and down in an overly euphoric manner.

"I kissed a girl and liked it!" she sang.

Laughing, Charlie joined in.

* * *

Watson smiled. The mood had definitely picked up since Charlie and Joey had returned from their version of dancing, which largely involved standing in one spot, touching each other, talking and kissing before jumping up and down and singing. Kayla had attempted to stop staring at Joey so wondrously and had even chatted to a few women who weren't in their group, which was progress. She yawned, wondering why she couldn't stay out until stupid hours anymore.

"You ready to head out, sweetheart?" Carol asked.

Watson nodded. The others agreed to go.

"I'm just going to head to the bathroom first," Joey said.

She stood and moved out of their little circle, stumbling a little from standing up too fast. She grabbed on to the wall behind Kayla. Charlie noticed Kayla immediately hone in on the perfect view of Joey's cleavage. Embarrassed by her little trip, Joey skipped off to the bathroom and pretended it hadn't happened.

"Could you stop perving over my girlfriend before I lose my temper, please?"

Kayla looked stricken.

"I'm... I'm not," she lied.

"Yes, you are and you have been all night. And Joey has no idea."

"To be fair," Watson interjected. "That time, her boobs were right there. I don't think anyone could have helped looking."

Charlie glared at her.

"Sorry, Kayla," Watson said, holding up her hands in defence. "You're on your own."

"Charlie, I'm sorry if you think..."

"I don't think. I know. You haven't taken you eyes off her all night and I'm sick of it."

"I didn't mean to..."

"And just so we're clear, you do not stand a chance with her. Joey's with me. She's always been with me and she's always going to be with me and if you think you can take her away from me, you've got another thing coming."

Joey appeared behind Kayla. She looked uncomfortable, having caught the last couple of sentences. Charlie wasn't quite sure how she'd react to her giving Kayla a piece of her mind.

"Shall we go home?" Joey suggested, not wanting to talk about it.

"Yeah, let's go home!" Watson said, leaping to her feet.

* * *

Charlie followed Joey upstairs a little nervously. The five of them had piled into a six-seater taxi and Watson had been left to make small talk again on the journey home. Now that they were alone, Charlie wasn't sure if she was going to be in trouble or not. In the bedroom, Joey began to undress.

"Joey?" Charlie said anxiously.

"Yeah?" Joey replied.

"Are you mad at me?"

Joey turned to her. She'd already stripped off her t-shirt and was now perched on the edge of the bed taking off her shoes.

"I'm not mad," she said. "Maybe a little disappointed."

Charlie's heart sank. Disappointment was even worse. She sat cross-legged on the floor. Joey stood up again and shrugged her jeans off.

"I'm sorry," Charlie said, looking up at her.

Joey sat down again. She reached out to hold Charlie's hands.

"It's just that Kayla doesn't feel like she's fitting in here. She's really shy and unsure of herself and tonight was supposed to make her feel included. And you shouting at her really wasn't the impression I wanted her to get of our group of friends. Or of you, Charlie, because that's not who you are. You don't yell at people. You're not aggressive or unkind. You're lovely and loving and gentle and I want her to see that."

"I just couldn't handle the way she was looking at you," Charlie said, feeling pathetic.

"I know. But I wasn't looking back. I didn't even realise until you told me. And I'll talk to her about. We'll discuss it reasonably and she'll know that it's not a good thing to do and we can move on. You didn't need to yell."

Charlie nodded.

"I've never been in this position before," she said honestly. "My reaction took me by surprise too, if that helps at all."

Joey waited for her to continue, studying her face.

"I've never needed anyone like I need you. I've never wanted anyone this much. And I've never been in love before, let alone so powerfully. And I know I've loved you for a long time and I've seen other people come and go from your life but you were never in relationship with me then so I guess I could curb how I felt even though I was really jealous of anyone who looked at you or dated you. So now that we're together, the thought of someone wanting you, wanting to take you away from me if you ever gave them a chance, it... it destroys me. Because I can't lose you, Joey. I don't think I could actually live without you and that scares me."

Joey slipped off the bed and knelt in front of Charlie; cupping her face.

"I'm not going anywhere, Charlie. You don't need to be scared of anything. You know how much I love you. Don't you?"

"I do."

"Then stop panicking and just love me back."

"I think too much, don't I?" Charlie realised.

"Now she realises!" Joey giggled.

She pressed her lips against Charlie's.

"You were right about one thing though," she said when they parted.

"What was that?"

"I am yours. I have always been yours. And I always will be."

Joey kissed Charlie again, guiding her onto her back on the floor in the middle of the room. Moving to cover Charlie's body with her own, their kiss deepened. Charlie let her arms encircle Joey, holding her close. She found the clasp of Joey's bra and undid it, let the garment come loose. Joey shifted so that she was straddling Charlie and let her push her bra away. Charlie reached up to play with the breasts she had successfully exposed. Joey gave into her touch, closing her eyes and enjoying the way Charlie knew her body so well. Charlie eased herself up and captured Joey's left nipple in her mouth, letting her tongue play. Joey took the opportunity, to start working on Charlie's clothes, easing her out of her t-shirt. Charlie rolled Joey onto her back and finished undressing before coming to lie atop her, meeting her mouth again in pure love and adoration. Charlie's hand slipped down, pulling Joey's underwear further down her legs. Joey kicked out of them as quickly as she could, never letting Charlie escape her lips. Charlie smiled and kissed her harder as her fingers found their destination. She smiled as she felt Joey react to her and enjoyed the way her breathing became a little ragged as Charlie teased and toyed with her. The more Charlie explored, the more breathless Joey became until finally, Charlie recognised that she was near the edge. Charlie held her close with her free hand, wanting to carry her over into oblivion. Joey crushed lips against Charlie's as she climaxed, pressing their bodies together.

"I love you," she breathed.

Charlie kissed her more tenderly as she slowly withdrew her hand and reached round to hold Joey closer.

"I love you too," she replied, burying her face in Joey's hair. "I love you more than anything."

* * *

Aden and Belle sat in Crumble. They were waiting for Larry. Over the past few weeks, since Aden's Dad's return to town, he had begged to become part of his son's life again. Aden hadn't wanted to at first but Belle had coaxed him into giving him a chance. Larry was claiming sobriety and neither Aden nor Belle had spotted any of the signs that he was drinking again so they had no reason not to believe him. And a small part of Aden, perhaps a larger part than he wanted to admit, did want this all to be true. He wanted them to build up a relationship again, to be close, to be father and son. Belle's hand on his, woke Aden from his thoughts. He smiled at her. She leant across the table and kissed him.

"Everything's going to be okay," Belle said. "This is the first stage of a wonderful new relationship with your Dad."

He nodded, hoping she was right.

* * *

The following week, Joey had arrived home from work and immediately launched into cooking a meal for herself, Charlie, Ruby, Ross and Morag. It was the first time that Morag would be visiting the house - Elsie's house - on a social occasion and it had taken a lot of gentle persuasion on Joey's part to get Charlie to agree. Finally, albeit reluctantly accepting that Morag was part of her father's life now, Charlie knew that she couldn't only see them in their house or on neutral ground. She had to be more open to their relationship than that. And inviting them over for a meal was her first big step. To take any extra stress away, Joey was doing all the cooking. Charlie just had to show up.

"What time's everyone getting here?" Ruby asked, entering the kitchen.

"Twenty minutes or so," Joey said. "Charlie's running late at work."

"You don't think she's chickening out, do you?"

"No," Joey said, not entirely convinced herself. "No, she wouldn't do that."

She continued stirring her sauce then looked back up at Ruby.

"Would she?"

* * *

Charlie sat at her desk watching the clock, realising that if she didn't leave now, she'd be late. Sighing heavily, she stayed put and fiddled with her pencil. There was a knock on her door. Jack poked his head round.

"Hey," she smiled.

"Aren't you supposed to be gone by now?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said.

"Not wanting to go home," he mused. "That's not good."

"Dinner with Dad and Morag," Charlie explained.

"Nice!" he remarked, knowing that Charlie hadn't come round to the idea of his Dad's girlfriend, no matter how nice she was.

"Yeah," she said, pulling herself to her feet. "I guess I'll head home. Joey will kill me if I'm late."

She headed out of the room and locked the door.

"Whipped!" Jack called after her as she left the station.

"Says you!" Charlie called back.

* * *

"Dinner was delicious!" Ross declared. "Thank you, Joey."

Joey beamed proudly.

"There's dessert whenever you're all ready," she said.

The meal had gone well. Everyone had chatted comfortably and Charlie had been able to ignore the fact that they were in her mother's old house. And she did like Morag. She came across as very strict but once you got to know her, she was very witty and entertaining. And she did make her father happy. And nicer. And easier to get on with. She seemed to bring out the best in him; less of the Detective and more of the man. It was nice.

"Before dessert um, well um, we have some news," Ross broached nervously.

Charlie glanced at Joey who silently warned her not to react badly, whatever it was. They reached for each other's hands under the table. Ruby sat beside Joey, poised for some kind of revelation.

"Morag and I," Ross began, when he had their full attention. "Well, you know we've been seeing each other for a while now and that we love each other and live together. Well, we've decided to get married."

His announcement was met with silence. Ruby looked at Charlie. Charlie looked at her sister and felt Joey squeeze her hand. She stood up and smiled.

"Congratulations," she said.

She moved to give her Dad a hug.

"Yeah, congratulations," said Joey, following suit.

She stood and hugged Morag. Ruby waited for Charlie to finish before she hugged her Dad. Charlie moved onto Morag, realising that it was the first time she'd ever had physical contact with the woman.

"Congratulations," she said sincerely.

Once all the hugs had been given and received, everyone sat back down again.

"I'm thrilled that you're happy for us," Ross said. "All of you. I was nervous."

"We just want you to be happy," Charlie confirmed.

* * *

Jack was clock watching. He had fifteen minutes to go until he shift was over and he could get back to Martha. He smiled at the thought. Watson walked past and bopped him on the head with a small stack of papers.

"Stop drooling over visions of your wife waiting for you at home!" she teased.

"Like you don't do the same thing when you're waiting to go home to Carol."

"Which I'm doing in..."

She looked at her watch.

"... approximately thirteen minutes."

The phone rang. The both sighed and silently hoped it was some insignificant enquiry. Jack answered, listening intently.

"We're on our way," he said, hanging up.

"I'm not seeing my woman in thirteen minutes, am I?" Watson said, pulling a face.

"Nope. Car crash. Potentially drunk driver."

They grabbed their stuff and headed out.

"Go, go, go!" Watson said, nudging Jack out the door.


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter Forty-Seven**

**January 2009**

Joey, Leah, Rachel and Martha were busily decorating the house in preparation for Charlie's surprise party. It was her twenty sixth birthday and while Charlie believed she and Joey were going out for dinner after work, Joey had actually been planning a party for her since Christmas. Martha stopped blowing balloons to answer her phone. She disappeared into the kitchen to talk to Jack.

"So, who's coming tonight?" Rachel asked Joey.

"Everyone really. I've invited everyone I can think of."

She worried again whether she'd done the right thing by inviting Kayla. She knew they didn't get on but she felt bad inviting the whole town and not her. They looked up when Martha re-entered the room.

"Lunch time call," she said, offering them a smile.

"How is he?" Joey asked compassionately.

Back in August, Jack and Watson had been called out to a road traffic accident, only to find that it was Jack's own mother who had been hit by a drunk driver. She'd died at the scene, just as her son and his colleague were arriving. Broken, Jack had punched the other driver instead of breathalysing him. He'd been some dumb teenager celebrating turning eighteen by becoming an idiot. Watson had had to drag Jack away and Charlie had had the awful job of reprimanding him for his behaviour, going as easy as regulations would allow, knowing what a state he was in. Her superiors hadn't wanted to do it and used the opportunity to give the Senior Constable some more responsibility. The last few months had been hard on the Holden family and their friends. Jack and Hugo had even agreed to bury the hatchet, deciding that life was too short to hate each other. It was a tentative peace treaty but they were trying and Hugo had firmly decided to forget about Martha. He'd returned to his habit of one night stands and that suited him well enough. He was never going to fall in love again.

"He's coping a lot better now," Martha said. "I mean, he has his good days and bad days but I think he's getting there."

"How's Tony holding up?" Leah asked. "I hardly see him anymore."

"He's doing pretty well, isn't he, Rach?" Martha said.

Rachel had been spending a lot of time with Tony, giving him unofficial counselling. She'd seen him break down one day on the beach and been overwhelmed by Jack's father's sadness. Since then, she'd taken him under her wing and she felt like they were making progress.

"Yeah, he's doing much better now," Rachel confirmed.

The accident had shocked the town and in a lot of ways, everybody was still recovering. Joey was hoping that Charlie's birthday party would cheer everyone up.

* * *

Charlie finished work at long last and was very eager to get home, get ready, maybe make out with Joey a little bit and then go out to dinner. It wasn't every day a girl turned twenty six. Leaving her office, she approached the front desk and nudged Watson, who had given her a lift into work that morning because they were working the same shift. It was something they had done when they lived together and had continued now that they were apart.

"Are you nearly ready?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah," Watson said. "Just give me a sec. I have to make a phone call and then I'm all yours."

"Okay, sure," Charlie said.

She wandered off to the bathroom. As soon as she was out of ear shot, Watson picked up the phone and called Joey.

"Hey," she said. "We're leaving now."

* * *

Joey warned all her guests that Charlie was ten minutes away. Excited chatter rang through the group as they looked for appropriate places to hide, ready to jump out and yell 'surprise'. Joey was pleased with the turnout. All their friends had shown up, as well as Ross and Morag and Ruby and her friends. Jack and a few of Charlie's other colleagues would be showing up later when their shifts finished but a lot of them were already present. So far, everything was a success. Now all they had to do was wait for Charlie to arrive home.

* * *

Watson pulled up outside the house.

"Thanks for the lift," Charlie said.

"Do you mind if I pop in? I wanted to talk to Joey about something," Watson said, blatantly lying.

Charlie eyed her curiously and shrugged.

"Sure," she said, letting herself out of the car.

Watson followed Charlie to the door. Charlie was confused by the lights all being off. It was strange. Joey was meant to meet her here so they could go to dinner together.

"Joey?" Charlie called, letting them in the house.

"SURPRISE!" a chorus of people bellowed and the lights flicked on.

Charlie shrieked and almost jumped out of her skin. She dropped her keys in fright and then burst out laughing. Joey stood in front of her grinning proudly before running up and giving her a hug. Charlie squeezed her tight and kissed her cheek.

"You really did all this for me?" she asked.

"Of course," Joey replied simply, leading Charlie by the hand to greet each of her guests.

* * *

Leah smiled as Vinnie approached her with a glass of wine. She was sitting on the sofa beside Martha and Rachel. The girls felt pretty proud of themselves for helping Joey decorate. Everything looked lovely and Charlie seemed to be having a wonderful time. Tony approached, looking anxious.

"Is Jack here yet?" he asked.

"No, he's due here in a little while though," Martha said.

"What time?"

"I don't know. He said he'd come as soon as his shift finished so... fifteen minutes?"

Tony walked away feeling tense. Since the accident that had stolen his wife, he'd been nervous about his son getting into trouble or getting injured. Sensing his discomfort, Rachel walked over and put her hand on his shoulder.

"He's fine, Tony," she said gently. "Try not to fret. He'll be here soon."

Tony swallowed and nodded, knowing he was being irrational.

"Shall we get a drink?" Rachel suggested.

He nodded again and followed her into the kitchen.

* * *

Charlie floated round the party, touched that so many people showed up to wish her well. It made her feel special. She looked across the room. Joey was talking to Aden and Belle. Looking at her and knowing how much Joey loved her, made Charlie feel even more special, special enough to ignore Kayla's presence. Smiling, she headed over and slipped her arm around Joey's waist.

"Hello, birthday girl," Belle greeted warmly.

Aden smiled but looked a little stressed.

"Are you having a good time?" Belle asked.

"I'm having a lovely time," Charlie said.

She kissed Joey on the cheek.

"Are you?"

Aden peered round her. Charlie looked behind her to see what he was looking at.

"Aden, would you relax? He's drinking orange juice," Belle said firmly.

Aden shook his head and apologised. Over the last few months, he and his father had been building a tentative relationship and now that Aden was feeling more relaxed around him; he was starting to panic because of it. He was constantly fearful that Larry would let him down. He felt guilty but when Jack's mother had been killed, his first thought had been that Larry had been involved somehow. But he was innocent. Belle had accused Aden many a time of waiting to trip his father up but it wasn't like that. He just wasn't used to his father being sober. It was strange. It was confusing. He couldn't quite let go enough to enjoy it. Yet.

* * *

Watson and Carol made their way over to Kayla. She'd been very social at the party and they were impressed although her eyes rarely left Joey still. Watson was just grateful that Charlie was enjoying her birthday too much to notice or else it would spoil the evening.

"Are you having a good time?" Watson asked.

"Yeah, it's an awesome party. Charlie's pretty lucky to have someone like Joey who loves her," Kayla commented, watching them chatting away to Aden and Belle in the corner of the room.

"Yeah, she is," Carol said.

Kayla returned her attention to them. Watson sipped her drink. She was starting to worry about Kayla and fear that she might actually make a play for Joey. That would be a disaster, although she already knew Joey would never reciprocate. Still, anything Kayla tried would upset Charlie. It was one thing to have a crush but she was bordering on obsessive.

* * *

Ruby, Xavier, Jai, Annie and Geoff were sitting around in a small huddle. Ruby was trying not to enjoy Xavier's company too much. He was still dating Freya, no matter how badly behaved she was. She supposed you could get away with anything when you were that beautiful.

Shifting her gaze, she considered Jai. He was nice looking and very sweet and she'd known for a year that he quite liked her. He would be a welcome distraction from Xavier. But then, when she'd distracted herself with Pat, it hadn't worked out too well and she really didn't want to hurt anybody again. Also, she was certain that Annie liked him. Every time the girls got together and talked about boys, Jai and Xavier always came up and Annie got all shy and coy. No, she couldn't go after Jai. If anything, she needed to help him wake up and realise that he and Annie would make a lovely couple.

She moved on to study Geoff. Out of everyone, she had bonded with him the least. He was very set in his ways and seemed to have a moral objection to everything. He was pretty though. She wasn't sure if he would irritate her too much if she dated him. And again, knowing her heart resided with Xavier, she really didn't want to hurt anyone. And she was certain that Geoff would have some kind of problem with her dating him to get over another guy. He really was fussy.

* * *

Jack entered the house. The party was already in full swing. Picking up a beer, he scanned the room and spotted his beloved wife on the couch chatting with Leah, Vinnie, Charlie and Joey.

"Have no fear!" he said, determined to be positive. "I'm here now!"

Charlie giggled. Martha stood and hugged him, kissing his mouth. He sat down and pulled Martha onto his lap.

"Happy birthday, Charlie," he said.

"Thanks, Jack," Charlie beamed.

Tony headed straight over to his son, relieved that he was alright. Rachel followed and he two of them sat down to join the group.

* * *

In the kitchen, Larry rummaged through the countless bottles on the side. One wouldn't hurt, would it? He'd been slipping in a few sneaky drinks over the last few months and he'd been able to stop. Locating some vodka, he poured a little into his juice. Gulping it down, he poured a refill of both. Just a few wouldn't ruin anything.

* * *

Ross and Morag headed towards Charlie. She was sitting with Joey, Martha and Jack. He tapped his daughter on the shoulder.

"We're going to head off," he said.

"Oh," Charlie said. "Oh, okay."

She reached out to give him a hug.

"Happy birthday, sweetheart," Ross said.

"Yes, happy birthday," Morag said pleasantly.

Charlie thanked her and walked them to the door. As co-host, Joey followed to see them out. Alone, Jack and Martha turned to each other.

"So, um... have you thought any more about what we were talking about last night?" Jack asked.

Martha grinned. She hadn't stopped thinking about it all day.

"I have and the answer's yes," she said.

"Yes?" Jack said, genuinely elated.

"Yes!"

"We're going to start a family?" Jack checked.

"We are," Martha confirmed.

They hugged each other tightly.

"Maybe we could start after the party," he whispered in her ear.

* * *

Charlie and Joey waved goodbye to Watson and Carol, the last guests to leave.

"See you soon!" Charlie called.

They shut the door. Charlie threw herself into Joey's arms immediately.

"Thank you so much for such a wonderful party, Joey," she said.

Joey smiled, thrilled that all had gone well and Charlie had enjoyed herself. It had been as special as Charlie deserved.

"Oh and we do still have dinner reservations," Joey said. "But for tomorrow night instead. I hope that's okay."

Charlie closed the gap between them, capturing Joey in a passionate kiss. It was a little clumsy due to the amount of wine she'd drunk but it didn't matter.

"It's perfect," she said. "_You're _perfect."

"Let's get you to bed," Joey said with a cheeky grin.

She took Charlie's hand, leading the way towards the stairs, flipping lights off as they went.

* * *

**February 2009**

The following week, Charlie was on nightshift with Watson. They were patrolling in a squad car. The night was warm and they had the windows down and the radio on.

"I guess it's funny how life turns out, hey?" Watson mused.

Charlie turned to her briefly before looking back at the road.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I was just thinking about how much we've changed. We're not the same people we were when we met, are we?"

"I guess not," Charlie agreed. "I was hiding in the closet, trying not to love Joey..."

"And I was flitting from girl to girl never wanting to settle down."

"And now we're both in long term committed relationships. With women!" Charlie remarked.

"How did that happen?" Watson giggled.

"I guess they're pretty special women," Charlie said.

"Yeah," Watson said, thinking of Carol. "They really are."

Charlie made sure she focussed on the road but she couldn't help picturing Joey.

* * *

Joey, Aden and Kayla climbed off the boat after their night trip.

"Do either of you want to go for a quick drink before home time?" Joey suggested.

Kayla agreed immediately, eager to spend any time she could with Joey. Aden nodded. Belle wouldn't be home until stupid o'clock because she was working on a hot new story at the paper apparently. All three headed towards the Jukebox. Joey only intended to stay for an hour, when Charlie was due to finish her shift. They stopped when they spotted Larry falling out of the bar.

"Dad?" Aden said.

Joey's heart broke for him. He'd been so scared of letting Larry back into his heart, into his world. He was sure that he'd slip up and letting down again. Looking at the obviously drunk man in front of them, Aden realised he had done just that. Kayla looked confused.

"I think the drink's off," Joey said to her.

Aden jogged up to his father. Joey followed more slowly. Kayla was torn as to whether to stay or go. She wanted to stay and support Aden but she didn't want to be intrusive. And she didn't want to do anything wrong in front of Joey. Back in October, Joey had sat her down and told her very awkwardly that she needed to change her behaviour and that looking at her in the apparent way she did, wasn't acceptable, especially in front of Charlie. Joey had explained that she wanted to be friends with Kayla but nothing more than that. Kayla hadn't talked to Joey about how strongly she felt for her. She'd kept it quiet and tried to keep her eyes under control as much as possible, although with someone so beautiful in front of her every day it was hard to concentrate a lot of the time. Silently, she hurried away.

"Dad!" Aden said, approaching his father.

Larry fell onto the floor and looked up at him. His eyes couldn't focus.

"Dad, what the hell are you doing?" Aden demanded. "You're meant to be staying sober!"

"I stopped," Larry replied simply.

"Just like that? You can tell me you stopped staying sober as easily as that?" Aden demanded.

"Aden," Joey said softly, tugging on his arm.

A confrontation right now would be good for neither father nor son.

"No, Joey!" Aden snapped.

He stared down at his Dad.

"Don't you care about me?" he yelled.

"I do care," Larry said. "I'm an addict; I can't help it."

"You're so weak!" Aden said.

"Aden, I've tried..." Larry pleaded.

He attempted and failed to get to his feet, plopping down on the ground again.

"You're pathetic," Aden said. "I hate you."

He turned and stormed away. Joey looked worriedly at Larry, wondering whether she ought to get him somewhere safer than outside the Jukebox. Pulling out her phone, she called Charlie, hurriedly asking her to pick Larry up before she chased after Aden, begging him to slow down.

* * *

Charlie hung up from Joey looking worried. She turned the car round.

"Are we off on an adventure?" Watson asked.

"Larry fell off the wagon," Charlie said unhappily. "Joey's gone back to make sure Aden's okay and she's asked us to go and check on him."

Watson nodded as they drove towards the Jukebox.

* * *

Larry watched Aden and his friend walk away from him. Overcome with the sudden urge to get far, far away from town and his son, the realisation of his actions began to sink in. He'd let his son down yet again. With blurry vision and feeling a little dizzy, he stumbled towards his car, fishing his keys out of his pocket.

* * *

Joey and Aden arrived back at Aden's apartment. Aden sank down onto the couch with his head in his hands. Joey sat quietly beside him.

"I was so desperate for him to have changed, Joey," he managed. "I was just beginning to come round and trust him again, to let him back in my life. I wanted my Dad back, the one that existed when I was a kid. But he disappeared a long time ago. I was stupid to ever think he'd changed."

"Aden, you weren't stupid," Joey said gently. "Everyone wants to see the best in those they love most."

Aden lost his battle with his tears. Joey pulled him into her arms, holding him tight.

* * *

Belle finished work at last and was very much looking forward to going home and curling up in bed with Aden. Looking out into the dark night, she considered calling a cab but it was really only a twenty minute walk. Pulling her jacket a little tighter around her, Belle began to head home.

* * *

Charlie and Watson arrived at the Jukebox. There was no drunken man outside. Larry was nowhere to be seen. Glancing at each other, the police officers climbed out of their vehicle and began to look around for him, calling his name.

"He's not here," Watson said.

"Maybe he went back inside," Charlie suggested.

They walked into the bar they knew so well.

* * *

Larry wasn't driving well. He kept swerving to miss things that were on the pavement and it was confusing his brain. Swerving to miss a bin on the right hand side that he was sure was going to jump out at him at any moment, Larry steered left. He only saw the pedestrian before it was too late.

* * *

Charlie and Watson looked around the bar but there was no drunken Larry in sight. Charlie couldn't help but wonder who had served a recovering alcoholic anyway. She looked at the bar. There was a young guy serving. She'd seen him a few times but he was obviously new to the area. She sighed, supposing that he couldn't be held responsible. How was he to know who Larry was? She walked up and signalled to him. The blonde haired boy headed over and blatantly looked her up and down with a grin that only meant one thing. He leant across the bar.

"Please tell me you're a stripper," he said.

"I'm Senior Constable Buckton," she said without the hint of a smile.

She flashed him her ID.

"What can I do for you, beautiful?"

"You can tell me if you served a guy in his late forties who got extremely drunk and headed out of here not so long ago. His name's Larry Jeffries."

"Oh, yeah, I slung a guy out of here about fifteen minutes ago. He was practically falling of his stool. So, when do you finish your shift?"

"You just slung him out without thinking what kind of trouble he might have got into? You couldn't have called us or tried to find out who his family were?" Charlie asked, ignoring his question.

"It's not my responsibility. And why would I call the cops on him? He was just drunk. He wasn't causing a scene or anything. Mind you, if I'd have known how hot the cops were round here, maybe I would have."

He looked her up and down again.

"That'll be all, thanks," Charlie said, moving away from the bar and meeting with Watson again who had done a tour of the room and checked the toilets just in case.

"Call me!" the boy yelled after Charlie.

"I'll call him a lot of things," Charlie mumbled, making Watson snort.

"Giving you hassle, was he?"

"Far more interested in helping me out of my uniform than helping me with our search for Larry," Charlie said as they headed towards the car.

"Ah, you've got to stop being so damn desirable!" Watson teased.

* * *

Belle lay on the ground unable to move. She blinked, feeling weak as a face hovered over her, looking frightened. Larry sank to his knees and held her hand.

"Belle," he said, his voice wavering.

"Larry..." she managed.

"I'm sorry."

He dropped her hand and wobbled to the car, driving away into the night.

* * *

Joey sat with Aden curled up in her lap. She was reminded of the time as children when he'd broken down and told her about his past, about the abuse he had suffered at the hands of his grandfather. He'd been so vulnerable and frightened. Her heart had broken for him, like it did now. She stroked his hair, wondering if Belle would be back soon. He needed his girlfriend. Closing his eyes, Aden rested in Joey's lap, comforted by her presence and her touch. Aside from Belle, there was nobody he trusted more in the world. Joey shifted when her phone rang.

"Charlie?" she said.

"Joey, we couldn't find him. I'm sorry," Charlie apologised.

Joey's heart sank, immediately worrying about where Aden's father might have got to.

"And I don't know when I'm going to get home either," Charlie continued. "We've just been called to a hit and run. I think it's going to be a long night."

"Okay. I'm staying here until Belle gets back anyway. I'll see you at home."

"Alright. I love you."

"I love you too. Be safe."

"Always," Charlie promised.

Joey couldn't help but worry about Charlie when she was on shift, especially late at night. She continued holding Aden, assuring him that everything would be fine.

* * *

Larry parked a fair distance away from the accident, tears streaming down his face. He knew he should go back. He should help Belle, the girl who had been so kind to him and helped him be part of Aden's life again. He cried harder when he pictured his son's face. If he hated him for drinking again, running over his girlfriend would be unforgiveable. He was better off running.

* * *

Charlie and Watson arrived at the scene a few minutes after the paramedics. A wave of nausea threatened Charlie as she headed over and recognised Belle lying in a pool of blood, unconscious. Turning away quickly, she tried to gather her senses together.

"What happened here?" she asked.

"Hit and run. Unidentified female. That's all we know."

"This is Belle Taylor," Charlie said worriedly. "She's a friend of mine."

"Do you know if she has any allergies?" the paramedic asked.

"Not as far as I'm aware."

She watched them treat her as if she was in a daze.

"Charlie," Watson said, also looking at Belle's broken body. "We need to talk to the person who called it in."

Charlie nodded and moved away.

* * *

Joey was half asleep when the phone rang. She'd been cradling Aden in her arms since they'd got home and in the silence of the night, she'd almost drifted off.

"Charlie?" she said.

"Joey," Charlie said a little breathlessly. "There's been an accident."

"Is it Larry?" Joey asked.

Aden leapt up into a sitting position, looking urgently as his friend.

"No," Charlie said. "We never got as far as finding him. We don't know where he is but the accident... the hit and run I told you about... it's... it's Belle. Can you get Aden to the hospital?"

"Yeah, we'll see you there," Joey said, hanging up.

She turned to look at her frightened friend.

"Is it Dad?" he asked. "Is he okay?"

"It's Belle," Joey said shakily.

Aden turned paler.

"What? What's Belle? What's happened to her?"

"She got hit by a car," Joey said.

Aden leapt to his feet.

"Wait, Aden!" Joey said, jumping up as well. "Let me call a cab to get us to the hospital, okay?"


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter Forty-Eight**

**February 2009**

Aden and Joey charged through the hospital towards the nurse's station.

"Charlie!" Joey yelled when she spotted her just ahead.

Charlie spun round and caught Joey as she skidded to a halt.

"She's going to be fine," Charlie told Joey and Aden calmly. "She's in a lot of pain and Rachel's still in with her now but it won't take long. You'll be able to see her soon."

"What happened?" Aden asked.

"All we know is that it was a hit and run. Judging by the marks on the road, it looks like the driver was swerving heavily so they could have been under the influence of something. I've got a team out already."

She moved towards some seats in the waiting room and gestured for them to sit down.

"Belle's going to be fine and we'll find whoever hurt her," Charlie promised.

Aden nodded, looking like he was struggling to keep everything together. Charlie's phone rang.

"I have to take this," she said. "I'll be back in a sec."

When she was gone, Aden turned to Joey.

"If the driver was drunk, you don't think...?" he asked.

Joey shook her head.

"No way. He would have stopped," she said, hoping she was right.

* * *

Larry sat in his car, staring out at the night. The road was empty and everything was eerily quiet. The alcohol mixed with the rush of adrenaline that had been coursing through him began to make him tired. He touched his head. It hurt. Taking his fingers away, he saw blood glistening on the tips. He hadn't noticed injuring himself at the time. Now, he was sleepy. He leant back against the headrest and closed his eyes.

* * *

It had been a long night. Now at four in the morning, Joey was glad to be home. Belle had woken up and they had been informed that she was going to be fine. She said she couldn't remember anything about the accident other than it being a red car that had swerved all over the road. Charlie had spoken with her briefly but, not wanting to pressure her, had said she would take a statement in the morning. They'd tried to convince Aden to go home but he'd refused and as far as Joey knew, he would be spending the night asleep on a chair in her room.

Charlie had been very close to working the entire night but Watson had pointed out that their shift had technically finished hours ago. She said that she was exhausted and that Charlie must be too. Joey had also commended her for her commitment but begged her to come home. She'd reluctantly agreed and Joey had ridden in the back of the patrol car and waited while she and Watson packed up for the night.

* * *

In the bedroom, Charlie stripped off her uniform, losing a battle with an attack of yawns. Joey shrugged her clothes off and fell into bed without even attempting to get changed. She flopped straight onto her stomach and wished that sleep would claim her in an instant. Following suit about not getting changed, Charlie crept into bed and cuddled up to Joey's semi-conscious form.

"That was horrible," Joey said. "If you ever dare to get into an accident or anything like that you know I'll be really cranky, don't you?"

Charlie chuckled softly and kissed Joey's bare back.

"Noted," she said. "I will do my best never to make you cranky, Joey."

With that, they both fell asleep.

* * *

Larry arrived home quietly. He was severely hung over and much of the previous night was a blur. The only thing he couldn't get out of his head was the image of Belle lying on the ground. Shuddering, he headed into the apartment he was currently residing in with Aden and Belle. At least, he hoped he was still living with them. He was vaguely aware of an argument between himself and his son before the accident. And he could only hope that Belle was alright.

* * *

"Charlie, stay in bed," Joey moaned.

She reached out and put a possessive arm and leg over Charlie's body, keeping her in place. Charlie sighed and lay back against the pillows. She turned over to cuddle Joey whose face was buried in her pillow.

"Joey, I have to go to work," she said gently. "I have to help Belle."

Joey looked up, sleepy and with red rimmed eyes.

"Joey, are you okay?" Charlie asked worriedly.

"No, I had a bad dream," Joey replied.

Charlie shifted her into her arms and cuddled her close.

"What was the dream about, sweetheart?"

"I dreamt that _you _got hit by a car and I kept trying to find you to save you and I couldn't. You were just nowhere."

"It was just a dream, darling," Charlie said softly, stroking Joey's hair. "I'm here and you can find me just fine."

She tilted Joey's face to look at her.

"See?"

Joey nodded, still unhappy.

"But you're going away again," she said. "How will I know that you're okay?"

"Because I will be. And I'll keep in touch with you if you want me to, alright?"

Joey felt a little settled by the idea. She sighed heavily.

"And honey, aren't you meant to be at work too?"

"Shit!" Joey shrieked.

She looked at the clock and realised that they were meant to be heading out in five minutes time.

"I'm giving us all a day off," she decided.

She left Charlie's embrace to pick up her mobile and called Kayla and Gibsy.

"I'm just going to have a shower," Charlie whispered, kissing her on the head. "I'll be back."

* * *

Belle lay still in her hospital room. It was still early. Her whole body screamed in pain. She glanced to her left. Aden had fallen asleep in the chair, leaning his head on the bed. She had the urge to ruffle his hair but she didn't want to take him. He'd had as stressful a night as she had really. She sighed. She'd woken up with memories of what had actually happened to her and she felt sick now that she could picture everything with so much clarity. She didn't want to tell the truth. But she didn't want to lie.

* * *

As the morning progressed, Charlie had just about managed to leave the house. Joey was waiting for a decent hour to call Aden. During the times that he wasn't visiting Belle, which might possibly be only for five minutes, he would need his friend to support him. She opted to clean the house in the meantime and cook breakfast for Ruby before she went to school. The teenager had been upset to learn about what happened to Belle but thrilled by special breakfast treatment.

* * *

Charlie arrived at the hospital and knocked on the door of Belle's room. Poking her head round the door, she was greeted with smiles from Belle and Aden who were holding hands.

"Hey," she said. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty rough," Belle admitted. "They keep giving me painkillers but I'm constantly uncomfortable."

Charlie gave her a sympathetic smile.

"Is it an okay time to take a statement from you?" she asked. "I don't want to push; it's just that we really want to find whoever did this to you."

"No, no, it's fine," Belle told her.

She'd already made her decision about what to say.

"Aden, why don't you go home and get changed and relax a bit?" Belle suggested to her boyfriend. "Then you can come back."

He swallowed and nodded a little reluctantly, standing up. He leant over and kissed Belle goodbye.

"Pop in and see Joey if you want," Charlie said. "She's called everyone off work and she's fussing around at home."

"I'll go get changed and then call her," Aden said, exiting.

* * *

Joey was humming to herself while she cleaned the bathroom. She washed her hands quickly when she heard her phone ringing. Drying them, she pulled her phone out of her pocket.

"Ade?" she said. "How's Belle?"

"She seems okay," he said, his voice flat. "Charlie's taking a statement now. I'm heading home to get changed but would you like to come round for lunch or something in about half an hour?"

"That'd be great," Joey said. "I'm..."

"Cleaning. Charlie said you were doing your usual of taking your stress out on the house."

Joey blushed at having been caught out.

"See you in half an hour," she said, deciding not to respond to his remark.

He chuckled for the first time since everything had kicked off the night before.

"See you," he said.

* * *

"Charlie, I know who the driver was," Belle said suddenly, cutting to the chase through the officer's question.

"You do?" Charlie asked, surprised. "I thought you couldn't remember anything."

"I couldn't. It came back to me last night, while I was drifting in and out of sleep. I don't... I don't want to press charges. I just want you to find him."

Belle looked so worried. It wasn't hard for Charlie to connect the dots.

"Who was it?" she asked, knowing the answer.

"It was Larry."

* * *

Aden frowned when he saw his Dad's car in the drive. Then he tensed. Walking round the car, he spotted damage on the front bumper. All Belle had said about the accident was that she'd been hit by a red car. And there was Larry's car, red as blood. He picked up his pace and jammed his key in the lock. Immediately, he came face to face with his father who looked hungover. His face was ashen and he had dark circles round his eyes. He also had a cut on his forehead.

"Nice night?" he said, glaring at his father.

Larry shifted, trying to read Aden's expression, wondering what he knew.

"You ran Belle over, didn't you?"

"I..."

"I know it was you."

"Aden, I didn't mean to..."

"To knock her down and then abandon her on the side of the road?" Aden yelled.

"I'm..."

"Don't you dare say you're sorry," Aden snapped, throwing his keys hard on the table.

"It was an accident," Larry protested.

"Do you know how you avoid accidents like that?" Aden demanded, stepping towards his father, who stepped back. "You don't get behind the wheel when you're drunk! And you know what you do when you get into that accident? You call an ambulance! That's what you do! You call a fucking ambulance!"

He advanced towards his father and shoved him hard in the chest. Startled, Larry didn't even fight back. Aden shoved him again.

"Aden, I didn't mean to..." Larry protested.

"Get out of my house," Aden said. "And don't come back until you're sober, which we both know will be never!"

"Aden, I can't help it! I'm an addict."

"I know. Get out."

Aden gripped him by the shoulder and forcefully pushed him towards the door.

"Aden, I'll get help. Please, just give me one more chance."

"You put my girlfriend in hospital!" Aden yelled. "You nearly killed her!"

He slammed Larry hard against the front door, making his head hurt even more.

"It's not my fault that I drink," Larry whimpered, sinking to the floor.

"What? Someone holds your nose and shoves it down your throat, do they?" Aden said, towering over him.

"I was abused!" Larry said desperately. "By your grandfather! What he did to you... he did to me."

He waited for compassion. Instead, he saw hate. Then he cowered as Aden reined violent blows upon his trembling body.

* * *

"Are you absolutely sure?" Charlie asked.

Belle nodded and then winced.

"He got out of the car and stood over me. He was frightened. He apologised and then he left. I guess I passed out after that."

Charlie nodded slowly. She could barely imagine how it would feel to know you'd been left for dead like that.

"We'll do whatever we can to find him, alright? And then you can decide what to do."

"Thanks, Charlie," Belle said.

Charlie stood to leave. Belle caught her hand and squeezed it.

"I mean it," she said. "Thanks."

Charlie smiled affectionately and slipped out of the room. On her way out of the hospital, she caught up with Rachel.

"Hey, Charlie," her friend greeted.

"Hey. I've got to run but can you look in on Belle, please? She seemed to be in a lot of pain while I was talking to her."

"I will," Rachel promised.

* * *

Aden stood over his unconscious father. He was lying beside the front door, bleeding and bruised and Aden, breathing hard, wasn't sure if he could even stop there. How could his Dad have let his granddad hurt him like that? It's what he had essentially done. If Larry had been abused as well, he would have known that his father was a dangerous man. And yet he'd let Aden spend time with him. He'd failed to protect him, the same way he always did. He'd drunk himself silly and neglected his only child. And now he'd hurt Belle. With tears streaming down his face, he stared down at his father's broken body.

* * *

Joey knocked lightly on Aden's front door. Nobody answered. Thinking her friend might still be in the shower or something, she tried the handle. The door opened and she saw Aden, shaking and crying.

"Ade? Are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

He'd sounded at least marginally better on the phone. Slowly, she turned and looked in the same direction he was. She immediately felt sick and all the colour drained from her face.

"Aden, what have you done?" she asked, her eyes wide as she turned back to face him.

"He's the one who hurt Belle," Aden said.

"But..." Joey faltered.

She didn't want to reprimand him but assaulting someone was never the right thing to do, especially not as badly as this.

"Aden, we need to call an ambulance," she said.

"No!" he replied sharply, sounding disgusted by the idea of helping his Dad.

"Aden..."

"He didn't call an ambulance for Belle, did he?"

"It doesn't matter," she said, pulling her phone out of pocket.

He rushed to stop her. She looked down at his bloody hands and jolted away.

"If you... if you call for help, I'll get arrested."

"What else are we meant to do?" Joey said. "We can't just leave him here. He needs help."

"No!" Aden snapped.

"Aden Jeffries, I'm calling for help!" Joey yelled, becoming frightened. "So sit down and shut up."

He stared at his best friend helplessly.

"He knew, Joey," he said desperately.

She looked confused.

"About what my grandfather was doing to me."

Joey felt tears sting her eyes.

"He knew the whole time and he didn't protect me. He's wrecked my whole life from the day I was born."

"I know it feels like that now," Joey said gently. "But he hasn't. You've come so far from what happened to you. You've become a beautiful, wonderful, caring man. You've got a girlfriend who loves you and friends who would do anything for you. We're your family, Aden. He hurt you. I know he did but you're better than this. Please let me call for help."

Aden just sank down on the floor, leaning his back on the sofa. Joey took his silence as permission and dialled.

* * *

The day had turned out to be as long and emotionally exhausting as the previous one had been. Aden had been arrested for assault, Belle had broken up with him and Larry was still unconscious. Charlie swallowed and glanced at Joey sitting in the passenger seat.

"Please don't blame me," she said quietly.

Joey turned to look at her. Watching Charlie take Aden into custody had broken her heart and even though she knew she'd had no choice, she'd been angry with her. It was Aden. It was just Aden. There were extenuating circumstances and it wasn't like he was going to hurt anybody else. She didn't understand why he couldn't have been allowed to go home. She hated to think of him so sad and lonely, sitting in a cell wondering what was to become of him. He'd lost his liberty, even if it was only temporary. She hoped it was temporary anyway. And he'd lost his girlfriend. Belle had tearfully told Aden that she couldn't be with someone capable of that level of violence, even if he felt it was deserved. Just like that, she'd ended their relationship.

"I don't blame you," Joey said.

"It's my job, Joey. I had to."

"I know."

"But you hate me for it."

"I don't hate you. I could never hate you. It was just hard to see my best friend being arrested. Aside from you and Ruby, Aden's my closest and most loved friend. He means so much to me."

"I'm sorry," Charlie said again. "Hopefully when Larry wakes up, he'll decide not to press charges and we can let Aden go. But for now, I have to go with the evidence and call Aden on assaulting his father."

"You don't know the circumstances," Joey said without thinking.

"Then tell me."

"I can't," Joey said, hanging her head. "Aden has to."

"Joey, if it'll help him..."

"I don't know if it will," Joey said, hanging her head. "Knowing the reason why won't stop the assault being true."

Charlie sighed. Neither of them liked knowing that there was a secret between them. Joey reached across the seat and put her hand on top of Charlie's. They smiled at each other before getting out of the car.

* * *

Sitting down in the lounge, Joey looked at Charlie sipping her hot chocolate, looking like she was thinking hard. She looked so beautiful and serious. Joey knew she would do everything she could to help Aden. And although she didn't want to break his confidence, the trust he'd put in her when they were just kids, she knew Charlie had to know all the facts if she was going to do the right thing. Taking a deep breath, she began to tell Aden's story.

* * *

**April 2009**

It had been a long couple of months and Charlie and Joey had celebrated their second anniversary. It seemed to have come round so fast and yet so much had happened. Jack and Martha had got married, Elsie's first anniversary had been and gone, Jack's mother had passed away, Hugo had taken off on a long boat trip, Belle had been hit by Larry's car, Aden had assaulted Larry, nobody had pressed charges and Larry had taken himself to rehab yet again. Belle was still final about her break up with Aden, however. He had gone into counselling and spent a month sleeping in Charlie and Joey's spare room until he got his act together to rent a flat by himself. They'd considered asking him to stay, knowing he didn't really want to be on his own but then one night over dinner he'd talked about the move being a good thing, teaching him to stand on his own two feet again. Rather than going away to celebrate their anniversary, Charlie and Joey had settled for dinner, at a new restaurant, which happened to be opening on the same day. It was overpriced and elegant and both girls had dressed up and made a night of it. As was every moment they spent together, the night had been perfect, full of romance and happiness.

* * *

Ruby stood at her locker and eyed Xavier and Freya slightly further along. They looked like they were up to something and it didn't look like something good. She sighed. She didn't like the thought of such a lovely guy getting swept up in his girlfriend's schemes. She was bad news. Everyone but Xavier could see it.

* * *

On deck, Joey took a moment to lean over the side of the boat and look out to sea. She smiled, feeling content. The wind brushed her face and the sun was warm. Sometimes she could hardly believe how life had turned out. Not so long ago, she'd believed she would never amount to anything. Now she had her own business, her own house and the most amazing woman in the world to love. Turning back, she caught sight of Kayla, her mood dampening slightly. She felt bad about not having much to do with the girl anymore. Kayla was obviously very lonely and needed friends but the way she behaved around Joey was inappropriate. Even Joey had figured that out and it upset Charlie no end. Whenever they were all out together, Charlie would get annoyed with the way Kayla looked at her. It made things awkward. Joey had opted to be friendly but at a distance and for now that seemed to be alright.

"Hey, Joey, we were all thinking of going to lunch together. What do you think?"

Joey raised her eyebrows in Gibsy's direction.

"Well, me and Aden were anyway," Kayla added.

She nodded. Lunch would be okay, she supposed, especially if Aden was there.

* * *

Charlie, Watson and Jack headed towards Crumble together for lunch. It had been a while since they'd done a whole lot together but they tried to remember to socialise. The three of them had arrived, along with Angelo, as new recruits and having studied together, there would always be a bond between them. It was at times like these that Charlie almost missed Angelo. She felt guilty for dating him when she knew she had no real interest, that she'd just been running away from her feelings for Joey. She thought that if they hadn't ever got together, maybe they would all be friends now and Angelo wouldn't have left town. She wondered what he was doing now and she hoped he'd stopped being so angry. She hoped he'd found some kind of peace and was doing well at work. Shaking herself out of her thoughts, she selected what she wanted from the menu. The three of them waited for Leah to come and take their orders.

* * *

Rachel and Tony were seated on his sofa talking. Since the car crash that had taken his wife away, the two of them had bonded. Rachel had taken it upon herself to look after him, help him feel okay. They'd spent almost every day together and she was desperately trying to ignore the fact that she found the older man attractive. Determined to keep it platonic, she'd remained a loyal friend, helping him get back on his feet.

* * *

Ruby sat outside in the school grounds with Jai, Annie and Geoff. Jai and Annie had finally got their act together and had now been a couple for three tentative weeks. They seemed happy and Ruby was glad for them, although she was sad that Xavier had given her no more than a few compliments and longing looks. She wondered if Charlie and Joey had felt this about each other when they were her age. Still, it had worked out for them so perhaps there was still hope. She spied the boy in question standing not so far away, under a tree at the edge of the school field. He was with Freya and a couple of guys that didn't go to their school. She was certain he was doing something he shouldn't.

* * *

"So, what's everyone's news?" Watson asked.

Charlie shrugged, certain that she had nothing exciting to tell. And to be perfectly honest, that's the way she liked it. She enjoyed the pace her life was taking right now. She was doing well at work and her home life was perfect. She couldn't ask for more, really.

"Um, well, actually I have some," Jack ventured.

Both women turned to look at him.

"Martha and I are trying for a baby," he said, beaming.

"That's great!" Charlie said.

"Congratulations, mate," Watson added.

"We've been trying for a few months and, well, nothing yet but apparently it can be a little trickier to conceive when you've been on certain contraceptives," Jack explained, feeling a little shy at discussing the details.

"I'm sure it'll happen soon," Charlie said.

"Aw, little Jack or Martha Junior," Watson teased. "How cute would that be?"

* * *

Joey, Aden and Kayla walked into Crumble. Joey scanned the room for a spare table and instead located her girlfriend. She smiled and waved cheerfully. Charlie looked up and waved back. The threesome picked their way across the room. Charlie put her arm around Joey's waist.

"Fancy seeing you here," she said with a grin.

Joey bent down to kiss her.

"We thought we'd stop by for lunch."

"Do you want to join us?" Watson asked, looking round for spare chairs.

"If you don't mind," Joey said.

Charlie cast a brief eye over Kayla and then looked at Joey.

"As if I'd ever mind having lunch with you. And as if these guys would ever get a say in the matter."

* * *

Xavier sat down to lunch with Freya. He cast his eye over to Ruby and their joint friends, longing to go and sit with them. Freya was wonderful and he adored her. She was exciting and fun. But he missed spending time with Geoff, Annie and Jai. The two groups didn't mix. None of them understood or liked her. And as for Ruby, she was the one he longed to spend time with more than any of them. She was just as beautiful as Freya, if not more so and she was sweet and kind and she'd been the first girl that he'd ever loved or kissed. Sometimes he longed for the days when they were tiny children and going round to each others houses for tea with them and their mothers. Life had been simpler then.

* * *

Charlie kissed Joey goodbye before they both headed back to work. Neither of them seemed capable of a quick peck. Even with that intention, it seemed to develop.

"Kill me if I get as sappy as those two," Watson told Jack as they headed to her car, opting to give the couple some privacy.

Aden moved away. It seemed like every time he saw a happy couple, he was reminded of everything he'd lost. Kayla watched, feeling irritated and fascinated. So far she had been playing the game. Perhaps she didn't behave as well as Joey had asked her to; she still paid her too much attention. But she'd kept her distance, for now. Staring at the couple, she was sure that once their little honeymoon period was over and stopped getting extended, Joey would see that she and Charlie weren't right for each other. Joey was about the sea and the stars; Charlie's life was about crime and punishment. They were a world away from each other. And besides, Charlie wasn't even a proper lesbian. Kayla had been doing her research and Charlie had had boyfriends before. She'd even dated Joey's older brother. She was clearly just pretending. And her relationships never lasted that long anyway. Kayla was certain that soon enough, she would discard Joey and move onto the next guy or even girl who took her fancy. And it would probably be a guy. Kayla was keen to save Joey from Charlie before she got hurt. She needed to up her game.

* * *

Belle felt jittery. The past few months had been physically and emotionally painful what with trying to recover from her injuries and her break up with Aden. Constantly, she worried that she had done the wrong thing. She loved him. She was certain she always would. But every time she thought about talking to him and trying to find a way to move forward together, she saw Larry's battered body. She felt sick that Aden was capable was of such violence, regardless of what his father had done or neglected to do. As thoughts swirled in her brain, she began to feel unwell again, like she always did. She headed into the bathroom for medication. Like she always did. She ignored the voice in the back of her head that warned her it was becoming a habit.

* * *

**June 2009**

Freya sat in Crumble waiting for Xavier. She wondered where he'd got to and if whatever it was, involved Ruby Buckton. She did not like that girl. Looking around the busy venue, she eyed Leah serving customers. She rolled her eyes with disdain. She'd never be caught dead doing a dull job like that. Her eyes followed a police officer walking into the room. It was Ruby's sister getting a fix of caffeine. Freya hated cops. Then her eyes settled on a thin girl who would be pretty if she didn't have such dark circles under her eyes and wasn't looking like she was shaking. Freya's eyes lit up. She waited for the cop to leave and then glided over. Sitting beside Belle, she smiled.

"You look like you could do with my help," she said.

Belle looked a little startled.

"What are you talking about?" she asked.

"You need a fix, right?" Freya asked.

Belle tried to look offended but they both knew it was true.

"I run very reasonable rates," Freya said. "Are you interested?"

Belle shifted, looking around at people she'd once spent so much time with. Since losing Aden, she felt like her world had ended and she'd become detached from everyone she knew. Freya honed in on her lost expression, certain that she would make a sale.

"Shall we take this outside?" Freya asked.

* * *

Tony watched Rachel wash up their lunch dishes. They'd had a nice afternoon like they always did. Rachel was funny and kind, she listened to him and understood. He constantly tried to ignore the fact that she was also beautiful. It felt wrong to be attracted to another woman. His wife had died less than a year ago and he was afraid of moving on. He felt guilty every time he laughed, every time he forgot about her, even for a few seconds. And it was worse to know he was enjoying time with another woman. He supposed, even if he was able, Rachel wouldn't be interested in him anyway. She was young and beautiful, talented and educated and the last thing she probably wanted was some older guy hanging around her neck. She was his daughter-in-law's best friend for goodness sake. And yet she kept coming round.

* * *

Charlie was sitting in her car drinking her coffee and seriously considering taking the afternoon off and stealing Joey away. That would make for the perfect day. But for now, she was drinking coffee and watching as Freya took a girl she couldn't quite see, to one side round the corner from Crumble. Xavier joined them and all of them looked shifty. Eyeing them as closely as she could from this distance, she tensed when she saw a definite exchange of money. The girl hurried away, looking withdrawn. Freya shoved something in her pocket. Charlie leapt out of her car and crept up to them. They were oblivious to her presence and she was grateful.

"Do you want to let me search you now or back at the station?" she asked.

Both teenagers turned around, their eyes wide with surprise. Charlie retained her intense glare.

"Well?" she asked.

* * *

Joey finished work for the day and felt glad of it. Kayla had started making suggestive statements and Joey wasn't sure what to do about it, except that she'd firmly decided that telling Charlie, at least at this stage, wasn't a very good idea. She waited until Kayla had said goodbye and then tugged on Aden's arm.

"Coming back to my place for a coffee?" she asked.

"Sounds perfect to me."

They began walking in step with each other.

"So, how much did Kayla freak you out?" Aden asked.

"You noticed?"

"Joey, she's been after you from the first moment she saw you."

"I thought things were calming down," Joey sighed. "She was hardly looking at me or anything and now she's started with these suggestive comments."

"Tell her to stop."

"Do you think she will?"

"No," Aden admitted. "I think she's got it bad for you, babe."

Joey rolled her eyes. The whole thing felt weird. She wasn't used to this kind of attention. It was almost unnerving.

* * *

Charlie arrived home loudly, stopping abruptly when she found Joey and Aden sitting at the kitchen table. She smiled, glad to be home.

"Rough day?" Aden asked.

"I look that good, hey?" Charlie remarked.

"You always look good," Joey said sweetly, reaching out to her.

Charlie moved to stand beside her and let Joey's arms encircle her waist. Joey snuggled against Charlie's hip.

"Well, that's probably my cue to go," Aden said.

"Oh, you don't have to..." Charlie and Joey said in unison.

He smiled.

"I want to get a workout anyway. I'll leave you two lovebirds to it."

Joey stood to hug him goodbye. Once he'd departed, Joey turned back to Charlie, ready to welcome her home properly. They kissed tenderly in the middle of the kitchen.

"So, tell me about your day," Joey said, nuzzling into Charlie neck.

Kissing her neck softly, occasionally using her teeth and tongue she waited for Charlie to start speaking. Charlie just leant against the sink and revelled in Joey's touch, moaning softly. Joey knew exactly what made her feel good.

"Telling me about your day kind of requires you to talk," Joey told her, her lips brushing against Charlie's skin as she spoke.

Charlie giggled. Joey's enjoyed the vibration in her throat. She kissed her again.

"I had an eventful day," Charlie managed. "I busted a drug deal. Kind of. I caught the dealers after it was done."

"My big, bad cop," Joey said, still paying attention to Charlie's neck.

"I felt pretty bad. It was Freya and Xavier."

Joey pulled away.

"But they're just kids!" she protested. "How do they even get hold of drugs?"

Charlie shrugged.

"I busted Freya but I left Xavier go," she said. "She tried to blame everything on him but it seemed pretty clear to me that while he knew what was going on, he wasn't actually involved. We charged Freya and gave Xavier a warning."

"Do you think they'll split up now that she's tried to blame him?" Joey asked.

She reached up and began to undo Charlie's buttons.

"Here's hoping. Ruby will be thrilled."

Charlie continued to lean back against the sink, letting Joey undo her shirt and un-tuck it from her trousers. Joey licked her lips and admired Charlie in her open shirt and bra. She leaned in again and kissed Charlie's neck again. Charlie moaned, feeling somewhat weak at the knees. Feeling somewhat possessive, Joey sucked on Charlie's neck a little bit harder while her hand stroked Charlie's tummy.

"Oops," Joey said a little guiltily when she saw the red mark on her partner's neck.

"You did, didn't you?" Charlie accused gently.

"Sorry."

"I'll worry about it tomorrow," Charlie said, pulling Joey back into her arms.

Joey started on the other side of Charlie's neck.

* * *

Ruby burst through the door feeling so excited that she didn't notice a trail of clothes on the floor. She stopped when she spied a somewhat scantily clad Charlie and Joey making out on the couch.

"Oh!" Ruby said, flustered.

She covered her eyes while Charlie and Joey pulled a blanket over themselves.

"Sorry, Rubes," Charlie said, embarrassed to the point of turning pink. "We um, we lost track of time."

"Sorry," Joey said.

"It's fine. It's gross but I don't care," Ruby said quickly. "Xavier said he liked me!"

Charlie smiled. She clutched the blanket to her, aware that she was only in her underwear. At least Joey was still wearing shorts.

"After you busted him and Freya, he told me how Freya had tried to make out like it was all his fault when it wasn't and that you'd been really cool and let him go and that really he was pleased that the whole thing had happened because now he felt like he could leave her and be with me. And then..."

She paused dramatically.

"He kissed me! And it was just as amazing as you told me kissing someone you love is like, Charlie, like when you and Joey kissed when you were fifteen."

Charlie blushed more. Joey grinned, intrigued by whatever conversation they had had about their adolescent romance.

"I'm really happy for you, Rubes," Charlie said genuinely.

She was a little worried about Xavier's behaviour of late but she hoped that without Freya's influence, he would go back to being the good boy they all used to know. And she knew how besotted Ruby was.

"Me too," said Joey.

"Thanks! I'm going to do my homework. You two... go to your room!" Ruby instructed, dashing off.

Grinning, the women disentangled themselves and headed to the privacy of their own room so they could continue uninterrupted.


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter Forty-Nine**

**October 2009**

Belle was jittery. She'd been struggling to find reasons to get Doctors to prescribe her medication and now that Freya had moved on, she didn't have access to anything remotely out of the legal remit either. And it wasn't exactly something she was used to. How did one go about finding a dealer? Who knew about that kind of thing? How could you even begin to ask? The more lost she felt, the more desperate she became.

* * *

Lisa and Matthew stood everyone up in reception. Lisa had told everyone several months ago that she was pregnant and this was her last week before she went on maternity leave. For the last fortnight, people had been taking bets on who would be asked to step into her role temporarily. So far, most people thought it would be Charlie, which put a few people's noses out of joint. She knew a couple of officers who had been working at the station for much longer than she had, had accused her of shooting up the promotional ladder because of her Dad. But it wasn't true. Charlie knew she was a good cop and she was proud of her achievements. Ross had now gone part time anyway and he had very little to do with the day to day workings of the station. Lisa and Matthew ran their precinct and Charlie was certain that everything she'd achieved so far had been on her own merit. She hadn't participated in the bet but she secretly hoped that Lisa and Matthew might be willing to give her yet another chance to prove herself.

"Okay, guys, I'll put you out of your misery quickly," Lisa said, her manner as upbeat as ever. "When I leave at the end of the week, albeit temporarily, we've decided to ask Charlie to take my place."

Charlie broke into a smile. Watson patted her on the back.

"Well done, mate," Jack said cheerfully, moving to give her a hug.

"I vote we go for a drink!" said Watson.

She looked a Lisa.

"Soft drinks for you, Mummy to Be!"

The officers who'd finished their shifts trooped out.

* * *

"Hey, would you like to stay for dinner, Rachel?" Tony offered.

She'd come round after her shift for a chat as usual and as usual, it had turned into a two hour conversation.

"Oh, that'd be lovely," she said, pleased to accept his offer.

* * *

Joey, Aden, Kayla and Gibsy pulled into shore, glad to be finished for the day. Joey was in a particularly good mood, having heard from Charlie that she'd got the promotion she'd been hoping for. Charlie had invited her to her works drinks but Joey had declined, thinking that it wasn't really a partners' thing. Plus, she wanted to get home, showered and changed. Then, if Charlie was home and sober enough, she hoped that they might go out to dinner to celebrate, just the two of them. She was desperately proud of her girlfriend.

"See you guys later," she said, waving.

Gibsy nodded and walked away. Aden waved and headed home, also keen to wash the day off him. Kayla lingered.

"Bye, Joey," she said.

"Bye."

"Hey, would you um, like to go for a drink sometime?" Kayla asked.

Joey was awash with confusion, wondering if Kayla was really being so ridiculous as to ask her out. Even as a friend, it would be wrong to go. Charlie had made it quite clear that she wasn't comfortable with the girls spending time together.

"I don't think so," Joey said.

"Joey, I'm not going to launch myself at you," Kayla said. "I know you're with Charlie. I just want to be friends."

"I know but... I can't. Sorry, Kayla."

Her employee looked utterly disappointed. Joey turned away and began to walk home. She noted another boat arriving. Hugo stepped onto the dock. She eyed him curiously. He'd been away for a few months now and she wondered what he was doing back. The world had been a lot more peaceful without him.

* * *

The meal was nice and Rachel and Tony were enjoying each other's company. They both reached for the wine bottle at the same time and tried to ignore the spark between them when their fingers touched. Tony drew away and looked down, allowing Rachel to pour the wine instead. Shakily, she did so, almost spilling the liquid everywhere. The intensity of her growing feelings were making her nervous.

* * *

After their drinks, Charlie headed home to Joey who was pleased to find her sober and perky. Wrapping her arms around her and offering a congratulatory kiss, Joey suggested dinner.

"That sounds wonderful," Charlie said happily.

"I really am proud of you," Joey told her. "You're going to make Detective before you're thirty you know."

"It's all part of the plan," Charlie said with mock confidence.

* * *

When Jack got home, he melted into Martha's arms. They kissed their way to the bedroom, kicking the door shut behind them, even though they lived alone. Both of them tried to ignore the fact that they had been trying to get pregnant since the beginning of the year with no luck yet. With both of them being the type to avoid difficult situations, they'd refused to talk about their lack of success and instead just kept trying. Both knew they would have to discuss it at some point soon but it never felt like the right time.

* * *

Aden spotted Belle sitting alone at the bar in the Jukebox. They barely spoke anymore and it broke his heart. The girl he loved so much saw him as nothing but a monster. The thought destroyed him. While he hated his father and couldn't quite bring himself to want to take back what he'd done to him, he knew he would just about manage it if it meant he could have Belle back. He studied her face. She looked weak and pale. Perhaps she wasn't coping any better than he was. Approaching her, he cleared his throat softly. She turned to look at him with dark eyes.

"Belle," he said.

"Aden."

"How are you?"

"I'm fine. You?"

"I miss you," he admitted.

She sighed and tried to move away.

"I don't want to talk about this."

"Don't you miss me at all?" he asked desperately.

"Of course I miss you, Aden!" she snapped. "Do you think I look happy? Do you think I look well? But this isn't my fault. It's yours."

She took her drink and threw herself down on a couch in the corner of the room. He watched her and sighed heavily before turning and walking out, passing Hugo as he did so.

* * *

Tony walked Rachel to the door to say goodnight. She turned and smiled at him. He couldn't help but admire how beautiful she looked, even under the harsh glare of the porch light. Without thinking it through, he pressed his lips against hers.

* * *

Charlie fell back against the pillow, utterly exhausted. Joey snuggled into her, feeling pleased with herself. Their lovemaking seemed to reach new heights of pleasure every time. It was like nothing she had ever experienced before in her life. She kissed her way along Charlie's collarbone and up to her lips. They held hands beneath the blankets.

"I think we should never, ever get out of bed," Joey murmured.

"I think I might lose that promotion in that case," Charlie giggled.

"Oh well," Joey said dismissively. "I can give you all the promotions you want in here."

* * *

Lying alone in bed, Tony couldn't sleep. He couldn't believe that he had kissed Rachel. And even more than that, he couldn't believe that she had kissed him back. He felt elated and guilty in equal measure. He didn't know what to do. When his wife had died, he'd sworn never to love again but then, he supposed he did have a life to live. He didn't want to cheat on her memory. But Rachel was so perfect. She was bright and beautiful and she seemed to really care about him. Rolling over, he buried his head in his pillow, growling in frustration.

* * *

The following morning, Charlie attempted to slip out of bed but Joey caught her and held her in place.

"Did I not make myself clear last night?" her sleepy girlfriend asked.

Smiling, Charlie relented and curled back into her. They kissed gently. Charlie supposed she could skip breakfast. That would be okay. She didn't need to eat. She had Joey to wake her up. She could still get to work on time.

* * *

Kayla attempted to make more of an effort with her clothes without looking too out of place on a fishing trawler. She wanted to make Joey notice her. She'd been hurt when Joey had turned down her offer of a drink. If the girl wouldn't even see her as a friend, how was she ever going to win her over and convince her that they should be together? Finally satisfied, she set off to work.

* * *

Joey and Charlie were firmly engaged in a kissing battle in the kitchen. Both were verging on being late to work but neither could quite seem to say goodbye.

"I really have to go," Charlie said.

She kissed Joey.

"Me too."

She kissed Charlie. Launching into each other's arms, they backed into the kitchen table, kissing urgently.

* * *

Belle woke up feeling decidedly unwell. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she realised she didn't recognise the bedroom she was in. Turning to her right, she saw Hugo sprawled out beside her. Memories from the night before bombarded her brain. He'd come over to chat and share a drink with her. Immediately noticing her problems, he said that he could offer her a fix. Agreeing instantly, Belle had gone home with him. True to his word, he'd brought back a wonderful stash from his trip. Then they'd fallen into bed.

* * *

Kayla was disappointed when Joey hadn't shown up by the time they were due to ship out. Aden's smirk didn't help. It didn't take to genius to work out why Joey was late – why she was late so regularly. Just as they were about to give up on her, Kayla spotted Joey hurtling towards them, yelling for them to stop.

"Wait, she's here," she said.

Running as fast as her legs could carry her, Joey jump on board, breathing heavily.

"Sorry!" she breathed. "I was... I was..."

"Getting laid?" Aden grinned.

Joey was too out of breath to respond so she poked him in the side before collapsing in a heap. Kayla offered her a bottle of water.

"Thanks," Joey squeaked, accepting it gratefully.

* * *

Charlie breezed into work, apologising for being late. She was fortunate enough that only Watson was aware of why she was late on some mornings and her friend usually only ribbed her in private. She knew Joey on the other hand, would be teased mercilessly by Aden. Frowning, she wondered what Kayla made of Joey's naughty tardiness. The deckhand was not someone they talked about at home.

* * *

**November 2009**

Joey was unhappy and confused. Things felt awkward at work and at home. On the boat, Kayla's looks had turned into words and the odd touch and she was puzzled by how a boss could be sexually harassed by her employee. Hoping for some support, she'd told Charlie, who had hit the roof and insisted that Joey fire Kayla. She'd completely missed the point about how upset Joey was feeling about it, which even though she probably would have fired Kayla in the end, had made Joey dig her heels in and say no. And now things were awkward and she'd had a stomach ache almost constantly for two days due to anxiety. She felt like her hands were tied. She was angry with Kayla for putting her in such an awkward position but she'd never had to fire anyone before and she didn't want to have to do it now. She just wanted everyone to act respectfully and get along. And as far as Charlie was concerned, all she wanted to do was make up and make out but it didn't look like that was going to happen any time soon. Every time they talked to each other at the moment, they misunderstood each other and ended up arguing.

* * *

Charlie was in a foul mood. She was angry with herself for mishandling the situation with Joey. Instead of supporting her girlfriend, the woman she loved, through a difficult situation, she'd charged on with her own feelings, got angry, demanding and selfish. And now they'd got so engrossed in their argument that they couldn't seem to find their way out of it. She sighed and stared into her coffee cup. The beverage had long since gone cold. _Just apologise_, she told herself. But no, she still had a bee in her bonnet. Why should she be the one to apologise? Joey was the one who was letting some chick make passes at her. Joey was the one who wasn't dealing with it, even though it was upsetting both of them. It made Charlie wonder if it was even upsetting Joey at all. Perhaps she was enjoying it. Perhaps there was more going on than Charlie thought.

* * *

Jack and Martha sat opposite the Doctor. They just stared at him as he explained the technicalities of why they weren't getting pregnant. The words 'slow swimmers' swirled in Jack's brain, even though they weren't words that the Doctor had used at all. He felt angry with himself, like he had let his wife down. Looking at her face, he wondered what she was thinking. _I bet Hugo could have got her pregnant in a heartbeat_.

* * *

Kayla approached Joey.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked, putting a hand on her boss's shoulder.

Joey whirled around and pulled away, glaring at her. Kayla stepped back, wounded.

"What's wrong?"

"Just leave me alone," Joey said. "You don't need to be all over me all the time, okay?"

"I'm just trying to be your friend," Kayla insisted.

"You know as well as I do that's not true," Joey accused. "You're making me uncomfortable."

Kayla stepped forward, reaching out to her.

"Would you just stop touching me?" Joey yelled.

Kayla looked tearful.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Joey looked away. She didn't want to watch her cry. She didn't want to feel sorry for her.

"I just care about you so much," Kayla said. "I can't help it, Joey. I think you're amazing."

"Kayla, the way you are with me, it's not appropriate," she said firmly. "And it's hurting my relationship with Charlie."

Kayla didn't allow herself to smile although her heart leapt. Her plan was already further along in the process than she'd thought.

* * *

Belle finished work early and went to meet Hugo on his boat. Finding him alone, she wrapped her arms around him. He grinned and turned around in her embrace, kissing her.

"How about taking the day off?" she suggested.

"Sounds good to me," he agreed readily.

* * *

Jack and Martha left the hospital and headed straight for Tony's house. Jack's Dad was always the person they turned to whenever times were rough and today was a rough day. They knocked and then let themselves in with their key, stopping in their tracks when they saw Tony and Rachel fumbling for their clothes. The foursome looked absolutely horrified.

* * *

"Hey, lady, what's up with you?" Watson asked, entering Charlie's office without knocking.

Charlie looked up unhappily. Watson perched on the edge of the desk.

"Well?" she persisted.

"I've been kind of fighting with Joey," Charlie admitted.

Watson looked genuinely alarmed.

"You guys never fight," she said.

"I know."

"What's the problem?"

"I don't want to talk about it," Charlie sighed.

"Don't you try that one with me, young lady. I am the proud woman you first ever admitted lesbianism to. Imagine what would have happened if I hadn't pressed the issue!"

Charlie smiled despite herself.

"Let's go for a drink after work," Watson suggested. "We can analyse it to death then and find a way to fix it and then put the world back the way it should be – with you and Joey all over each other."

Charlie smiled and agreed. A drink with Watson sounded like a great idea.

* * *

Joey and her crew arrived back on land. Aden gave Joey a worried look and Kayla offered a lingering one as their boss hurried away with her head down. Aden headed in the direction of home. The fact that Belle was making out with Hugo on his boat was not lost on him. Yet again, Aden wondered what his ex-girlfriend saw in the guy. He felt like he didn't know her anymore. Kayla headed home to get changed so that she could go and find Joey. She was sad and vulnerable and she and Charlie were struggling. It was the perfect time to offer her some comfort.

* * *

"What the hell are you doing?" Jack bellowed, dropping his wife's hand.

Rachel buttoned her shirt. She and Tony were on their feet and standing far apart from each other.

"Jack..." Tony managed.

"What about Mum?"

"Your Mum's gone..."

"And you're obviously glad!" Jack snapped.

"Don't you ever say that to me!" Tony yelled.

"Well what else am I meant to say?" Jack argued. "I walk in and find you screwing my school friend barely a year after Mum dies."

Rachel looked down at her feet.

"Tell me what I'm meant to think, Dad!"

"We love each other," Tony said softly.

Jack looked disgusted. He stormed out. Helplessly, Martha followed.

* * *

Joey showered but didn't bother to dress. She stretched out on the bed, determined to feel sorry for herself for the rest of the day. Glancing at the clock, she counted two hours until Charlie was due home. Perhaps when she got in, the two of them could talk a little more reasonably about things. Firing Kayla did seem to be the only option. The girl didn't seem willing to change her behaviour by herself and Joey truly didn't want to hurt Charlie by spending time with a woman who seemed so set on tearing them apart. It had never been about Joey wanting to keep Kayla around. She'd just been hurt that Charlie hadn't cared about her experience. All Charlie had wanted was to get angry and get rid of her. Joey had needed kindness and understanding and it hadn't been there. She sighed, wondering if she had been asking for too much. Whatever the case, the whole thing had been blown out of proportion.

* * *

Jack and Martha sat down in Crumble. Neither was particularly interested in eating but it was where their feet had taken them. Today had not been a good day. Jack was infertile and his father was sleeping with Rachel. What a day of unwelcome revelation!

"Hey, guys!" Leah said brightly.

"Hey," Martha said.

Leah didn't notice her friend's glum mood.

"Guess what!" she said, sitting down. "We're pregnant!"

Martha blanched. She just stared at her friend.

"It wasn't something we planned and it threw us through a loop at first but we've taken time to think about it and now we're really excited! Isn't that great?"

Jack stood up and stormed out. Leah looked confused.

"That's great news," Martha managed, hurrying after her husband.

* * *

Charlie and Watson headed straight to the Jukebox, having changed out of their spare clothes. Charlie had already decided to leave her car at work and walk home so that she could happily drink a beer or several. Drowning her sorrows seemed like a wonderful solution.

"So just apologise!" Watson exclaimed.

"Why should I?" Charlie asked. "She's the one determined to spend time with the bitch."

"Charlie, this is Joey we're talking about. She just doesn't want to be horrible to her."

"Well she should! If she isn't, she's being horrible to me! And if she's going to be horrible to one of us, it should be her."

"Look, it sounds like you just need to talk it through."

"We've tried. We just end up fighting."

Watson sighed.

"Try again."

* * *

Joey woke up with a start. She looked at the clock. Charlie should have been home over an hour ago. Pulling herself up off the bed, she wrapped her robe around her and wandered through the house. There was no sign that Charlie had been home. Joey knocked lightly on Ruby's door.

"Come in," the teenager called pleasantly.

Joey poked her head round the door of what had once been Charlie's bedroom.

"Hey, Rubes. Have you seen Charlie?" she asked.

"Not since this morning."

"Okay," Joey said, disappointed.

"Is everything alright?" Ruby asked.

Things at home had been more than tense recently.

"Everything's fine," Joey lied. "I'm just going down to the Juke for a bit."

* * *

Kayla watched Joey leave the house. Keeping her distance she followed her as she made her way back to the seafront. Presumably she was going to try and find Charlie, who hadn't been home all evening. Kayla cursed herself for not making her move sooner. The last thing she needed was for Charlie and Joey to make up. That would ruin everything.

* * *

Charlie finished her drink and collected both hers and Watson's empty bottles. Moving towards the bar with the intention of ordering more alcohol, she waited behind the customer in front of her. Looking at the bar, she wondered if Martha was serving. She frowned when she spotted the guy who had hit on her the night that Larry had injured Belle. He always made comments whenever she asked for a drink. She frowned further when she thought about the situation with Joey and Kayla. Was it the same? She was sure she'd mishandled everything. Setting the bottles on the bar, she sighed heavily. The person in front of her turned.

"Charlie?"

She looked up and met very familiar eyes.

"Roman!" she said, startled.

He smiled.

"What are you doing here?"

"I left the army," he explained. "This place had been so welcoming to me; I thought I'd head on back."

She just stared at him. Roman was the last person she'd ever expected to see again. He continued to smile.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he asked, leaning a little closer.

* * *

Joey entered the Jukebox, hoping to find Charlie. She just wanted to sort this stupid Kayla mess out once and for all. Her heart almost stopped beating in her chest when she saw her girlfriend leaning against the bar only inches away from the man she'd lost her virginity to. She couldn't see Charlie's face but Roman was most definitely smiling.


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter Fifty**

**November 2009**

Breathless and with a pounding heart, Joey burst out of the Jukebox. Her eyes were blurry with pending tears. All she could picture was herself as a teenager sitting in that very same building watching Charlie make out with Roman at the bar. That had led to a week of pure hell as she'd watched the muscular SAS officer sweep her best friend, her soul mate off her feet and into his bed. Charlie had lost her virginity to him. She'd gone round town sporting love bites and driven her father crazy with rage. She could hear Charlie's adolescent voice in her head telling her how handsome Roman was, how romantic, how perfect and how he was the only person she'd ever really felt something for. He'd made her heart pound and she'd been sure that if she couldn't be with him then she couldn't be with anybody. Not bothering to wipe her eyes, Joey headed for the beach, stepping hard and throwing herself onto the sand.

* * *

"So, have you eaten?" Roman asked, thrilled to have bumped into Charlie on his first night back. "Maybe we could have dinner together?"

She'd been a significant influence on his reason for choosing this particular town to move to. His last year in the SAS had been traumatic to say the least and he'd received somewhat of a bombshell when he'd gone home to visit his parents. He was now the reluctant father of a teenager daughter he'd never known he had and he was trying to do the responsible thing and be a good father as well as start again and make a fresh life for himself. This place seemed like a good place to do so and Charlie seemed like the perfect woman to help him do it. She'd been a beautiful girl when he'd met her the first time and he'd been excited at the thought of seeing her again, older and wiser.

"I'm not sure that's such a good idea," she told him, looking a little awkward.

He frowned and studied her face. She'd certainly become even more beautiful in his absence. He supposed it was too much to hope that she would be single.

"Are you dating someone?" he asked.

Charlie looked at him. He was just as handsome as he had been when she'd known him so many years ago. Tall, blonde, muscular and charming, he'd been her first and would therefore always be special to her. But although he was still all of those things, he did nothing for her now.

"Yeah, I'm crazy in love," she said, unable to stop herself grinning.

Whether she and Joey were fighting or not, she still felt a warm glow come over her whenever she pictured her beautiful face. Roman looked down and studied his hands.

"Well, I can't say I'm not disappointed," he said. "Half the reason I came back here was for you, Charlie."

"That's really flattering," she said honestly.

He smiled, still hoping that perhaps she wasn't quite as in love as she said. Maybe there was still a chance for them. But she said nothing more.

"So, who's the lucky guy?" he asked.

* * *

Kayla watched Joey stomp away from the Jukebox and throw herself onto the sand. Obviously a reconciliation hadn't been on the cards. She was thrilled. Standing up from where she'd been perched on a bench, she brushed her clothes down and wandered over to her object of lust. Joey continued to look up at the stars, not hearing anyone approach. Kayla stood over her for a few moments, enjoying the way Joey's t-shirt had risen slightly and didn't quite cover her tummy. She took in the shape of her breasts and hips and the way her hair fanned out around her. Finally, she knelt beside her.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently.

Joey opened her eyes slowly, barely focussing.

* * *

"It's not a guy actually," Charlie said.

It felt strange to have to explain. She wasn't ashamed but everyone around them already knew about her and Joey. It hadn't been news for a long time. Roman's eyebrows nearly shot off his face.

"You're a...? Not a...? You're dating a girl?" he asked.

Charlie almost laughed.

"Yes," she said. "I don't know if you remember my best friend, Joey. Well, she's my girlfriend now."

He shook his head. He didn't really recall anything but Charlie. Charlie and her bad-tempered father.

"Well, yeah, her."

The more she talked about her, the more Charlie wanted to hurry home and apologise to the woman she loved. She'd been an idiot to yell about Kayla. She should have been supportive, not jealous. Tonight, they would fix things once and for all, she decided.

"Was I that terrible?" Roman asked, looking genuinely worried. "I mean, it wasn't anything to do with...?"

Charlie did laugh this time.

"No, Roman. It was nothing to do with you," she promised. "Strangely enough, being a lesbian doesn't usually have much to do with men!"

Roman chuckled and blushed.

"Sorry," he said. "It's just, last time I saw you, you were really into me and now..."

"Now I've realised who I am and who I love."

"So, was there anyone in between?" he asked.

"One guy," Charlie said, wondering why she was telling him her life story.

"No good?"

"I was with him for the wrong reasons. It was always Joey I was in love with."

He looked sad, wondering if she had been thinking of her friend while she was with him as well. He decided not to ask.

"Speaking of which, I should probably get home to her," Charlie said.

* * *

Joey felt her tears drip down the sides of her face. Her ears and hair were getting wet. Kayla's face obscured her view of the sky. All she wanted to see were the stars.

"Joey, what is it?" Kayla asked. "What's wrong?"

Joey didn't reply. She couldn't reply. All she could imagine was Charlie kissing Roman. She was sure it was probably happening right now. Charlie was angry with her after all. Why wouldn't she? They were arguing. They were both hurting and Charlie was feeling vulnerable and jealous of Kayla – Kayla who was obscuring her view of the stars and wondering why she was crying. Roman had been Charlie's first, the guy that had driven her wild. Their romance had been exciting and passionate. Joey had been there. She'd wished the entire time that she hadn't been there. Her brain was telling herself to get off her butt, charge into the Jukebox and win her woman back but her body wouldn't move. It was like she was frozen in place, overwhelmed with the prospect of losing the person she loved most in the world.

"Joey?"

Kayla leant closer. She touched Joey's shoulder. Joey still didn't move and her tears continued to flow.

* * *

Charlie picked her way back to Watson.

"Where's my beer and who's that guy?" her friend asked.

"You're beer's on hold and that guy is Roman Harris, the person I lost my virginity to," Charlie said.

"What?" Watson exclaimed a little too loudly.

Charlie sat down.

"I really want to go home and make up with Joey," she said. "So, do you want to drink alone, in which case I'll get you your beer or are you leaving too?"

Watson pondered her options. Carol was on a nightshift and there was very little on television.

"I'll take the beer," she decided.

* * *

Shifting so that she was lying down beside Joey, Kayla relished being so close. This intimate, she could even smell her shampoo. She watched her breasts move up and down as she breathed. Joey still hadn't spoken. She just cried in silence.

"Joey, please talk to me," Kayla said softly. "Is it Charlie?"

"I think she's in there with someone else," Joey said sounding almost numb.

"Oh, Joey, I'm so sorry."

She placed her palm on Joey's tummy. Joey dissolved into tears. The more she cried, the harder each wave came and hysteria took over. She barely noticed Kayla's touch as she screamed into the night convincing herself completely that she had lost Charlie forever. How could she possibly compete with Roman the SAS man?

* * *

"I was devastated too," Brad the barman said to Roman.

Charlie rolled her eyes, realising they were discussing her and Joey. She ordered Watson's beer. Brad served her and accepted her money.

"Such a damn waste," he said, shaking his head.

"My girlfriend doesn't think so," she reminded him.

"If she's so into you, why did she just storm out of here instead of coming over to say hi?" Brad asked.

"Joey was here?" Charlie asked, utterly confused.

"Uh huh. A few minutes ago."

Charlie's face fell, realising that Joey must have entered when she was talking to Roman. She panicked, thinking that she may well have got the wrong idea.

"Shit!" she said, hurrying out, forgetting all about Watson's beer.

* * *

_She's going to leave me. She's going to leave me. She's going to leave me. _The same phrase was whirling through Joey's brain as if it were fact. It drowned out every other sense so strongly that she didn't even notice Kayla's hands on her stomach or her face coming closer. Kayla was tingling at being so close to Joey, eager to comfort her, wanting to eradicate Charlie from her soul. She brushed her lips against Joey's. Her lips were as soft as she'd imagined and she had imagined them multiple times. She kissed her again and again, desperately hoping that Joey might respond. She didn't. She just continued to cry. Kayla ran her thumb over the exposed flesh of her stomach and kissed her lips again. While Joey didn't push her away, she still wasn't responding. It was as if she wasn't really there. She was lost somewhere in her own world of despair.

* * *

Charlie stepped outside the Jukebox and searched the dark, trying to think reasonably where Joey might have gone. Would she have headed home? She might have gone to sit on the boat. Being near the water helped her think. She reached into her pocket for her phone, selecting Joey's number and pressing send. She heard Joey's ring tone not far away. She moved forward towards the beach.

* * *

Kayla trailed kisses down Joey's jaw. Her hand kept circling Joey's torso. Finally Joey began to realise what was happening. She furrowed her brow.

"N... no," she managed.

Her head was swimming. She had a headache and her mind felt like it was stuffed with cotton wool. She tried to get up but Kayla's hand became a little firmer. Her lips touched Joey's again.

"What...?" Joey tried.

She still didn't understand what was happening. She felt Kayla's tongue. She moved away but Kayla's attention was relentless.

"Joey, I want you," Kayla breathed.

"But..."

"But what?"

It wasn't Kayla's voice. Kayla pulled her hand away from Joey. Both girls turned to look at Charlie towering above them, looking huge from where they lay on the ground.

"Charlie..." Joey said, sitting up quickly.

"You remember who I am then?"

Her voice was cold and her hands were clenched.

"It's not..."

"Not what it looks like?" Charlie challenged.

"No."

Joey's breath was coming out too fast and she was having palpitations. Kayla smiled to herself, certain that this was the end for Charlie and Joey and there were good times ahead.

"So you weren't just kissing Kayla?"

"No! I..."

"Liar!" Charlie shouted.

Joey moved onto her knees. She reached to Charlie who stepped back. Joey landed on her hands.

"I can't believe I was just in there saying how much I loved you," Charlie said sadly.

She felt like her heart was physically breaking. Joey looked up at her, suddenly feeling very foolish and guilty to have accused her, albeit silently of cheating.

"You..."

"How could you do this, Joey? I thought... I thought we were forever."

Joey straightened up, her knees taking her weight as she placed her hands on Charlie's hips.

"We are," she said.

"No, we're not," Charlie said, looking directly into her eyes. "We're nothing. We're over."

Charlie looked at Joey one more time before removing her hands and walking away. She ignored Joey who had begun shouting her name in desperation. Joey sank back to the ground. Kayla moved to put her arms around her, softly whispering to her. Joey tensed and turned, shoving her roughly so she hit the ground hard.

"Get the fuck away from me!" she yelled. "You've just destroyed my life!"

* * *

_Now, please remember that sticks and stones DO breaks bones and names DO hurt me! I'm sooooooo sorry! They will recover – it'll just take a little bit of time. Please stick with them. True love will prevail. IJKS (considers new identity) xxx_


	51. Chapter 51

_Hi everyone. I apologise for breaking Charlie and Joey up and only hope that you can trust me enough to know that they will recover. I also need to put a warning on this chapter and the next as they do contain images of an upsetting and possibly triggering nature. It feels like the right direction to take the character in for the next part of her journey through life. The next few chapters will be pretty emotional – providing I do my job right – but they will get through all of it. So I hope you can forgive me and that you'll stick with this story as it plays out. You'll be rewarded! Thank you all so much for your commitment and feedback. You have no idea what it means to me! IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Fifty-One**

**November 2009**

Joey meekly entered the house. Everything was dark and quiet. Swallowing, she moved through the house and up the stairs. Dim light under the door of hers and Charlie's bedroom told her that the lamp was on. She knocked and pushed the door. Hovering in the entrance, she looked at Charlie who was sitting up in bed staring at nothing. Charlie turned to face her, eyes empty and cold.

"Charlie, what happened tonight, it really wasn't..." Joey ventured.

"I'm not interested."

Feeling like all her energy had been drained out of her, Joey slowly moved into the room. She lifted her pyjamas from beneath her pillow and grabbed her underwear from a drawer. Pulling fresh jeans and a t-shirt from the closet and the towel she'd left on the back of the chair from her earlier shower, she hoped it was all she'd need for the morning. She slowly walked back to the door.

"Goodnight," she whispered. "I love you."

Charlie didn't reply. Joey moved across the hall in order to settle herself in the spare room.

* * *

Charlie continued to sit in bed, looking out towards the window replaying the night's events in her mind. She desperately wanted the whole thing to be some kind of mistake, for Joey to be telling the truth. She wanted to excuse her in some way. But then the images of Joey lying stretched out on the sand with Kayla lying beside her, hand on Joey's tummy, lips on her lips, invaded her mind. Charlie pulled a face and cringed at the thought. How long had it been going on? Had Joey had sex with Kayla? Was that what all the night trips had been about? Charlie shook her head. She couldn't even bear to think about it. Clicking off the lamp, she threw herself beneath the covers and squeezed her eyes shut.

* * *

Tucked up in the spare room, Joey allowed herself to cry. Losing all control, she didn't care how loud or undignified she was. She barely remembered the night that had led up to this moment. She had fragments of images in her mind. One minute she'd panicked at the vision of Roman leaning into Charlie, smiling like the cat who'd got the cream. Then she'd gone to cry on the beach for what felt like hours. Then Kayla had been there, getting in the way of her grief. She hadn't even noticed her approach. It had almost been like an out of body experience. She hadn't been able to feel anything until it was too late. How long had Kayla been kissing her for? Had she done anything else? How the hell hadn't she noticed and pushed her away? Why had Charlie had to find them at completely the wrong moment? She sobbed harder.

* * *

Charlie crushed her pillow over her head. Even across the hall she could hear Joey wailing. Tears stung her own eyes as she wondered how they had reached this place. _She fucking cheated on me_, Charlie angrily reminded herself. She thumped her fist against Joey's vacant pillow and cried harder.

* * *

The following morning, Joey woke up early for work, switched her alarm off and stayed in bed. Lying awake, she listened as Ruby got up and ready for school. She heard Charlie emerge from her room and get ready for work. And still she stayed in the spare room, never wanting to leave.

* * *

"Hey, what's up with you?" Watson asked.

Charlie had been wandering around like a zombie all morning. It was worrying.

"Nothing," Charlie lied.

"Charlie Buckton, don't lie to me. Did you not make up with Joey?"

"No, I broke up with Joey," Charlie said quickly, hurrying into her office.

Watson jumped up and followed her.

"What?" she said urgently. "What are you talking about?"

"She kissed Kayla. At least I think that's all that happened."

"Charlie, there's got to be some kind of explanation. This is Joey we're talking about. Joey who loves you. She'd never go off with someone else."

"Well, she did so let's all just get over it, shall we?" Charlie snapped.

"Charlie..." Watson pleaded.

"Just leave me alone, Watson!" Charlie snapped. "I don't want to talk about this. Ever. Me and Joey are over. End of story."

Sensing that now really wasn't the time to talk about it, Watson sighed and moved away but it didn't stop her fretting.

* * *

It was two weeks later and the Buckton-Collins household was tense. Joey was permanently living in the spare room while Charlie had taken their formerly joint bedroom for herself. Ruby was heartbroken at the distress between them. It felt like she was going through some kind of parental divorce. Joey had considered renting an apartment by herself or moving onto Aden's couch several times but she couldn't quite bring herself to do it. She insisted that it was because she owned half the house and she shouldn't have to move but really it was because she couldn't bear to accept that her relationship with Charlie was truly over. Over twenty years of love and friendship and she was certain this couldn't really be it. How could they just walk away from each other like this? She'd tried to talk to Charlie many times but she hadn't wanted to hear anything Joey had to say. It was like she'd completely shut down. Both of them lived a life of getting up, going to work, coming home, not talking and going to sleep. It was heartbreaking.

* * *

Charlie sat at her desk eating the lunch she'd grabbed from Crumble. Leah's food was always good and yet she could barely taste anything. Nothing felt good anymore. She missed Joey terribly and she was beginning to think she'd made a huge mistake by not allowing her to give her side of the story. She wanted Joey to tell her that the whole thing was a mistake but Charlie knew what she'd seen. Joey had been flat on her back with Kayla all over her. How could she possibly explain that? She couldn't. Not honestly. She felt sick to know she had lost Joey for good. It had been one of her fears before they'd got together – that if anything happened to them as a couple, she would also lose her best friend. It felt like she'd lost a limb. Living without Joey was hell. She tossed her food into the bin and swallowed the last of her coffee. Standing up, she headed out of her office.

"I'm taking the rest of the day off," she told Jack.

* * *

It was rare that Joey didn't feel happy out on the water but right now, she didn't think she'd ever be happy again. Since that night with Kayla, Joey had fired her without ceremony and she was now a crew member down while she found a replacement. For now, it was just her, Aden and Gibsy at work. Moving to the edge of the boat, as they drew back into shore, Joey began to unhook the nets.

"Ow!" she hissed when a hook caught her hand.

Blood seeped from the wound. She stopped and watched the dark red liquid drip from her hand onto the deck, losing herself in the visual.

"Joey, are you okay?" Aden asked, coming up behind her.

Joey snapped back to reality.

"Yeah, I just cut my hand," she said, moving below deck, to the place she hated in order to find the first aid kit.

* * *

Charlie sank down onto her knees in front of Elsie's grave. She'd stopped on her way in order to buy her mother some flowers. Sighing heavily, she laid them down and promptly burst into tears.

* * *

The crew stepped back onto land and Joey turned for home. She walked with her head down and pushed through the front door. Tossing her keys on the table, she stalked through the house and up to what had become her bedroom, shutting the door behind her. She sat on her bed, on top of the pillows, resting her back against the wall. She wondered what Charlie was doing at work now. Would she be sitting at her desk or out fighting crime? Was she safe? Throughout Charlie's career, Joey had always worried about her. Yet again, she replayed that night in her mind. If only she hadn't jumped to conclusions and got so upset over Charlie talking to Roman, if only she'd had realised what Kayla's intentions were, she could have avoided all this mess. But seeing Charlie with the first guy who'd stolen her heart had been too much, especially considering she and Charlie had been arguing. Something inside her had broken and left her completely unable to function. And she'd lost everything that mattered to her. Once again, she'd been the loser. She felt like her entire life had consisted of loss. First her mother had died, then her father, Zoe had betrayed her, her relationship with her brother had completely broken down and then Elsie had slipped away. Charlie had been her reason for living, the person who keep her afloat, who kept her sane. What was so wrong with her that nobody stayed? Why did everyone leave her? Why did she always end up so isolated and lost? With familiar tears falling, Joey looked down at the bandage on her hand. The shock of the sharp metal stinging her hand had been the first time she'd really felt something aside from this awful numbness for weeks. Slowly, she unwrapped the dressing.

* * *

"Mum, I just don't know what to do," Charlie said tearfully. "How could she treat me like this? I... I never ever thought the day would come when we'd be in this situation. We've loved each other for so long and... How could she go off with someone else? And Kayla of all people! She's not even pretty!"

* * *

Joey winced as she squeezed the wound on her hand. Blood began to seep from it and her injury stung. Maybe hurt was all she deserved. Maybe she never should have been with Charlie in the first place. She was obviously too good for her. Charlie was beautiful, brave and talented. She was pretty much perfect in every way. Joey felt like a fool to have thought they could ever be together forever. It was inevitable that Joey would mess up eventually and lose her. She pinched the wound harder.

* * *

"If you were here, I know you'd help us work things out," Charlie continued, searching the engraving of her mother's gravestone as if it held some kind of answer.

"You'd never let us leave a room until we'd talked but Mum, I can't even look at her. Every time I see her all I can picture is her lying there in Kayla's arms. I feel like if I gave her a chance to talk to me about what happened, she'd only lie. And I can't bear for her to lie to me and make things worse. I just... I don't understand how she could do this to me. How could she do this?"

* * *

**December 2009**

Joey woke up feeling like hell. She woke up the same way every morning. Squeezing her eyes shut she wished the day away. Opening them again, she realised that she had no choice but to get up. Wincing in pain, she swung her legs off the single bed she now slept in and pulled on a pair of pyjama bottoms to match her top. Unhappily, she headed towards the bathroom to have a shower.

* * *

Charlie emerged from her bedroom for an early shift at work. Her days and nights were exceptionally long now and she spent as little time in the house as possible. Home was hard but neither she nor Joey were willing to move out even though living together was destroying them both, not to mention Ruby. Charlie knew it was selfish but she didn't want to walk out on her family home and to demand that Joey left, no matter how angry she still was with her, was too much. She wasn't even sure if she was angry with her anymore. She didn't really know how she felt now. It was like she was living with the shadow of Joey instead of the real person. And the part of Charlie that was still desperately in love with her couldn't help but worry. When she saw the dark circles under her eyes and the paleness of her skin, she wanted to ask her how she was. When she realised just how much weight she was losing, she wanted to cook her a meal and a big fat dessert. And every day Charlie seemed to encounter something that reminded her of Joey and it took everything she had not to text or call her to tell her about it. Watson had been good to her, although she knew that she was desperate for them to get back together. She'd been about as subtle as a brick through the window when it came to talking about that. Charlie stopped abruptly when she saw Joey emerging from the shower in her towel. Joey swallowed, looked down, tucked her towel tighter around her and hurried back to her room. Charlie sighed and took her place in the vacant bathroom.

* * *

"Hey, um, Jo, what are you doing for Christmas?" Aden asked.

It was an awkward question that he'd been shy of bringing up but December 25th was only a week away now and he was worried about his best friend being alone during a family time. Joey just shrugged and continued with her work in silence. She didn't really talk a lot these days, not even to him. Part of him hated Charlie for doing this to Joey. He realised that the situation hadn't looked good. Joey had somewhat hysterically explained everything to him the next day and he could understand that Charlie was hurting. He could only imagine catching Belle in that kind of situation when they were together. They weren't even an item now and every time he saw her with her arms draped around Hugo, it pierced his heart. But Charlie hadn't even bothered to give Joey a chance to tell her side. He didn't think that was fair at all.

"Well um, Jack and Martha invited me round to their place. And they said there was a seat at the table for you too if you wanted it," he said.

"Thanks," Joey replied. "I'll let you know."

He doubted she'd take him up on the offer but at least she'd agreed to think about it. Aden knew only too well what it was like to lose the one you loved. He just wished he could reach Joey. She seemed to have faded far away from everyone.

* * *

After work Charlie had a craving for a cold beer so she headed to the Jukebox. Christmas was playing on her mind. This time last year she and Joey had been busy playing house. Now what were they going to do? Should they spend it together for the sake of each other and Ruby? Right now they couldn't even be in the same room as each other. Christmas together would be awful. But she couldn't bear to be without Joey and she hated the idea of Joey spending the day alone. Charlie had no idea what to do. This time last year she'd believed she had everything made. Her whole future was sorted. Whatever happened in any other area of her life, Joey was her constant, her security, her rock. Now, everything felt crazy.

"Hey, Martha," she said, pulling up a bar stool.

"Hey," Martha replied, giving her the compassionate look that everyone seemed to offer these days.

Charlie ordered her beer and began gulping it down as soon as it was served.

"Are things no better?" Martha asked.

Charlie just stared at her.

"Stupid question," her friend concluded.

"How are things with you?"

Martha and Jack had been trying with no success for a baby for almost a year now. They'd been told that the problem lay with Jack and since then, the couple hadn't been communicating very well.

"We're about as happy as you are, I think," Martha sighed.

"Why do we do this to ourselves?" Charlie wondered, sighing heavily.

* * *

"Joey!"

Joey froze with the recognition of the voice calling her name.

"Joey," the voice said again.

She heard the sound of footsteps as the voice jogged up to her. Joey turned and came face to face with Kayla.

"Hey," the girl said, smiling. "Listen, I know you're hurting right now but I just want to talk."

"You want to talk?"

"Yeah. I just... I'm sorry."

Joey half-laughed and looked away.

"You think you can apologise and that's it?" she asked.

"I only did what I did because I love..."

Anger seethed in Joey's veins as she lurched forward and grabbed Kayla by the throat, shoving her again the side of Crumble, tears burning her eyes.

"In case I haven't made myself clear, I don't want to hear any of the stupid shit that comes out of your mouth. I don't give a fuck if you think you love me. I don't give a fuck what's going on in that crazy fucking head of yours. I have spent my entire life in love with the same girl and now because of you, I've lost her. Forever. There's not a single thing I can do to get her back because she won't even look at me, let alone listen to what I've got to say. And do you know why, Kayla?"

She slammed her again into the wall, not caring that she was turning pink and looking breathless.

"It's because she thinks I cheated on her. But you and I both know I didn't. I was lying there in hysterics and you... you put your hands and mouth all over me and I was so fucked that I didn't even understand what you were doing. And you knew that but you carried on anyway. I bet you were counting on Charlie finding us, weren't you? You took advantage and you cost me everything."

She pulled Kayla away from the wall and shoved her into thin air. Kayla stumbled backwards to the ground.

"The worst thing I ever did was hire you," Joey said, looking down at her. "Before that, I had everything. I finally had all that I was searching for and now... now I've got nothing. You took away everything I ever dreamed of. Now I'm just wishing the days away until I get to be with my Mum again."

* * *

Three beers later, Charlie wasn't feeling any cheerier. Martha was keeping tabs on her and preparing to call Watson if necessary but so far, she seemed to be behaving herself. The barmaid's heart sank when Roman entered. He spotted Charlie and smiled, coming to sit beside her.

"Hey, Senior Constable. How are you?" he asked.

Roman had settled fairly quickly since his arrival to town in October. He'd been a hit with a fair few women and nobody could deny the fact that he was fantastic eye candy. But really, he'd only had eyes for one woman: Charlie. Even newly single, the cop hadn't expressed any interest in her former fling but she was polite enough whenever she saw him.

"A little tipsy," she replied honestly.

"Tipsy enough to agree to a dinner date?"

"What you're really asking is if I'm tipsy enough to not be gay anymore and I'm sorry darling, it just doesn't work that way."

He smiled but was disappointed.

"Come on," he urged. "You've been with two guys and one girl. That doesn't say gay to me."

"I've been with two guys and loved one girl," she pointed out. "That's all the gay I need."

"So, you didn't enjoy sex with me or this other guy?" Roman asked, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

"It was okay," she said, not wanting to hurt his feelings. "But it's not what I want."

"And what do you want?"

She fought the urge to cry.

"Something I'll never have again," she said.

* * *

As soon as she Joey got home, he shut herself into the little box room and shrugged her jeans off. Sitting cross legged on the narrow bed, she leant over and pulled open the bottom drawer of her bedside table. She looked down at her thighs which already bore too many scars. They made her feel ugly but the habit continued. Closing her eyes, she ran the blade across her skin. Opening up, she watched blood flow like tears.

* * *

Charlie didn't arrive home until she was feeling wobbly on her feet. Roman had been persistent and she'd rebuffed him kindly but firmly. Regardless of gender, she wasn't ready to date anyone again. Joey was still the only person who filled her heart and mind. Heading to the sink, she poured herself a glass of water and gulped it down, looking up when she heard footsteps. Suddenly she came face to face with Joey.

"Sorry," the younger girl said quietly. "I didn't realise you were home."

"I just got in."

"Nice night?"

"Fine. You?"

"Fine."

Neither girl chose to acknowledge the fact that it was nine thirty and Joey was in her pyjamas. Joey opened the fridge and poured herself a glass of juice, keeping the door open and her face hidden. She longed for the days when she and Charlie had been so natural with each other, so loving, close and tender. This life was hell. It was painful and she couldn't bear it.

"Are you having everyone over for Christmas?" she asked, shutting the fridge but still refusing to look at Charlie.

Charlie shifted and stared at her water.

"I hadn't thought about it."

"Well, you can have the house to yourself," Joey told her. "Just so you know. I made other plans."

"Okay. Thanks."

Charlie's mind was racing as she wondered what kind of other plans Joey had made and more specifically, who had she made them with.

"No problem," Joey said softly.

She slipped out of the room as silently as she'd arrived.

* * *

That night, Charlie cried herself to sleep. Across the hall, she could hear Joey's sobs. She clung to the bed, forcing herself not to go in and comfort her. _We need to learn to live by ourselves_, she reminded herself, even though her heart was breaking.

* * *

Joey fell asleep a mess of blood and tears. She hadn't even bothered to clean herself up before she drifted off. Exhausted from all the pain she was in, her mind plunged into turbulent dreams.


	52. Chapter 52

_I'm afraid this is going to be a pretty emotional chapter. But please go with it! IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Fifty-Two**

**December 2009**

On Christmas morning, Joey stayed in bed until she heard Charlie and Ruby had left the house. They were going to Ross and Morag's for the day. Charlie had offered an awkward invitation the night before but Joey was painfully aware that she wasn't wanted. As soon as she was alone, she slipped out of bed and got showered and changed. Her plan was to take the trawler out and spend the day or maybe several at sea. At this point she wondered if she would ever come home. At this point she wondered if she even had a home. Once she was ready, she moved downstairs and into the kitchen, ready to make herself some lunch for the afternoon. She stopped when she saw two neatly wrapped presents on the kitchen table. One was from Ruby. One brought her to tears. It was from Charlie.

* * *

At her father and step-mother's house, Charlie did everything she could to be cheerful for the sake of her family. Inside, her heart was aching. She missed Joey terribly. It didn't seem right not to spend Christmas with her. Even before they'd got together, they'd seen each other for every Christmas Day of their lives. Her whole body was yearning to turn around and run back to her. She'd invited her last thing last night to come and join them but Joey had refused. Charlie supposed it had been too little too late.

* * *

Joey stepped up onto the trawler ready to set sail.

"Hey, you weren't thinking of leaving without me, were you?"

Joey turned and leant over the side of the boat. She grinned when she spotted Aden jogging up to her with a picnic basket and a backpack. He handed the basket over and hopped on board.

"Merry Christmas," he said, hugging her.

"Merry Christmas," she replied, still feeling startled. "What are you doing here, Ade? I thought you were spending Christmas with Jack and Martha."

"Yeah, well, I thought a traditional Christmas was overrated," he said. "Who wouldn't want to spend Christmas Day on a smelly, fishing trawler?"

Joey shrugged and sat down. Aden sat beside her and put an arm around her shoulders.

"With their best friend in all the world," he added.

She leant into him and squeezed her eyes shut, sighing heavily.

* * *

"Hey, Charlz," Ruby said softly. "Are you okay?"

Charlie had slipped outside away from the family. Her head was aching with thoughts of Joey. She smiled when she felt her little sister's arms slip around her waist and her head rest on her shoulder.

"I'm fine," Charlie lied.

"Why don't you just sit down and talk to her? Wouldn't it help?"

"I don't see how. She cheated on me, Rubes. How can I forgive that?"

"I'm not saying forgive but right now, everything's just hanging in the air all unresolved," Ruby said. "If you talked, maybe you could both move on if that's what you have to do. Not that's what I want you to do. I want you to get back together, just so you know."

Charlie sighed and reached behind her to hug Ruby in close.

"I wish we could," she said softly.

"Why can't you? Can't you just forgive her?"

"I don't even know how long it was going on for."

"Which is why you need to talk to her, Charlie. All this mess isn't good for either of you."

Charlie turned around.

"When did you get so insightful?" she asked.

"I must take after my mother," Ruby grinned.

Charlie thought of Elsie and smiled.

"You definitely do," she said.

* * *

Joey stared down at Charlie's neatly wrapped gift. She'd opened a lunchbox and thermos from Ruby. Aden had bought her a couple of Nintendo DS games.

"Do you want some space?" Aden asked from beside her.

"No," Joey said.

She tore into the packaging. A small note fell out onto the deck. She reached down and read a small message from Charlie explaining that she'd bought it a while ago and wanted her to still have it. Looking at the gift, Joey realised it was an iPod. She smiled. It was an upgrade from the one she already had. Dropping the wrapping paper, she showed Aden.

"Nice," he said. "Did you get her anything?"

* * *

Charlie arrived home feeling anxious. The house was silent but that didn't necessarily mean Joey wasn't home. She stopped when she saw two gifts on the kitchen table. She would have assumed they were the ones she and Ruby had left that morning if the wrapping paper hadn't been different. Ruby rushed over and looked at the tags.

"One for me and one for you!" she said, delighted.

Immediately, she tore into her package. She'd squealed when she found a box of cosmetics and a small envelope. She squealed again when she saw two passes for a day of spa treatments.

"Oh my... This is so exciting!"

Charlie smiled. Joey always got Ruby the right gifts. She looked down at her own present. Slowly she undid the wrapping and found a small jewellery box. Inside was a silver bracelet. She picked it up and saw that dangling from the chain were silver letters. They spelled out the word 'forever'.

* * *

Joey and Aden had stayed out at sea until December 27th before reluctantly going home. Joey had been grateful for the company and she hadn't injured herself in that time. She wondered if perhaps she could make some kind of resolution and try to change things. Cutting her legs really didn't help anything. She got momentary release but it was soon replaced with shame. Then she just wanted to cut again as some form of punishment and thus the whole thing spun into a vicious circle. But she'd broken out of it for two days so perhaps there was hope. Stepping off the boat, she hugged Aden goodbye and began to walk home.

* * *

Charlie felt sick with anxiety. She hadn't seen Joey since Christmas Eve and she was nervous about where she had gone and what she was doing. Was she alright? Was she safe? Was she coming back? While she kept telling herself that it wasn't her place to know or to care anymore, she couldn't help it. She looked up sharply when she heard the door open. Joey, looking unwashed and unkempt walked through the door with a backpack. Charlie turned to look at her. She wanted to ask where she'd been and if she was alright but no words came out. Joey forced a smile and headed to her bedroom. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs and turned around.

"Thank you for the gift," she said softly.

Charlie smiled.

"Thank you for mine," she said. "I guess we both shopped early, hey?"

"Yeah," Joey said, looking at the floor.

She hadn't gone shopping early at all. The bracelet had been purchased a few days before Christmas. But there was no need to tell Charlie that. She turned and headed back upstairs again.

* * *

For the next few days, Charlie tried to pluck up the courage to talk to Joey but each time, she backed out. She'd distracted herself with work and hadn't seen much of her but every time she did, she worried and felt her heart break a little more. It was the day of New Year's Eve. Charlie had arranged to cover the late shift that night. If she couldn't spend her New Year with Joey then she didn't much care for it. She'd chosen to spend her day, however, in the Jukebox. She'd had a lie in and then gone to indulge in Martha's non-alcoholic cocktails.

"Fancy seeing you here," said a male voice.

Charlie turned to find Roman beside her, smiling. She smiled back.

"Just enjoying a free afternoon," she told him.

"And what will you be enjoying tonight?"

"I'll be dressing up in my nice little uniform and patrolling the streets for the drunk and disorderly."

"Oh, what?" he said, disappointed. "I was going to invite you to a party."

"Sorry. I'm otherwise engaged."

"What time do you finish?" he asked, clinging onto the last ray of hope.

"Five in the morning," Charlie told him.

"You could always come round to my place for an early breakfast."

"I don't think so."

"Or I could give you a key and you could come and snuggle up beside me for lie in."

"I really, really don't think so."

"Are you sure?"

"You really don't understand this whole lesbian thing, do you?" she smirked.

"I'll keep my hands to myself. Mostly."

Behind the bar, Martha shook her head. Roman was absolutely relentless.

"No thanks, Roman," Charlie said. "I have a big bed all of my own waiting for me."

* * *

Joey arrived at the Jukebox with the intention of having a beer and maybe shooting some pool by herself. She spotted Charlie, Martha and Roman laughing at the bar together. Sighing, she turned away and went back home.

* * *

Charlie arrived home with half an hour to get changed into her uniform. Trotting up the stairs, she paused when she heard sobbing coming from Joey's bedroom. Charlie chewed her lip, wondering if she ought to knock and check she was alright. It felt like the most natural thing in the world and yet it felt so horribly inappropriate now. She closed her eyes and regulated her breathing for a moment before stepping up to the door and knocking softly. There was no answer and the crying continued as if Joey hadn't heard. Charlie knocked again a little louder but still there was no answer. Finally, feeling worried, Charlie knocked and opened the door. Panic set in the moment she saw Joey. Her ex-girlfriend was sprawled out on the bed in tears. But the thing that made Charlie feel sick was all the blood. She hurried forward, saying Joey's name over and over again but Joey's eyes were shut and her crying was uncontrollable.

"Joey? Joey, please talk to me," Charlie begged.

Tears stung her own eyes as she saw various wounds on Joey's bare legs and a couple on her right arm. A knife had been discarded on the bed. Blood still glistened on the blade. She froze when she spotted an empty packet of pills on the bedside table.

"Joey! What have you done?" Charlie cried.

Joey's eyes opened.

"Get out," she said.

Her eyes weren't focussing properly. All Charlie could see in them was pain.

"Joey..."

"Stop saying my name," Joey warned. "It's not yours to say!"

She propped herself up on her elbows and lurched forward, pushing Charlie hard by her shoulders. Charlie fell backwards off the bed, crying out when she landed on the floor. Joey fell forward on the mattress. She buried her face in the blankets. Charlie got to her feet quickly and bent over Joey's body. As soon as she touched her, Joey pulled away.

"Leave me alone," Joey said, almost begging her.

"Joey, you're hurt."

"I've been hurt for weeks," Joey told her. "Why do you care now?"

Charlie swallowed, not knowing what to say. How had she not realised that things had got this far? Self-hated threatened to overwhelm her but she fought for control. Now wasn't the time.

"Please, leave me alone," Joey said softly.

"I can't leave you like this."

"You found it easy enough to leave me before."

"Joey, you need medical attention."

Joey sat up and swung her bare and bloodied legs over the side of the bed.

"I don't need medical attention. I don't need help. And I don't need you."

With that, she pushed Charlie back out of the room, slamming the door in her face. Charlie immediately tried to get back in but Joey wedged herself against the wood, using all her weight to keep Charlie from entering. On the other side of door, with trembling hands, Charlie dialled Rachel's number.

* * *

Rachel was watching television with Tony, glad to have New Year's Eve off, when her phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Rachel, it's Charlie. I need help."

Rachel leapt to her feet.

"Charlie's what's wrong?" she asked.

Tony switched off the television looking concerned.

"It's Joey. She's bleeding and I... she won't let me in. I don't know if she's taken something."

Rachel heard Charlie burst into tears.

"Rachel, I don't know what to do!"

"I'll be there as soon as I can," Rachel promised, already half way out the door.

* * *

Joey remained on her side of the door. All that she cared about was staying there and most importantly, keeping Charlie on the outside.

"Joey?"

On the other side, Charlie knelt against the door, placing her hands against it and leaning close. Work was but a distant memory.

"Joey, please let me in."

Joey didn't reply.

"Joey, please?"

"This is my room," Joey sobbed. "You don't get to come into my room."

"Joey, you need help."

"Don't fucking patronise me!"

"I'm not," Charlie said desperately. "I didn't mean to. I'm sorry. It's just that you look like you've lost a lot of blood."

"It's fine."

Joey looked down at her legs. She had cut worse than usual but she didn't think she'd done any real damage.

"Did you take something?"

"What I do has fuck all to do with you!" Joey shouted.

"Joey..."

"Stop saying my name! Get the hell away from me!"

"Charlie?"

Charlie leapt up when she heard Rachel's voice. She nearly fell down the stairs from running so fast.

"What's happened?" the Doctor asked when she was met by her breathless, tearful friend.

"I don't know. She's cut her legs and her arm and... there was an empty pill packet."

"Okay," Rachel said worriedly. "How bad did it look?"

"I don't know. I could just see all this blood. She won't let me in."

Charlie led Rachel upstairs and pointed to the closed door. Rachel knocked.

"Fuck off and leave me alone!" Joey yelled.

On the other side of the door, she'd curled up into a ball on the floor.

"Joey, it's Rachel," the Doctor said. "I understand that you've cut your leg. Can you let me in so I can take a look and fix it up, please?"

"No."

"Joey, if you're injured it's really important that we take care of it."

"It's fine. I'll fix it myself."

"Is it deep, Joey?"

"Ish."

"I really need you to let me in so I can take a look."

"I don't need your help."

Rachel sighed. Where had the giggling girl that had attended Martha's hen night gone? How had nobody noticed how lost she'd become?

"Joey, I can't ethically let you stay there knowing that you're injured," she said. "I'm legally obliged to help you. So please make it easier on all of us and let me in."

"Charlie can't come in."

"Charlie will wait outside," Rachel assured her.

Charlie looked horrified and set to protest. They heard the quiet shuffle of Joey moving away from the door. Slowly, it opened. Rachel, with her medical bag, moved inside. Charlie charged in. She knew she shouldn't but she just had to be near Joey and make sure she was okay. Joey protested loudly. Rachel sighed and tried to convince Charlie to leave. Charlie sank down on her knees in front of Joey, tears streaming down her face.

"Joey, I'm sorry," she said.

Joey just stared at her. She hadn't meant for this to happen. Her injuries were a private thing. Nobody was ever meant to know. Now suddenly there was all this drama surrounding her. She just wanted to hide and run away.

"Charlie, you need to let me examine Joey."

"And you need to get out," Joey said tearfully. "This is my room. You can't be in my room."

"Joey, I love you," Charlie said without thinking.

"No, you don't. If you loved me you wouldn't have ignored me all this time. You wouldn't have made me feel like this."

Joey instantly regretted what she said. Charlie wasn't to blame. Self injury was exactly that – it was about the self. Nobody could make you do something like that. It wasn't Charlie's fault. Still, she instantly knew that Charlie had taken it to heart. The love of her life sat back. She moved out of the way, crying softly and let Rachel check Joey over.


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter Fifty-Three**

Watson frowned as she hung up the phone. Charlie's shift was meant to have started ages ago but the Senior Constable had neither shown up nor called. She was worried about her. It wasn't like Charlie to neglect work. But then, her life had definitely been a mess lately.

* * *

Charlie sat in the waiting room of the hospital feeling like it was the end of the world. Rachel had convinced Joey to let her take her in to get treated properly. A couple of her injuries looked like they needed stitches. Charlie had followed in the car, barely able to see through her tears. How long had this been going on for? How had she not realised how bad things were for Joey? Why couldn't she have seen past her own pain and been there for her? They had loved each other for their entire lives. She hated herself for letting her down like that.

* * *

Joey lay back against the hospital bed feeling sick. Rachel had stayed with her from the house to the hospital and she had been very kind but the nicer she was, the worse Joey felt. She didn't deserve sympathy. It wasn't as if she'd had some kind of accident. She'd done this to herself. She didn't deserve clean sheets and a comfortable bed. It wasn't her place to receive kindness and support and promises that everything would be alright. And she felt terrible for dragging Charlie into her mess. She'd pushed her away but she wondered if she'd come to the hospital anyway.

"Charlie's sitting outside," Rachel said.

Joey looked up, startled, wondering if her friend could read her mind.

"I don't want to see her," she said. "Just tell her to go home."

"I don't think that's going to work."

Joey just shrugged.

"Listen, Julie will stitch you up and then another Doctor is going to come and talk to you," Rachel explained gently. "Perhaps after that you and Charlie could have a chat. She could take you home and you could try and work things out."

"I didn't do this because of her," Joey said quickly.

It was true. She hadn't. Charlie was just the last thing to break her. Looking back now it had been a long time coming.

"I know."

"And before you start psychoanalysing me, it wasn't a cry for help," Joey told her. "I didn't want help."

"I know," Rachel said, keeping her tone soft. "I know. But you do need help. You need support and I want to give it to you. And so does Charlie."

"No she doesn't. She just feels guilty."

"She loves you, Joey."

"She doesn't," Joey said certainly. "Not anymore."

"I really wouldn't be so sure."

The door opened and Julie entered the room looking unhappy. Rachel turned to her, explaining what she needed to do. Julie's tone was monosyllabic.

"Do you have a problem, Julie?" Rachel asked.

"I just don't see why we're spending time and resources on cases like this when there are people who really need our help," Julie said sourly.

"This patient does need our help," Rachel said seriously.

"She hurt herself."

"And?"

"She's wasting our time."

Rachel took Julie to one side, safely out of Joey's hearing distance, ready to snap.

"Don't you dare say that in front of the patient!" she hissed. "Don't you think that if someone is distressed enough to injure themselves then they must be in a pretty bad way?"

"Well..."

"So stop judging her and fix her up. Be respectful and kind and treat her in exactly the same way as you would treat anyone. I expected better from you."

Chastised, Julie headed back to Joey who was studying her hands. She'd heard the beginning of the conversation and had tried not to cry with shame, convinced that Julie was right. Nurse and patient frowned at each other.

"I just need to do your stitches," Julie said quietly.

* * *

Rachel found Charlie sitting on the row of plastic chairs. She came to sit beside her.

"How is she?" Charlie asked worriedly.

"She's just getting stitched up," Rachel explained. "She told me to tell you to go home but don't. She's going to need someone to drive her home if nothing else."

Charlie nodded. She still felt ill. There had been so much blood and too many tears.

"Will she be okay?" she asked.

"She'll heal," Rachel confirmed.

"No, I mean, will she be okay?" Charlie asked more urgently.

She looked directly into her friend's eyes.

"I honestly can't tell you," Rachel said. "It doesn't take a genius to work out that Joey's suffering from depression. That's something she's going to need to work through and she's going to need a lot of support to try and learn non self-harming behaviour. It's not going to be easy for her. And right now, I don't even know if she wants to try. She didn't come to us for help, Charlie. You found her. She got caught. Right now, she's still very broken. It's going to be a very long road to getting her well again."

Charlie nodded, feeling tearful again.

"But on a more positive note, she did agree to come to the hospital when I asked her to. That's a good sign. I've arrange for a psychiatrist to come and speak with her and we'll see where we go from there."

* * *

Ruby lost herself in the music as she danced. She shut her mind down from the stress of home. Charlie and Joey hadn't really spoken for two months and it was excruciating. All she could hope for was that they would both gather their senses and get back together. Being apart just wasn't right. She hadn't been home all day. The atmosphere was tense. She'd left early and spent the day with Annie and now they were all partying together for New Year. Charlie was working the night through and goodness knows what Joey would be doing. She smiled when she felt Xavier slip his arms around her waist and kiss her cheek.

"Happy almost New Year," he said.

* * *

Joey's thighs were stitched and Julie had left. Now she was being interrogated by a mental health Doctor who wanted to know why she felt the need to hurt herself. Joey had just about managed to explain her history, that she felt numb and hateful and that everybody left her. She told her about her parents and Brett and Elsie and Zoe and Charlie and how alone she felt. She explained that nobody was ever meant to know about it and how she hadn't meant it to get this far. She'd apologised over and over again until tears had overwhelmed her. The Doctor had suggested she come and see her more regularly. Joey had protested she'd not felt strong enough to argue really and so an appointment had been set for the New Year.

* * *

Charlie and Rachel looked up when the psychiatrist entered the corridor.

"Charlie?" the blonde woman said.

Charlie stood and hurried over.

"She's ready to talk to you now."

Relief flooded Charlie's soul and she moved to hurry into the room. Rachel caught her arm.

"I'm going to head home," she told her. "If I hurry I can be in time to count the New Year in with Tony."

"Fuck!" Charlie gasped.

All thoughts of New Year and her shift had completely flown out of her head the moment she'd seen the state Joey was in. She apologised sincerely to Rachel about keeping her so late, who said it didn't matter and hurried away. Charlie considered phoning the station but considering her shift would be over in a few hours anyway and the world hadn't ended without her presence, she figured it didn't matter. She didn't want to delay seeing Joey any longer than she had to. Thanking the Doctor, she took a deep breath and pushed open the door to Joey's room. It was sad to see her lying on the bed so small and fragile. Shyly, she approached the bed. Pale, Joey turned to look at her.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't mean for you to find me like that. It was supposed to be a secret."

Charlie tentatively reached out to hold Joey's hand. It was limp but at least she didn't draw away.

"I'm glad I did find you, Joey," Charlie said. "I'm sorry I didn't know before. I'm sorry I... I'm sorry."

Charlie's tears dripped onto their joined hands. Joey looked away, a lump forming in her throat.

"I should have..." Charlie tried. "I just..."

"May I have a lift home please?" Joey asked, still not looking back at Charlie.

"Of course."

* * *

Tony leapt to his feet the moment he heard the key turn in the lock. Rachel appeared in the doorway.

"What on earth happened to you?" he asked worriedly.

She fell into his arms, exhausted.

"It's a very long story," she said.

* * *

Charlie and Joey arrived home at five to midnight.

"Can I get you anything?" Charlie asked.

It had been a silent drive home and now they both felt awkward. There was so much to say and yet neither knew how to begin a conversation.

"I think I'll just go to bed," Joey said.

Charlie followed her up the stairs. She frowned when Joey pushed open the door to the spare room. Charlie caught hold of her hand.

"It's still a mess in there," she said, hardly able to look at it.

She felt haunted by the memories of the day. She led Joey by the hand into the room they had once shared. Joey nervously complied but froze at the prospect of them sharing a bed again.

"I don't want your pity, Charlie," she said. "You don't have to be nice to me again just because you feel sorry for me."

"You don't have my pity," Charlie said. "You just have my love."

Joey stared at her for a few moments, feeling lost and unsure. Knowing she didn't really want to be by herself, she turned away and began to undress. Charlie slipped out of the room to get her a pair of pyjamas. She carefully presented them, without looking. Joey accepted them gratefully. Charlie got changed and the two of them slipped beneath the covers. The clock struck twelve.

"Happy New Year, I guess," Joey said.

The words seemed terribly misplaced.

"Happy New Year," Charlie said.

Silence fell between them.

"Joey, I'm so sorry I let you down," Charlie finally managed.

"You didn't."

"But you were going through all this stuff and I didn't even know."

"How would you have known? We weren't talking."

"Exactly! I'm sorry."

"You thought I cheated on you. Of course you weren't going to talk to me," Joey said flatly.

Charlie chewed her lip.

"I didn't. In case you wanted to know."

Charlie's heart ached with the sadness in Joey's voice. She closed her eyes.

"Joey, what's your interpretation of what happened that night?" Charlie asked.

"We were fighting. I came to the Juke to see you. I found you with Roman and I panicked. Thinking about it now you were probably just talking to him but in the mind-frame I was in, I was sure it was something more. So I left. I ended up on the beach. I don't really know what happened next. It was like I was out of my body. I knew Kayla was there but I could hardly see, hear or feel anything. I was just so consumed with my certainty that I'd lost you. Then I realised she'd kissed me. Then you were there. Then you were gone. And it felt like my life was over."

The words were simple but heartbreaking. Charlie was awash with guilt.

"Is that why...? Is it my fault...?"

"No. It was just the last thing in a long line of stuff that I never dealt with. It's not your fault."

"I should have handled it differently," Charlie said. "I'm sorry. I knew you'd seen me talking to Roman. That's why I came to find you in the first place. It's just that when I saw you kissing her... or thought I saw you... it broke me. I just couldn't cope. I'd been so paranoid about Kayla and we'd been fighting and everything..."

"I understand."

Joey looked up at the ceiling. They still had glow in the dark stars up there. She'd missed them in the spare room and they offered comfort to her now.

"I thought you'd seen me talking to Roman, jumped to conclusions and taken revenge," Charlie admitted. "I thought you'd gone and done the one thing that would hurt me the most, the thing I was paranoid about."

"I would never have done that," Joey said softly.

"I know. Rationally I know that. But seeing the two of you lying there... I just..."

"I get it. I probably would have reacted the same way," Joey admitted. "I would have been heartbroken. But it wasn't what it looked like. I'd never want to be with anyone but you."

Charlie's heart was still racing. It had been far too long since she'd lain beside Joey. They weren't touching but she desperately wanted to hold her. She didn't know where they stood with each other right now but all she wished was that they could put the pieces of their broken relationship back together and start again. She tentatively moved her hand across the sheet and caught hold of Joey's. Relief surged within her when her ex-girlfriend did not pull away.

"How are you feeling?" Charlie asked. "Physically?"

"Okay. I wish there hadn't been so much drama. I'm sorry for causing such a fuss."

"I'm sorry you've been handling this alone for so long."

Joey shrugged and then surprised herself with a yawn.

"Sleepy?"

"Yeah."

"Get some rest," Charlie said gently. "Maybe we can talk some more in the morning."

Joey nodded and closed her eyes, preparing for sleep. Charlie studied her profile.

"Can I hold you?" she asked nervously.

Joey smiled. All she wanted these last few months was to rest in Charlie's arms, seek comfort in her embrace.

"That would be nice," she replied.

Charlie leant in and wrapped her arms around her. She wanted to move in close but stopped short. Sensing her hesitation, Joey sighed.

"Charlie, if I disgust you now, forget it," she said coldly, moving to turn on her side, away from her.

"No!" Charlie protested. "I just didn't want to hurt you. I was afraid of hurting you."

Joey relaxed a little. _Just because you disgust yourself doesn't mean Charlie feels the same way_, she coached herself. _She's here, after all_.

"I can work around you," Joey said.

She moved to curl herself around Charlie's body, careful of her injuries and grateful to be allowed to hold her tight. Things were far from fixed and there was a lot to talk about. Joey was painfully aware that she had started something that would take a long time to recover from. It couldn't be stitched up and forgotten about. There was a long and winding road ahead of her but she hoped that she might not be so alone with it anymore.

* * *

**January 2010**

When Joey woke up, she was still tired but she felt comforted by the fact that she was resting against Charlie. It was a sensation she never thought she'd have again. Blinking up at her, she watched her come to.

"Hey," Charlie said softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Humiliated," Joey replied.

"You don't need to. I'm here for you."

"Why?"

The simple word hung in between them. Charlie wasn't sure how to answer it.

"Because I love you," she told her.

"Why now?" Joey asked.

There was nothing but sorrow in her voice.

"Why couldn't you love me before?"

"I did love you before."

"But you wouldn't even look at me."

"I thought... I thought you'd..."

Charlie looked down, wondering now how she could ever have believed Joey was capable of cheating on her.

"I'm sorry," she said. "But we can fix this."

She took both of Joey's hands in hers and kissed the tips.

"It's not as simple as that."

Charlie nodded, her heart heavy. It was definitely not as simple as that. For all the pain she'd been in, for all the suffering she'd been through, Joey had fallen into an even darker place. Stitching her up, applying bandages and holding her through the night wasn't going to solve everything.

"Can I get you something?" she asked. "Some breakfast? Coffee? Juice?"

"You don't need to take care of me. You're not responsible."

"I want to take care of you."

Joey searched her face. She didn't want to be a burden to Charlie and she didn't want her to fuss just because she'd made a mess of her life.

"Some juice would be nice," she said.

Charlie slipped out of bed, pausing only to pull her robe around her before she carefully headed out of the room. Padding through the house and into the kitchen, she was surprised and guilty when she saw Ruby sitting at the table. She hadn't even thought to check on her. The teenager had stayed at Annie's but Charlie felt she should have at least checked on her. And she hadn't called work or anything. As soon as she'd found Joey hurt, every other responsibility in her life had flown out of the window.

"Hey," she said softly.

"Rough night on patrol?" Ruby asked worriedly.

"Um..."

She couldn't think of a way to explain everything that had happened. Instead she busied herself with making drinks. Ruby eyed her curiously.

"Two glasses?" she asked.

Charlie froze.

"And I heard voices coming from your room..."

"Ruby..."

"Please tell me you've got Joey in there."

Charlie whirled around.

"Of course it's Joey!" she said, horrified that anyone would think that she would ever be with anyone but Joey ever again.

"Are you back together?" Ruby asked hopefully.

"No."

"But..."

"We're talking again. And I hope that we can work through it all. But it's really early days. Please don't get excited, Rubes," Charlie said softly.

Her little sister nodded.

"I'm going to..."

Charlie jerked her head in the direction of the door. Ruby smiled and Charlie headed back to the love of her life. She found her sitting up in their bed, covers wrapped tightly around her. Charlie crept back into the room and handed her glass over. She then moved beneath the sheets beside her.

"Charlie, none of what's been happening, none of what happened last night was your fault," Joey said, studying her orange juice. "You don't need to try any make up for anything by being nice to me. You don't need to make amends."

"That's not what I'm trying to do. I'm just..."

"What?"

"I just want to help you."

"Why? It was obvious that I was miserable before," Joey said. "And you didn't talk to me. You continued living in this house with me, shutting me out, ignoring me. What's changed?"

"Well..."

It seemed blindingly obvious to Charlie what had changed. She'd found her ripping her own body apart. How could she ignore that?

"You feel sorry for me?" Joey accused, gently rather than nastily.

"No. It's not..."

Charlie sighed, unsure of how to explain herself.

"Joey, I've been missing you so much," Charlie said. "Every single day I've wanted to talk to you, fix things and I've come so close to it but I've never known what to say. It hasn't been easy for me either. I've missed you, Joey. I've needed you. I've wanted you."

"Then why didn't you?" Joey asked desperately.

"I thought you'd cheated on me."

"But I wouldn't have! How could you have just cut me out without talking to me? Didn't you think there was an explanation?"

"I'm sorry!" Charlie said, squeezing her eyes shut. "I should have. It's just that every time I thought about it, all I could see was you with her hands and mouth all over you. I..."

Joey sipped her drink.

"And you thought I'd cheated too," Charlie reminded her. "And I was just talking to the guy."

Joey sighed. She hated that Charlie was right. She'd completely jumped to conclusions and begun a chain of events that she wished whole heartedly that she could take back now.

"Sorry," she said.

"I'd just like to forget it now," Charlie told her. "All I want to do is deal with what's happening now. Together."

"Because you love me or because you pity me?"

"Because I love you."

Joey looked uncertain.

"I thought you hated me," she admitted. "All this time I thought you hated me. I thought I'd lost everything – my girlfriend, my soul mate, my best friend, my life partner, my world."

"I couldn't hate you if I tried," Charlie said. "I mishandled the whole thing and I'm sorry. I fucked up. I completely fucked up and I want to make it up to you. I want to help you through this – in whatever way you'll let me."

They looked in each other's eyes, searching each other's souls.

"It'd be nice to have a friend," Joey admitted.

"A friend," Charlie repeated softly.

She was disappointed to have confirmation that she and Joey were only friends but friends were better than nothing.

"I can do that," she said. "I can be your friend. I can support you. Whatever you need. I want... need to be part of your life again."

"Thank you," Joey replied.


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter Fifty-Four**

**January 2010**

It had been a difficult few weeks. Joey had reluctantly taken time off work and left Aden in charge of the boat after hiring a couple of new crew members. While at first she'd been determined to just carry on as normal, ignoring everything and pushing all her problems to one side, the counsellor she'd reluctantly begun to see had convinced her that if she didn't deal with things now, she never would. So, she'd cancelled work and focussed on counselling, getting herself better and happier. She busied herself most days with housework, helping Ruby with homework, spending time with Aden and building her friendship back up with Charlie. Her ex-girlfriend had been amazing. Since New Year, they'd spent every night curled up together, although nothing had happened. Joey didn't feel ready to contemplate a relationship yet. If she was being honest, she didn't feel like she ever would. And she was desperately afraid of losing her for good if she ever tried anything. Charlie was too important to her to not have her in her life. Friendship was good enough. They had always worked well that way. At the heart of their relationship, at the root of everything they had ever been through together, they had been best friends all their lives and that meant the world.

"Hey."

Joey turned when Charlie entered the kitchen looking grubby. She tried not to find her attractive but standing there rugged and dirty in her uniform, having already let her hair loose, Charlie was making it difficult.

"Hi," she replied.

"I'd hug you but..."

She gestured to the state she was in.

"This afternoon was... unpleasant!"

"Yeah, I got your text," Joey said with a smile. "The bath should be ready for you to just jump into and dinner will be ready in an hour."

Charlie beamed at her.

"You're the best! Thank you!" she said, unbuttoning her shirt as she headed through the house.

* * *

Once Charlie was clean again, she entered the kitchen still with wet hair. Joey was just serving up.

"No Ruby?" she asked, noting her little sister's absence.

"She's got a study session with Annie," Joey explained, putting a plate of pasta in front of her ex-girlfriend.

Charlie smiled gratefully.

"Looks delicious," she said. "Thank you."

She couldn't help but notice the way Joey winced when she sat down. It made her want to cry. Wincing meant new injuries and new injuries meant a bad day. Joey tried to hide it but New Year had hardly been a big rescue mission. She still turned to cutting when she needed it. Charlie had spent hours researching self-injury and how to handle it as a bystander.

"You okay?" she asked quietly.

Joey nodded. She knew that Charlie knew and was aware that Charlie had begged her just to let her know so that she knew what she was working with. Joey had tried but often, it felt too hard to say the words. She felt too ashamed. So she tried to hide. But Charlie always found her out. She looked up when Charlie touched her hand.

"Do you need anything?"

"I'm fine," Joey promised.

She smiled to confirm and they began to eat.

"Thanks for being so good to me," Charlie said. "With the bath and dinner and everything. I could get used to this!"

"Well, I figure you deserved it after chasing a thief through the woods and landing in a puddle."

Charlie snorted.

"You make me sound so uncouth! It was way more exciting than that!"

"I'm sure," Joey teased.

"Hey, um, I was wondering... for my birthday, would you um... like to go see a show or something?"

Charlie felt her hands become clammy. It was as if she was asking her out on a date.

"That would be nice," Joey accepted.

They smiled at each other, still getting used to how to be together. They were friends. Nothing romantic had happened between them since the initial split. But they looked after each other, they shared a bed and they didn't date other people.

"Great," Charlie said. "I'll have a look to see what's on and we can book something."

* * *

That night, Charlie and Joey lay side by side in bed together. Charlie listened to Joey fidgeting. Charlie reached out a hand.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm just irritated," Joey replied.

"Can I help?"

"I just thought I'd made so much progress."

Tears were upon her before Joey realised they were coming. She wiped her eyes. Every day she was sure she was making progress but every so often, she would slip up and undo all her hard work.

"Hey," Charlie said softly, leaning in to hold her.

Joey wrapped her arms around her shoulders and allowed herself to cry.

"I just keep messing up," she sobbed.

"It's okay, Joey," Charlie said tenderly. "You _are _making progress and nobody can take that away from you. So you slip up sometimes? It's the same as anything... of course you're going to struggle from time to time. But each time, you'll get stronger for it. Joey, this is only temporary. You'll heal from it."

"Will I?" Joey asked, tearfully pulling away.

"Yes."

"What if once you enter that world, you can't get out of it?"

Charlie propped herself up against the pillows and drew Joey carefully into her arms.

"I'm no expert but you're right. I think once you get to that place, it'll always be a part of you. I think you'll probably always have that in the back of your mind as a coping mechanism. But I think what will happen is that you'll learn to override it. You'll consider it, acknowledge that it doesn't help, and move on. And also, if you do slip up from time to time, eventually, it won't feel like the end of the world. You'll be able to accept it as a mistake and move on."

"You really think I'm strong enough to walk away from it, Charlie?" Joey asked sceptically.

"I'm absolutely certain," Charlie replied. "You're the strongest person I've ever known. It's completely possible to recover from this kind of thing. If other people have done it, then you will. I know you will."

Joey hugged her a little tighter, feeling comforted. They fell asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

**February 2010**

It was Valentine's Day. Charlie had chosen to work an extra shift. Joey had invited Aden round to watch a few horror films in order to forget the fact that they were both single and still desperately in love with their former girlfriends. Ruby was on a date with Xavier and most of the rest of the town were loved up and happy.

"So, any progress with Charlie?" Aden asked.

They were watching a remake of a classic slasher horror and had so far spent most of the time yelling at the TV screen that the characters were stupid for doing this, that and the other and therefore deserved to die.

"What progress is there meant to be?" Joey asked flatly.

"Well, you seem to be getting on so great now. I thought..."

"No."

Joey's attention was caught by the movie.

"You idiot!" she yelled at the main character. "Go upstairs and into the bathroom? Have you never seen a horror movie? That's the worst place ever! Ugh, she deserves to die!"

"That's the lamest decision ever!" Aden agreed. "And stop bloody screaming if you don't want him to find you!"

They both ssshed her as they watched the horror unfold.

"Not even when you went to see 'Wicked' together?" Aden, asked, returning to their earlier conversation.

"No. I mean, we had a great time but... no."

"And no hint of anything tonight?"

"I just want tonight to be over."

"Thanks!"

"Oh, you know what I mean."

"Joey, seriously, do you want to be back with Charlie?"

"I honestly don't know," Joey said. "We're best friends again and I don't really want to break that. I feel safe like we are now. I don't want to complicate anything."

"But you already know how great things can be," Aden pointed out.

"And I know how awful things can be when they go wrong," Joey reminded him.

"I don't know," Aden shrugged. "I'd take Belle back in a heartbeat if she ever asked. But no, she's busy screwing Hugo. She doesn't love me anymore. But Charlie, she still loves you. And you love her."

"I know I do," Joey sighed. "But it's too much. We need to stay friends. I can't lose her again."

* * *

Charlie was lost in her own thoughts. She wondered if Joey and Aden were having a nice time together and if Joey was thinking about her. It had been four months since they'd broken up and six weeks since they'd begun to build bridges. She wondered how far bridge building would take them. Charlie knew with no hint of a doubt that she wanted to be with Joey again but she didn't want to push. Joey didn't seem interested in her, although they behaved as the old married couple they always had been. They laughed together, ate together, talked about everything, went out, shopped, cooked and even shared a bed. But it wasn't like before. There were no sneaky, startling kisses that they chose not to talk about and deal with. She supposed they had been through too much to start that again. Right now, it was completely platonic. It was frustrating but Charlie was committed to being here for whatever Joey needed from her.

* * *

Joey was already asleep by the time Charlie got home. In the darkness of the room, she stripped off and threw a baggy t-shirt over her head. Sliding beneath the sheets, she had to force herself not to curl into Joey. That way of sleeping was something of the past. She was surprised when Joey rolled over.

"You're late," the younger girl murmured.

"Yeah, I hung on for a bit," Charlie replied.

"I was worried."

"Sorry. Did you have a good night with Aden?"

"Yeah, we condemned various horror heroines to death and told directors how they should run their dumb movies," Joey grinned.

"Typical night then."

"Pretty much."

Without thinking, they pressed their lips chastely together. It was a brief but heart stopping moment.

"Goodnight," Joey said quickly.

She rolled back over and shut her eyes, feeling guilty. She shouldn't have kissed Charlie. She only wanted to be friends. Sending mixed messages was a cruel thing to do. Charlie sighed as she watched Joey turn away from her. She closed her own eyes, unable to stop herself replaying every delicious moment they had ever shared over and over in her mind.

* * *

**March 2010**

Joey sat in the familiar chair she spent her usual therapy sessions in. Her therapist, Helen Archer was a nice woman with blonde hair and a broad smile. She was pretty and kind and Joey trusted her. Over the past three months, she'd shared every hurt that had led her to the first moment she'd hurt herself on purpose. She'd attempted to work through her irrational accusation that everyone left her. Helen had gently pointed out that her parents and Elsie hadn't left her. Dying was a different thing to walking away from somebody. They'd spent several sessions tackling the Brett issue and delved into her feelings of rejection from her father from when she was a tiny child. She'd sadly concluded that as much as she had loved him until the day he died, in the back of her mind, there was an element of there being too little too late. She didn't want it to be there but there it remained. Most of her time had been spent talking about Charlie. Helen knew of everything they had been through since they were just babies and she was pushing her to puzzle out what she wanted from Charlie now. She'd pointed out that friends don't share a bed. And exes don't tend to share houses and retain mortgages. Joey had tried to explain that they were different and that they couldn't walk away from each other. Helen allowed her to put the future on the backburner but Joey was aware that it would never stay there for long.

"So, how are things at home?" Helen asked.

"Fine," Joey said. "They're great. We're all living together quite happily."

"How would you feel about Charlie coming in for a joint session one day?"

Joey tensed.

"How would that help?" she asked.

"Joey, you're in limbo right now," Helen said. "You're not working aside from doing the books. You're playing housewife to a woman who isn't your partner and you're sharing her bed as if it's platonic. I really believe that the change for you, the way forward, lies in making a change in your relationship with Charlie."

"I don't want to change my relationship with Charlie," Joey said defensively.

"Do you think she wants to change her relationship with you?"

"I don't know."

"From what you tell me, she seems to love you very much."

"We do love each other," Joey said. "We're friends. Friends love each other."

"But it's a little more complicated than that, isn't it?"

Joey sighed.

"I don't want to talk about it."

"What would you like to talk about?"

"I don't know."

"Okay. Well a joint session is just an idea," Helen told you. "You let me know if you want to take me up on it."

Joey nodded and looked out of the window.

* * *

A couple of weeks later, Joey appeared to have firmly settled in an administrative and accounting role. It was something she had done since she had taken over the business from Brett but she'd always been happier out on deck, working manually. Now, she preferred to stay out of the way. She was too afraid of the world, herself and her bad days to venture too far out. She had made a lot of progress in seeing her friends and Charlie and Aden had been perfect supports to her. She saw Helen every Monday and relied heavily on the therapy sessions. Ruby didn't really understand what was going on but she knew that her surrogate sister was depressed and she was doing everything she could to make her happy. She was cleaning the bathroom when her phone beeped. It was Rachel inviting her to the Jukebox for a drink with 'everyone'. Joey took a deep breath and accepted the invitation. She wanted to get back on her feet and start again and this was all part of the process.

* * *

That evening, Charlie leant against the bar ordering another two glasses of wine for herself and Joey. She was in too good a mood to even care about the way that Brad was looking down her top. She glanced behind her. Joey was giggling away with Rachel, Tony and Martha. It had taken everyone a little bit of time to get their heads around the idea of Rachel and Tony being an item but the more time they spent with them as a couple, the more perfect and obvious they seemed together. The fact that they had been teacher and student once upon a time, and that Rachel was the same age as Tony's eldest son seemed utterly irrelevant now.

"Hello?"

Charlie had been lost in gazing at Joey. It was nice to see her so happy and relaxed. It felt like a lifetime since she'd really been herself. Charlie turned back to the barman and paid for her drinks. Balancing them carefully, she returned to her friends.

* * *

As the night progressed, Charlie was having a wonderful time. Much of her evening had been spent leaning back on the sofa of the Jukebox with Joey tucked up next to her. They'd bought each other drinks, shared jokes, enjoyed time with their friends and in a lot of ways it felt like they had never split up. Joey giggled and sipped her white wine. On the anti-depressants Helen had prescribed, she had to be careful about alcohol intake but a few glasses didn't matter, she didn't think. Charlie smiled at the curve of Joey's lips, enjoying how much she was smiling. She lost herself in the smoothness of her skin and the way she fussed subconsciously with her dark hair. _She really is the most perfect woman alive_, she thought to herself.

"Isn't that right, Charlie?"

Startled and a little embarrassed, Charlie looked up.

"Sorry, what?"

"I was saying that school kids don't behave nearly as well as we did," Rachel repeated.

Charlie grinned.

"You're showing your age," she said.

"Hey!"

Joey giggled. Jack entered the bar and caught sight of the crowd. He and Martha exchanged nervous glances. All hadn't been well since their failure to conceive a child but they were hopeful that love would win out. Approaching the group, Jack perched on the arm of Martha's chair and she slipped her arm around his waist. They kissed.

"Oh, a slow song!" Rachel said excitedly.

Suddenly she pulled Tony up to dance. Without getting any kind of say in the matter, Tony followed to the small space in the room that acted as a dance floor. Martha looked at her husband hopefully.

"Would you like to?" she asked, desperate to bring some romance back into their lives.

Jack nodded and took his wife's hand, leading her up to dance. Left alone and sitting beside each other, Charlie and Joey exchanged shy glances and looked away. Charlie cleared her throat and Joey shifted a little but didn't move away from her ex-girlfriend. Charlie licked her lips, images of their dance classes and moments of closeness and love they'd shared during their relationship fluttered into her mind.

"Would _you _like to...?" she asked.

Joey's heart began to race. They idea of dancing with Charlie was very tempting. She would love to be held in her arms, sharing in the music and connecting with each other. But was it a good idea really? She'd nodded before she'd answered the question in her head. Tentatively they got to their feet, taking each other in their arms. Charlie held Joey close enough to make her feel clumsy but far enough away to be polite. They gazed into each other's eyes, losing themselves in each other and the music as they danced.

As the song continued, Charlie felt herself leaning closer and closer. She couldn't help it. She just loved to have Joey near. With the song nearing its end, Charlie and Joey were both aware of how close they were. Hands were clasped, breasts were crushed and hips brushed hips ever so slightly; mouths were barely inches apart. Steadying her racing heart and knowing that she was running out of time before the moment was lost, Charlie decided that it was now or never. Since New Year, she and Joey had become closer and closer. They seemed to love each other as much as they always had, even if nothing physical was happening between them. Now, holding Joey so close, the desire to kiss her was too strong to resist.

Moving to close the gap between them, Charlie leant carefully forward. Just as she was about to brush her lips against Joey's, Joey turned away. She held Charlie a little closer but rested her head on her shoulder instead of allowing them to kiss. Deflated, Charlie sank into the embrace and tried not to feel rejected. Nestled on Charlie's shoulder, Joey's mind was reeling. Charlie had tried to kiss her. Right then and there, she had been about to make her move. _And I pulled away_, she reminded herself. She wondered how Charlie was feeling now. She'd tried to make it look like some unhappy accident – that she'd moved at the same time Charlie had and that she hadn't noticed the impending kiss. She wondered if Charlie would try again. She wondered how she would respond.

* * *

Charlie was feeling despondent as she and Joey arrived home. She couldn't work out if Joey had rejected her or if she hadn't realised that the kiss was coming. Her heart told her that she'd just been told in no uncertain terms that Joey's lips were no longer hers to kiss. It was devastating. Her hope burned ever so small, telling her to try again and find out for sure but she wasn't sure she could take it. In their bedroom, the girls turned away from each other to get changed. They crawled into bed, absently chatting about the night and their friends. Lying beside Joey in the dark, Charlie knew she wouldn't get to sleep if she didn't do something to try and address the issue. Turning on her side, she studied Joey's outline. _She even looks beautiful in silhouette_, she thought to herself. Catching hold of her hand on top of the sheets, she smiled through the dark.

"It was nice to dance with you tonight," she said softly.

"Yeah," Joey agreed. "I enjoyed it. Those lessons definitely didn't go to waste."

"They were fun."

"A lot of fun."

"We really have had some wonderful times together, haven't we, Joey?"

"We have," Joey confirmed, a little unsure of where this was leading.

Charlie's mouth came towards her without warning. It was startling and Joey wanted to kiss her more than anything but instinctively, she turned. She pressed her lips against Charlie's cheek, nearly bursting into tears when she felt Charlie physically sigh against her in response.

"Goodnight, Charlie," Joey said quickly.

She turned over, hoping sleep would claim her. With moist eyes, Charlie watched Joey roll away from her. Perhaps not knowing was better. Having confirmation that their love really was over, hurt like hell. What had she done wrong? Why didn't Joey love her anymore? Why couldn't they just fit back together the way they always had? Why couldn't Joey just communicate with her a little instead of hiding her feelings all the time? Sighing heavily, she rolled away from Joey and cried herself to sleep.

* * *

Over the next couple of days, Charlie and Joey felt awkward with each other and barely spoke. Charlie was embarrassed for making it so obvious that she wanted to be with Joey again and she was hurt at being rejected. Joey felt guilty for mishandling things. Sitting at her desk, frustrated by the situation, Charlie gave up on her paperwork and decided to take a long lunch. She needed to talk to Joey once and for all. Giving a vague excuse to Watson and Jack, she hurried out and drove home. Letting herself into the house, she was met with silence. Heading through the house, she trotted up the stairs. The bathroom door was open.

"Joey?" she called.

She nudged open the bedroom door, her blood immediately turning cold. Joey jumped up, her mouth hanging open. Charlie just stared, her lip trembling at the sight of tears rolling down Joey's cheeks and blood trickling down her leg.

"You're not supposed to be here," Joey said, as if Charlie had done something terrible by coming home early.

"Joey..."

Joey hurried forward, tears still burning her eyes.

"You need to leave," she said, pushing Charlie back out the door.

"But..."

"Get out!"

"Joey, I can't leave you like this!" Charlie argued, finally bursting to life.

"Get out!" Joey repeated.

She shoved Charlie hard in the shoulders until she'd stumbled backwards out of the door. Slamming it shut, Joey raced around the room and began to desperately clean herself up. In the hallway, Charlie stared at the door through blurred vision. She leant against the wood.

"Joey?" she called.

There was no answer.

"Joey, please just let me know you're okay."

"I'm okay."

"You didn't... you don't need stitches or anything?"

"No."

Unsure of what to do or how to handle the situation, Charlie sat down on the floor opposite the door, resting her elbows on her knees. After a few minutes the door opened. Dressed as if nothing was wrong, Joey came and sat beside her.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yes. I'm sorry."

"What happened?"

"I just got stressed out."

"Why?"

Joey shrugged.

"It doesn't matter."

"It does."

"I just feel like a let down."

"You're not a let down."

Joey gazed into Charlie's face. There was so much she wanted to say but words failed her. Charlie saved her from explanations by putting an arm around her and cuddling her close. She kissed the top of Joey's forehead.

"Baby steps," she said. "Every day, baby steps. You'll get there."

They sat on the floor together for hours.

* * *

**April 2010**

Charlie was downing the last of her coffee before work when Joey emerged in the kitchen. They were still close but things still felt strange between them since the two near-kisses the previous week.

"Have a good day," Joey said, as she watched Charlie gather together her keys and bag.

"Thanks," Charlie said. "You too."

They looked awkwardly at each other, unsure of whether to hug or not. Choosing not to, Charlie headed out of the back door. Suddenly, she turned back.

"Joey?" she said.

"Yes?"

"Do you still love me at all?"

The question was a risk but she needed to know.

"Of course I do," Joey said.

The words were out but neither of them knew what it meant for them.


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter Fifty-Five**

**April 2010**

Charlie arrived back from a night shift at ten o'clock feeling utterly exhausted. Entering the bedroom, she was surprised to find Joey still in bed. Moving to the side of the bed, she touched her arm.

"Joey?" she said softly.

Joey slowly came to, looking confused.

"Sweetie, aren't you supposed to be at your therapy session in half an hour?" Charlie asked.

"Fuck!" Joey complained, moving to get out of bed.

Blindly she began to run around and throw some clothes together. The walk alone took half an hour. There was no way she was going to be on time.

"Joey, calm down," Charlie said, perched on the edge of bed. "I'll drive you."

"But you only just got in from your shift," Joey said, pausing in her bid to get a pair of jeans over her legs.

Charlie fixed her gaze on Joey's face, not wanting to intrude by looking at her legs. They weren't visible due to the way Joey was holding the jeans out in front of her but Charlie didn't want to be caught looking anyway.

"It's fine," she said. "I can wait a little longer to get to sleep."

Joey smiled and thanked her.

"I'll leave you to get ready," Charlie said.

* * *

Joey arrived at her therapy session with five minutes to spare, thanks to Charlie dropping her off. She looked up when Helen opened the door and gestured for her to come inside.

"So, how are you today?" she asked when Joey had settled on the chair.

Joey nodded and then shrugged. She had no idea how she was. It had been an awful week what with the confusion between her and Charlie, not to mention the cutting incident.

"How was your week?"

"Terrible."

"Want to walk me through it?"

"I cut again."

Helen frowned.

"And why did you do that?" she asked.

"Because I felt guilty. I lost control."

"Are we coming back round to your need to punish yourself?"

"I guess."

"What did you need to punish yourself for this time?" Helen wanted to know.

"Things got complicated with Charlie," Joey said with a heavy sigh.

A conversation about their relationship was completely unavoidable today. It was something she needed to deal with.

* * *

Having dropped Joey off, Charlie headed right home to bed. Stripping off, she threw herself beneath the covers and reached out to hug Joey's pillow. She closed her eyes and breathed in her scent, desperately wishing that it was the real person she was holding.

* * *

When Joey was unable to speak, Helen changed direction.

"Joey, why don't you talk me through the day that you ended up in hospital?" she suggested.

Strangely, it wasn't something they had actually discussed very much. Joey had talked about everything else and referred to cutting in general but not to that specific event, the one that had led her to Helen's office.

"It was just a normal day," Joey said. "I didn't mean to get caught."

"What made you cut that day?"

"I cut every day."

"But there must be a trigger for you."

"I was feeling pretty awful anyway. Christmas had obviously come and gone and even though Aden helped me make the best of it, it was torture not being with Charlie. We've celebrated Christmas together for our entire lives. I went to the Jukebox to shoot some pool. But I saw Charlie laughing with Roman and Martha. It just made me feel sad. So I went home and self-harmed."

"You took pills that day, didn't you?"

Joey nodded.

"Had you ever done that before?"

"No."

"Why was that day different?"

"I don't know. I guess I'd had enough."

"But it wasn't a suicide attempt, was it?"

"No."

"Then what was it?"

"I guess I thought they might help me sleep it off. I'd cut and it hadn't really helped. I was sitting and bleeding and it was like the effects it always had before had been lost. I was still sitting in agony only my legs were hurting too. It hadn't relieved anything. So I took the pills hoping they'd send me to sleep for a while, so I could forget myself for a little bit."

"So seeing Charlie laughing with her friends was your trigger that day?"

"I guess," Joey shrugged.

"And Roman... that's the man she was talking to the night you and Charlie split up, right?"

"Right."

"How did you feel about her spending time with him?"

"I guess I worried that she might still get back with him," Joey admitted. "They seemed to all be pretty happy laughing together. Charlie didn't look like she missed me at all."

"Do you not think Charlie was masking her own pain? You've said more than once that she's been as unhappy as you during your break up."

"I suppose during that time I was just desperate for her to talk to me again," Joey said. "The worst thing about it was that we never got a chance to talk. I wasn't allowed to explain myself. But that's Charlie."

"What's Charlie?"

"She doesn't cope well with talking about her feelings. When she's upset or afraid, she shuts down. She's been doing it less and less over the years but I remember when we were kids and we kissed for the first time... Charlie completely panicked. She wouldn't go anywhere near me and even went as far as dating my brother to shut me out."

"That must have hurt."

"It did. I lost my best friend. Just like now."

"And how are things with you and Charlie at the moment?" Helen asked, coming back around to the subject. "You said things have got complicated between you."

Joey nodded and sighed before beginning to explain the two near kisses.

* * *

Charlie grumbled when sleep eluded her. She was exhausted but she couldn't get her mind to settle enough to rest. Giving up, she put Joey's pillow back and climbed out of bed. Grabbing her stuff, she headed into the shower. If she was going to wake up, she may as well do it properly. Under the hot spray of the water, Charlie closed her eyes. Joey was on her mind more than normal today. It would have been their anniversary if they had stayed together. But now it was over and Charlie feared that it was a permanent state of affairs.

* * *

"What is it, do you think, that holds you back from Charlie?" Helen asked.

"I don't want to be complicated with her," Joey replied. "It's too hard."

"Then why haven't you moved out? Why are you letting her take care of you?"

"Because she's all I have."

"But you don't want to be more with her again? You've described her as your soul mate, you world and things like that multiple times. Are you not attracted to her anymore?"

"What? Are you kidding? She's the most beautiful woman on the planet. I'm desperately attracted to her."

"And you love her?"

"Yes."

"Are you in love with her? There's a difference."

"Yes, I'm in love with her."

"So, what's stopping you?"

"I'm scared."

"What are you scared of, Joey?" Helen asked gently.

"Losing her," Joey admitted. "If we're just friends then we can stay that way forever. If you throw in a relationship it gets complicated and confusing. I mean, what if we get back together and something like this happens again? What if we keep breaking up and breaking each other and ourselves apart? I don't want to do that. It's too hard."

"But Charlie's making it clear that she wants you back," Helen pointed out.

Joey nodded.

"So, what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know," Joey said with a shrug. "Ignore it and hope it goes away."

"I'm not sure that's the best idea, Joey."

Burying her head in the sand and ignoring her feelings was what had got her into this mess in the first place.

"You think I should talk to her?"

"I think it would be kinder on both of you if you were both honest about how you're feeling. That's why I suggested the joint session."

"Helen, how do I tell Charlie that I don't want to be with her? We've always been together. And I realise now that Charlie's been waiting patiently for me to be ready but I'm never going to be. It's over."

* * *

Having made a firm decision about Joey by the time she finished her shower, Charlie hurriedly got dressed and dried her hair. She took a short drive to Crumble and waited to get Leah's attention. Her friend, now six months pregnant and defying her parents who were demanding that she marry Vinnie before the baby was born, appeared looking cheerful.

"Hey, Charlie," she said. "What can I get you?"

"A favour," Charlie ventured.

Stepping out from behind the counter, the two women sat down at a table as Charlie explained what she needed.

* * *

Joey didn't go straight home. After talking a long while and pushing over their hour about whether she was really making the right decision, Joey headed for the beach. Parking herself on the sand, she stared out at the waves, wondering how her life had come to this. All she had ever known was Charlie. She didn't want to hurt her and she didn't want to leave her but fear was keeping them apart. And it wasn't a fear she thought she could overcome.

* * *

Charlie was disappointed when she found the house empty on her return from Crumble. She'd expected Joey to be home by now and she couldn't help but worry about where she was and if she was okay. With everything set with Leah, Charlie sat and waited, hoping that Joey would be home soon.

* * *

Joey arrived back home reluctantly at five o'clock. Ruby had already got back and was doing her homework whilst listening to very loud pop music in her bedroom. Making her way to her bedroom, she cracked open the door and smiled when she saw Charlie fast asleep in bed. _It must have been a really long shift_, she thought to herself, moving back downstairs. Flicking the television on, she lay back on the couch, her stomach fraught with knots as she prepared to talk to Charlie.

* * *

Charlie awoke with a start. She hadn't remembered falling asleep. She'd been hanging around the house waiting for Joey to get home and must have passed out while pondering. Standing up and stretching, Charlie headed downstairs, stopping when she saw the familiar form of Joey on the sofa. Joey looked up when she heard footsteps.

"Hi," she greeted. "Good sleep?"

She couldn't deny the fact that Charlie looked absolutely adorable with rumpled clothes and tousled hair. _She could look beautiful in anything_, she thought to herself.

"Yeah," Charlie said, coming to sit beside her. "I didn't manage to sleep after I'd dropped you so I did a few errands and then crashed out."

"Thanks for driving me there this morning. I completely forgot what day it was."

Charlie studied her face, wondering if Joey meant their anniversary or which day of the week it was.

"How was therapy?"

"It was interesting."

Charlie nodded, unsure what that meant, exactly.

"I need to talk to you," they both suddenly said in unison.

Laughing softly, Charlie gestured for Joey to go ahead.

"No, what were you going to say?" Joey asked.

"I'll tell you after. It requires a long talk. And going out."

Joey raised her eyebrows, intrigued.

"What were you going to say?" Charlie asked.

Joey moved to a sitting position, fidgeting and looking uncomfortable under Charlie's gaze.

"Charlie, I... I think I should move back into the spare room."

Charlie felt like the bottom had fallen out of her world. She just stared at Joey who had turned to stare at her feet and play with her hands.

"Why?" Charlie asked.

"Because best friends don't share beds on a regular basis."

"But we always did..."

"Only because we were trying to be close to each other without taking any risks," Joey reminded her.

Charlie nodded, willing the tears in her eyes not to spill over. She chewed her lip.

"Charlie, we both need to move on," Joey ventured, still not looking at her. "I mean, you'll eventually start dating other people and what are you going to do? Tell them that you have to go to their place because your ex-girlfriend is sleeping in your bed?"

"Dating..." Charlie murmured as if it was a foreign concept. "Are you...? Have you met somebody?"

She was terrified of the answer. Joey turned to look at her quickly.

"No! Of course I haven't."

"Then why are you talking about this?" Charlie asked.

"Because we need to accept that we're just friends," Joey said. "We're not getting back together and we need to live with that. I don't want to be apart from you; I don't want us to stop being friends but sleeping together, even platonically, isn't helping either of us. Nothing has ever been platonic with us – you know that."

Charlie swallowed, devastated at the confirmation that it was really all over. Knowing that she was about to fall apart, she stood quickly. Joey looked up at her, looking equally sad.

"Well, if that's what you want," Charlie managed. "I can't force you to stay."

She took a deep breath.

"I'm just going to..."

She gestured towards the exit.

"I thought you wanted to tell me something?" Joey remembered.

"Doesn't matter," Charlie said hurriedly.

She rushed out of the house and into her car, not even bothering to fix her hair before she sped off. Alone on the couch, Joey burst into tears.

* * *

Having sat at the front seat and wept for half an hour, Charlie gathered her senses together and headed into the Diner. Leah greeted her cheerful and then frowned when she saw the obvious state her friend was in. Pulling her to a table, Leah immediately wanted to know what was wrong.

"You don't need to set a table aside for us tonight," Charlie told her.

Leah's face fell.

"Why? I thought..."

"It's not going to happen," Charlie said flatly.

"She turned you down?"

"Before I could even tell her how I felt and how much I want us to get together. She's moving into the spare room and says that we're never going to get back together again."

Charlie cried harder. Leah put her arm around her.

"I just... I know I messed up. I know I hurt her but we've been getting on so well that I thought she'd forgiven me," Charlie sobbed. "I thought... I thought we could get through it."

"I'm sorry, sweetie," Leah said kindly.

"I just assumed that eventually we'd get back together," Charlie said. "I never thought anything would be so bad that we couldn't cope. She wants to be best friends but how can I do that? How can I just be her friend when I'm so in love with her? She's already talking about us dating other people. Leah, I don't want to date anyone else. I just want to be with Joey."

She fell against her friend as she cried, ignoring the fact that people were watching her break down.

"I don't want her to sleep away from me. I don't want to give up on us. We're meant to be together."

"Maybe you should tell her that," Leah suggested.

Charlie looked up and shrugged.

"What's the point? She doesn't love me. Or at least she's not _in love _with me anymore."

"Is that what she said?"

"No. Not exactly. She didn't really give me a reason, to be honest. She just said what she wanted."

"I think you should go and talk to her again. Charlie, Joey loves you. She's always loved you. I don't know why she's so determined to end things with you but you need to find out the reason," Leah said. "If there's a chance that you can change her mind then you should."

Charlie wiped her eyes and nodded.

* * *

Once she had recovered from her own tears, Joey got up and ventured upstairs to start moving her stuff into the spare room. Heavy hearted, she wondered yet again if she was doing the right thing or making a terrible mistake. The look of heartbreak on Charlie's face was etched in her memory. She was making the bed when she heard someone approach the door. She tried to smile when she saw Charlie, recognising her tear stained face.

"Why are you doing this to us?" Charlie asked.

"Charlie..."

"Why? How can you just close the door on our relationship after everything we've been through?"

"I have to," Joey said, feeling choked. "We both do."

"Why?"

"Because..."

"I asked you if you loved me and you said yes. If you love me, why won't you be with me?"

"It's not as simple as that," Joey protested.

"You're wrong," Charlie said quickly.

Joey looked stunned. Charlie ventured into the room and took hold of Joey's hands, looking into her eyes.

"Joey, you and I are meant to be together. From the day we were born, there was something between us. I know we've been through a rough time and I know that you're hurting so much but staying apart, that's not helping either of us. I need you. I can't be your best friend, not when I know how amazing we are together," Charlie said urgently. "We're perfect. We make sense. This... us being apart, that makes no sense."

Joey swallowed and looked down at their hands.

"Please, please don't do this, Joey. Give us another chance. We messed up but we can get over it. We can recover together. We can build ourselves back up. We have to. Joey, I won't survive without you. I love you. I need you. Please be with me again. Please?"

Joey openly cried in front of Charlie who held on tighter to her hands, silently pleading with her to agree.

"I'm afraid," Joey admitted.

Charlie leant in closer and cupped her face.

"What are you afraid of?" she asked.

"Losing you. If we just stay friends then we won't lose each other. If we get back together... Charlie, what if we break up again? What if we're not meant to be together? What if we've been wrong all this time? What if...? Charlie, I can't go through this again. I can't. I'll fall apart and I won't recover. These past few months have been hell. I can't... I can't..."

Joey struggled to breathe. Charlie pulled her into a hug.

"Joey, we won't break up again," she promised.

Joey drew away and looked into Charlie's face, noticing that she was also becoming tearful.

"How do you know that?"

"Because I can't go through this any more than you can. We won't break up because we can't. We'll have learnt from this. We'll know not to jump to conclusions or to shut each other out. We'll know how to go forward. And as far as I'm concerned, my only way forward is with you."

They gazed at each other for a few moments and Charlie leaned in to press their foreheads together.

"We can do this," she said. "We can be together and stay together. We can be happy."

"My issues aren't just going to go away," Joey pointed out.

"I know. I know that. But I want to support you through it all; I want to support you as your girlfriend."

Charlie kissed Joey's forehead.

"Please don't walk away from this. If you don't love me anymore, if you're not attracted to me then I'll try and deal with it. But being afraid of us breaking up isn't a reason to never be together. Joey, I swear to you I've changed. I'll let you in; I won't jump to conclusions... I won't hurt you again, Joey. I won't. I promise. I'll be the best that I can be. I'll do whatever you need me to. It doesn't matter. I'll do anything. I just need to you take a risk and love me again."

Tears rolled down Charlie's cheeks as she begged without any dignity. Joey wrapped her arms around Charlie's shoulders, losing herself in her eyes. Charlie gazed at her trembling lips. Closing the gap between them, she brushed her lips against Joey's, pleased that she didn't pull away. Kissing tenderly, they wrapped their arms a little tighter around each other. The tears on their cheeks mingled as their kiss deepened. Charlie dared to touch Joey's lips with her tongue. Joey felt her heart leap. She opened her mouth and welcomed Charlie inside. Their kiss continued until they were breathless. Finally parting, they smiled shyly at each other.

"You can't walk away from something as amazing as that, can you?" Charlie squeaked.

"No, I can't," Joey admitted. "I'm still scared but we can learn from our mistakes, can't we? We can work through all this mess together?"

"Of course we can," Charlie said, kissing her again.

* * *

Ruby left her room. She stopped at the doorway to the spare room and grinned when she saw Charlie and Joey wrapped up in each other and kissing. Heading downstairs, she called Xavier to arrange going out. She figured that her sisters would want some privacy.

* * *

As they kissed, Charlie nudged Joey gently back to the bed in order to get more comfortable. Joey allowed her to lay her on her back, their lips never parting. Crushed together, having unleashed six months of longing, their kisses became increasingly urgent. Joey ran her hands up and down Charlie's back before reaching out to run her hands through her hair. On top, Charlie allowed her hands to wander. She caressed Joey's face, ran her fingertips along her arm and then found their way to Joey's chest, hoping that she wasn't pushing too hard too soon. Joey moaned against her lips in response, letting Charlie know that the gesture was acceptable. Over Joey's t-shirt, Charlie stroked and massaged her breasts, lust and love combining and threatening to overpower her.

"I've missed you so much," she breathed.

"I've missed you too," Joey replied between kisses. "I love you, Charlie."

"I love you," Charlie said, kissing her harder as her hand continued to explore. "I need you. I want you."

They kissed ever more passionately, their tongues battling and their breathing heavy. Joey turned Charlie onto her back, continuing to kiss her as she ran her hands over Charlie's body. She moved to slip inside Charlie's underwear and enjoyed the warmth she found between her legs. Charlie opened her legs a little wider, granting Joey access to the most intimate area of her body. She'd been aching for her touch and now the mere thought of them making love again was almost enough to drive her over the edge before Joey had even got started. She gasped and kissed Joey harder as she slipped inside her, exploring her. Using her free hand, Charlie moved to the tracksuit bottoms her partner had changed into in her absence. Joey tensed momentarily at the thought of Charlie encountering her scars but Charlie hastily landed inside Joey's underwear, not touching her legs. Relieved, Joey relaxed into her touch, permitting penetration. Their both settled their thumbs on each other's clitorises, pleasuring each other in unison. Still kissing, both women could barely breathe but the need to be together overpowered any other feeling. Charlie felt the first waves of orgasm begin to hit her. She tried to curb them, wanting to wait for Joey. Their sex may have been hurried and urgent but it was no less intimate than it always had been. Joey clung a little tighter. Charlie smiled and kissed her. Together they cascaded into bliss. Breathing heavily, Joey rested on Charlie's body. Both of them were perspiring. Continuing to kiss, they clung to each other. Finally releasing Charlie's lips, Joey gazed into her eyes.

"I'm sorry for hurting you," she whispered.

"I'm sorry for hurting you," Charlie said, brushing Joey's hair back. "But we're okay now. We love each other and we want to be together and that's the most important thing. Nothing else matters."

Joey snuggled tighter into Charlie's embrace.

"Happy anniversary, by the way," Charlie said.

Joey jolted, feeling terribly guilty that she'd forgotten.

"Charlie, I'm so sorry, I..."

"It's okay," Charlie replied gently. "You didn't even know what day of the week it was this morning. I understand that you haven't been following dates."

Joey nodded, still feeling a little guilty. They kissed softly.

"Perfect day to get back together, hey?" Charlie grinned.

"Perfect."


	56. Chapter 56

_Hi everyone. Sorry for the delay in updating. I had a fairly heavy hospital appointment and a pretty long day yesterday but I'm back now! I hope you enjoy this chapter as Charlie and Joey try to move their relationship on... IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Fifty-Six**

**April 2010**

Joey reluctantly opened her eyes. She immediately felt the warmth of Charlie curled up beside her, her arms wrapped around her body. Smiling, Joey turned and kissed the top of Charlie's head. After their passionate encounter in the spare room, Charlie had told Joey that originally, her plan had been to have a special dinner in Crumble, which she'd previously arranged with Leah and then she was going to tell her exactly how she felt. Disentangling themselves, the two had gone to Crumble anyway and thankfully Leah had been on hand to cook them the same meal that Charlie had originally ordered.

They'd shared a nice dinner and come home to an elated Ruby who assured them that she'd only seen them kissing and then scampered off to give them some privacy. Both Charlie and Joey were grateful she hadn't found them a little later than that. It would have been very embarrassing! Arriving home, both women had been tired from such a long and emotional day. They'd fallen into bed in each other's arms and drifted off to sleep. Now, in the morning light, Charlie stirred beside her, blinking. Her lips curved into a smile as she remembered what had happened the previous evening. They kissed softly, wishing each other good morning.

"I wish I didn't have to go to work today," Charlie frowned at the kitchen table.

She never wanted to leave Joey again now that she had her back.

"Me too!" Joey said, reaching to hug Charlie and thus prevent her from departing.

Charlie chuckled and kissed her.

"I'll be home by five," she promised.

"I look forward to it."

* * *

"Someone looks cheerful for the first time in forever!" Watson smirked when Charlie arrived at work.

Charlie's grin got wider. She leant against the reception desk.

"Joey and I are back together," she revealed.

"About fucking time!" Watson exclaimed, making Charlie laugh and a few other officers look round at them. "I'm really happy for you, Charlie. You and Joey being apart was just wrong!"

"Tell me about it!" Charlie agreed.

* * *

At home alone, Joey busied herself with cleaning and going through her accounts. She was torn between joy and terror. While she was thrilled to be back with Charlie, her fears were still there. They were happy now but she couldn't help but panic over whether it would last. And she had so much mess in her mind left to fix. What if she dragged Charlie down with her? Would Charlie cope if she hurt herself again? It was one thing if they were just friends but if they were partners, it would be worse. Staring at the papers in front of her, she decided that the joint session Helen had offered her was probably a good idea. It would help them talk about how they felt.

* * *

Charlie charged through the day, desperately longing to get home and back to the woman she loved. She hadn't been able to stop thinking about Joey all day and every time she did, she started smiling like an idiot. It felt like life was slowly getting back to the way it was meant to be. Of course it wasn't going to be plain sailing. They still had a lot to work through but she felt happier that they could now work through it together. Sailing through the door, she called her lover's name. Making her way up to the bedroom, she found Joey reading in bed. Joey smiled and immediately dropped her book, opening up her arms to welcome Charlie into them. Charlie bounded onto the bed without even bothering to take her shoes off. Landing in Joey's embrace, she kissed her. Joey wrapped her arms around her, letting their kisses speak a thousand words.

"I missed you," Charlie said, finally drawing away.

"I missed you too," Joey smiled.

Charlie sat up and kicked her boots off. Returning to Joey's arms, she kissed her again, letting her tongue explore. Trailing her mouth down her jaw and to her neck, Charlie was desperate to be as close to Joey as possible. Joey ran her fingers up and down Charlie's back before finding their way into her hair. Charlie returned to Joey's mouth.

"I love you so much," she breathed.

Every time she thought about them being together, she couldn't help but consider all the time they had wasted and it made her feel emotional. She slipped a hand to the buttons on Joey's shirt. Joey kissed her harder and permitted her to explore. The make up sex from the day before hadn't involved any shedding of clothes. They had been so hurried and urgent that there hadn't been time for anything like that.

"I love you too," Joey said.

She lay back as Charlie began to kiss her breasts, releasing them from her bra. Taking each one in turn into her mouth, Charlie relished the feel of having her girlfriend back all as her very own. She slipped her hand down between Joey's legs. Before she knew what had happened, Charlie had been flipped onto her back. Joey straddled her and undid her buttons quickly, giving Charlie the kind of attention she had received. Surprised, Charlie lay back, willing to let her do whatever she wanted. Joey kissed her way down Charlie's body, carefully shrugging her out her clothes and paying particular attention to her favourite parts. Reaching Charlie's waistband, she undid the button and zip and easing them down off her legs. Settling between her thighs, Joey kissed them and slowly guided Charlie's underwear off. After taking a moment to savour how beautiful she was, Joey moved back up and kissed Charlie's mouth. It deepened immediately. Slowly parting, Joey moved back down, intent on using her mouth and fingers to make Charlie happy.

* * *

A short while later, Joey was resting on top of Charlie who couldn't stop kissing her and stroking her hair. Her hands slipped down to Joey's breasts again, wanting to offer the same pleasure she had received. Easing Joey onto her back, Charlie sat up and began to fumble with the fastening of Joey's jeans. Joey put her hand on top of hers.

"I'm kind of exhausted," she said. "Can we just cuddle?"

Disappointed, Charlie accepted her words and came to lie back in Joey's arms again.

"Whatever you want," she said, kissing her cheek.

Joey hugged her a little tighter.

* * *

The following night, Charlie was in the kitchen making drinks for her and Joey before bed. When she arrived in the bedroom, Joey was already in her pyjamas. Charlie handed over the mug along with a kiss. She felt as infatuated as she always had. They put their drinks down quickly and Charlie nudged Joey back onto the mattress. Wrapping herself around her, they kissed softly. Charlie couldn't quite resist slipping her hand beneath the fabric of Joey's pyjama top. She grinned when she realised her partner had already shed her bra. Joey kissed her as Charlie began to tease her body. Moving her hands down, Charlie attempted to remove Joey's trousers. Joey kissed her harder and pulled her hands back up to her breasts. Charlie lifted the shirt and nuzzled Joey's breasts, kissing them and enjoying the taste of her skin.

"Our hot chocolates are getting cold," Joey murmured.

Charlie shrugged. She slipped her hand back down.

"We really shouldn't waste them," Joey said, sitting back up.

Sighing, Charlie moved away. They tucked themselves into bed and sipped their drinks.

"Joey, am I doing something wrong here?" Charlie asked worriedly.

"What?" Joey replied, startled.

"You keep pushing me away. Am I doing something wrong?"

"I'm not pushing you away."

"You won't let me touch you," Charlie pointed out.

"Charlie, you were just playing with my breasts like there was no tomorrow!"

Joey giggled to show she was teasing.

"But... but when I try to do more, you're not interested."

"We've had sex," Joey reminded her. "On the first day. And yesterday."

"But yesterday you didn't want me to um... return the favour," Charlie frowned.

"I was tired."

"And now?"

"I wanted the hot chocolate that my beautiful girlfriend so lovingly made for me."

She leant over and kissed Charlie gently. Her girlfriend still looked unsure.

"Please tell me if there's something wrong," she said.

"There's nothing wrong."

"Have I lost my touch or something?"

"What? No! Charlie, I love you and I want to be with you. Alright?"

Charlie kissed her back and focussed on her drink.

* * *

An hour later, Charlie rested back on the pillows, exhaling hard. Joey's face appeared before her as she snuggled in. Charlie reached out to kiss her lips.

"That was amazing," she breathed.

Joey looked particularly proud of herself as she returned Charlie's kiss. Charlie rolled them over and began to pay her own kind of attention to Joey's body. Taking the tip of one breast in her mouth, she guided her hand down. Joey instinctively reached out and gripped her wrist. Charlie jerked up and read discomfort in her partner's face.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked.

"Nothing."

"Are you sure? Because you might break my wrist if you don't let go."

"Sorry!" Joey said, releasing her.

Charlie kissed her gently and let her hand resume its journey.

"Don't!" Joey snapped quickly, ducking out of Charlie's grasp.

Charlie sat up feeling heartbroken. Joey pulled her knees up beneath her chin feeling guilty and ashamed.

"If you don't want to be with me, you could have just said so," Charlie said softly.

She sat up and pulled her pyjamas out from underneath her pillow, suddenly feeling very exposed.

"Charlie, it's not that."

"Then what is it?"

"I'm... I'm on my period," Joey lied.

"No you're not," Charlie said certainly. "You and I have had the same cycle since we were teenagers and I finished mine last week."

Joey rested her face on her knees.

"Joey, if you didn't want to get back together, you should have just said so. It's not fair to mess me around and lead me on like this. I've got no idea where I stand with you anymore."

Charlie became tearful. She perched on the edge of the bed, turning her body away from Joey. Looking up at her, Joey felt terrible. She moved across the bed and hugged Charlie from behind.

"Don't," Charlie said sadly. "There's no need to let me down gently. You've already made your feelings perfectly clear."

She tried to shrug her away but Joey held on tight.

"I love you, Charlie," she promised.

"But you're not in love with me, right?"

"I'm in love with you. I'm crazily, hopelessly, desperately in love with you. You're my soul mate, the most perfect person I have ever known and I want to spend my life with you."

"Just so long as I keep my hands to myself," Charlie concluded.

"Charlie, I'm sorry," Joey said, sighing heavily. "It's not that I don't want to."

"Then what is it?" Charlie asked, turning to face her.

"I'm afraid."

"Of what?"

Charlie searched Joey's eyes as Joey struggled to find a way to explain.

"I don't want you to see my scars," she finally admitted.

Drawing back from Charlie again, Joey scooted to her side of the bed and resumed her protective position. Charlie whirled around to look at her.

"That's what this is about? Your scars?"

Joey nodded, shame flooding her soul. Charlie moved closer.

"Joey, I don't care about your scars," she said. "I mean, I do care. Obviously I care. I feel sad every time I think about what you've been through. I care lots. But seeing the scars... They won't hurt me, Joey. They won't make me judge you, they won't make me cringe, they won't make you any less beautiful."

"You haven't seen them. Not properly. They're ugly."

"They could never make _you _ugly though, Joey."

"I just feel so ashamed of them. I don't want you to have to deal with them. The first night we got back together was fine because we kept our clothes on and you never had to encounter them but now... when you keep trying to take my clothes off, when you keep trying to be with me... all I can think about is what you're going to find."

"I'm not going to find anything that scares me away. Joey, I love you and I accept you for everything you are and everything you've been through. This self-injury thing... it's heartbreaking. But it doesn't make me love you any less. It doesn't make me want you any less. And the after effects... the scars, they don't do that either. I love every inch of your body and your soul. Please don't shut me out like this."

Joey looked up with a tear-stained face.

"You really don't think you're going to be repulsed by them?" she asked.

"I know I'm not."

Joey got up and shed her pyjama bottoms. She threw herself back onto the bed and waited for the look of horror to creep onto Charlie's face. Charlie moved closer, looking at the row of angry scars on the inside of both Joey's legs. Joey sat back, crying silently, waiting for the inevitable.

"Do they hurt?" Charlie asked, looking into her face.

"No. I haven't cut for a couple of weeks."

Charlie reached out and stroked each thigh, allowing her fingers to come into contact ever so gently and briefly with the marks.

"See?" Charlie said. "You're beautiful."

Joey cried a little harder. Charlie leaned into her and kissed her mouth softly.

"I told you two days ago that I would love you for the rest of my life, no matter what."

She touched Joey's skin again.

"No matter what," she repeated.


	57. Chapter 57

_Hi everyone. Sorry I haven't updated when I said I would. When I updated Forbidden, it looked like my Dad was getting better but he took a turn for the worse on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning and we lost him. I'm sure you all understand that with my Dad passing away, I haven't been able to think about fanfiction, although I will now try and update more regularly as I need some kind of outlet and distraction from my grief. Thank you all for your patience and to everyone who wished us and him well when he was recovering. Someone specially requested an update for this story so this is the one I've chosen to do. I hope you like it. IJKS xx_

**Chapter Fifty-Seven**

**April 2010**

It had been a couple of days and Charlie and Joey were starting to relax a little more with each other. They were still taking baby steps and Joey was still nervous of messing things up or them having some kind of problem. She was frightened of losing Charlie now that she'd got her back, although her girlfriend had been nothing but loving and attentive. And after her initial nerves over them being intimate, Joey felt reassured enough to feel comfortable again. Joey finished showering and crept back into the bedroom where Charlie was still sleeping. She began to dry off and dress.

"Nice view," Charlie murmured.

Wearing only her underwear, Joey turned around and grinned. She slid over to the bed and sat down.

"Half asleep and still so cheeky," she said.

She bent to kiss her good morning. Charlie pulled her in for a deeper greeting.

"Did you sleep well?" she asked when she finally released her lips.

"Okay. Ish."

Charlie sat up and eyed her curiously.

"Only 'ish'? What was wrong?"

"I just couldn't seem to settle."

"Do I need to check you over?" Charlie asked.

With that, she moved Joey onto her back. She felt her forehead and kissed her cheeks and her lips. Joey giggled as she nuzzled into her neck, kissing her pulse point.

"So far so good," Charlie said.

She leant back up and kissed her again.

"I love you," Joey giggled.

They rubbed noses.

"I love you too," Charlie told her. "Now, what's on your mind?"

Joey sighed. She kissed Charlie again.

"Charlie, would you consider coming the therapy with me one day?" she asked.

"Come with you? Like into the room?"

"Yeah. Helen offered us a joint session and I think it might be a good idea. What do you think?"

"If you want me to be there, I will be."

"I just wonder if it would help," Joey ventured. "I mean, we've been through all this and it's not just about me. You've been hurting too. And as far as I'm aware, you haven't really talked about it."

"I've chatted a little to Watson. But um, no, I guess I haven't."

"And you must have feelings about the whole thing. Maybe there's some stuff you'd like to talk to me about, or talk generally about. And with Helen it would be a safe space."

Charlie nodded and kissed Joey again.

"Book it and I'll be there," she promised.

* * *

Monday rolled around and Charlie, having booked the morning off work, drove herself and Joey to Helen's place of work. Charlie privately admitted to being nervous. She'd never seen a therapist before and she had no idea what it was going to be like. Still, she wanted to support Joey and be there for whatever she needed and if that was it then she was happy to oblige. Holding hands, they sat in the waiting room and waited for Joey's therapist to come out and meet them.

Ten minutes later, Charlie and Joey were sat side by side in Helen's office as the therapist explained what a joint session was all about. Both women were nervous. It felt strange for Joey to welcome Charlie into her sanctuary where she had been battling with her demons all this time. And Charlie wasn't quite sure what she was doing there. She had been surprised to be invited and she wasn't sure so keen on sharing all her thoughts and feelings with a stranger but if it would help Joey feel better then she was pretty much willing to do anything. That New Year's Eve when she'd found Joey angry and bleeding in the spare room, she'd been so terrified of losing her. She hadn't understood what was happening. She hadn't known anything about self-injury or anything like that. They'd been working their way through this world, figuring it out together all this time and she supposed going to this session was just another part of that process.

* * *

"You're perkier these days," Xavier commented as he and Ruby walked to school with Annie and Jai.

Ruby's smile grew. She leant over and kissed him.

"I am," she agreed.

"I take it things are better at home."

"Yep," Ruby nodded.

Since October, things had been more than tense at home. So much so that Ruby had even considered going to live with her Dad although she hadn't been pushed quite that far yet. But at New Year, Joey had had some kind of accident and it had brought her and Charlie back together as friends. The atmosphere had settled a little and then last week, the tension had finally broken and they were back together. Home was definitely a happier place now.

* * *

"Perhaps Charlie, you could just talk Joey and I through all your feelings?" Helen suggested.

Charlie tensed.

"All my feelings?" she asked, glancing nervously at Joey.

"When Joey injures herself. How do you feel?"

Charlie swallowed and chewed her lip.

"Charlie, it's okay," Joey said gently. "Just be honest. That's what we're here for."

"Okay. Um... well, it... uh, it hurts. When she... when you hurt yourself. It hurts. I feel helpless, like I've let you down somehow. I wonder why you couldn't talk to me about whatever upset you. I wonder why you had to cut instead. But then rationally I know it's something I know you have to go through. And I am trying to understand."

"We don't have to be rational right now, Charlie," Helen said. "We just have to own our feelings."

"Okay," Charlie sighed. "It hurts."

Joey nodded.

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

"I'm trying."

"I know. And you're doing so much better."

"How have things been since you got back together?" Helen asked.

"They've been good," Joey said. "We've had some issues but mostly, they've been good."

"What kind of issues have come up?"

"I was afraid of... of Charlie seeing my scars," Joey admitted.

"Have you let her see them?"

"Yes."

"And how has that been?"

"It's been fine. Charlie was perfect."

"Charlie, was seeing Joey's scars difficult for you? Honestly?" Helen asked.

"Joey's scars don't matter to me," Charlie replied. "I was upset because Joey wouldn't tell me what was wrong. It turned out that she was ashamed of the marks on her legs. But I don't care about them. I love Joey. I'm not going to be put off by something like that."

Joey looked genuinely relieved.

"I guess I just find them so ugly that I assume Charlie does too."

"But I don't," Charlie said quickly. "We've been through so much together that it'd take more than a few scars to break us apart. Not that they don't mean anything. I know you've been through a lot."

Charlie didn't want to dismiss Joey's trauma but she also wanted to reassure her that their love was stronger. Joey nodded in understanding.

"I just want to move on from this," she said. "Together. It's been six months. I want to start getting my life back together."

"Joey, you are," Helen said. "You're making a lot of progress. These things don't happen overnight."

"I guess."

"We're not dealing here with something small. When you began hurting yourself, it was a reaction to a lifetime of pain. On the surface, it might have appeared to have been about your separation from Charlie but we've already established that it was more than that, haven't we?"

Joey nodded.

"And it will take a little while to heal from that. But you'll get there. Little by little, you'll get there."

* * *

**September 2010**

Charlie reluctantly prised her lips away from Joey's as she dropped her off on her way to work. Joey giggled as Charlie gripped her, teasing another kiss from her mouth before they finally parted. Sitting back in the driver's seat, Charlie watched Joey head onto the trawler. Owning a fishing business meant very early mornings for Joey but being a Senior Constable meant that Charlie was in charge of the rota to a degree so she could choose her own shifts. Generally these days, she started early and finished early so that she could fit in with Joey and drop her off at the docks before she headed to the station. The end of the previous year and the first half of 2010 had been difficult to say the least but things were looking up now. They still had their off days and Joey still had difficult moments and the odd encounter with a knife, or desire to, but they were coping and most importantly, they were coping together.

* * *

Ruby, Xavier, Geoff, Annie and Jai were in the school corridor organising themselves before class.

"We should have a party," Ruby decided.

Xavier's eyes lit up.

"Where?" he asked, knowing it would be difficult to get away from adult supervision.

Ruby pondered the question. Charlie and Joey were easy going but they weren't likely to let them run riot at home.

"I haven't worked that part out yet," she admitted. "What do you guys think?"

"Don't ask me," Jai said.

Annie shrugged. Everyone turned to Geoff who looked far away. Xavier waved a hand in front of his face. Ruby turned to see what he was looking at. Blonde and beautiful Nicole Franklin, the long lost daughter of Roman, Charlie's ex-fling was not so far away. Geoff had been captivated since he'd first laid eyes on her. Everyone sighed. Nicole didn't even know Geoff was alive.

"Come on, mate," Xavier said. "Let's get you to class."

"What?" Geoff asked, snapping back to attention.

"Never mind," Ruby giggled.

* * *

Belle woke up with a start. She glanced at the clock. It was ten o'clock and either her alarm hadn't sounded or she'd shut it off and fallen back to sleep.

"Shit!" she bellowed.

Leaping out of bed, she hit a slumbering Hugo with a pillow. He sat up quickly, grumbling.

"What?" he moaned.

"I overslept!" she complained, throwing some clothes on. "I'm going to be late for work!"

"That's not my fault!"

"Who's fault is it?"

"I didn't make you smoke, Belle!" Hugo reminded her, rolling over and trying to get back to sleep.

Being late was her problem, not his. Looking a state and desperately late for work, Belle hurried out the door.

* * *

Leah just about managed to navigate the pushchair into Crumble. She missed working in the restaurant since going on maternity leave to look after her baby boy, VJ, and visited her colleagues often but in all honesty it was nice to take time off. And bonding with her son was wonderful. She felt like she was taking to motherhood well and VJ made her happier than anything. She and Vinnie were a proper family unit now and they were finally going to get married. They'd resisted before in order to defy their parents. Now they wanted to get married because they really wanted to, not because they were meant to. Spotting Martha sipping coffee in the corner, Leah made her way over and hoped she would be welcome. With her friend struggling to conceive a child, Leah worried that she was parading VJ in front of her and that was never what she never meant to do.

"Hi," she said.

Martha looked up and smiled, gesturing for her to sit down.

"Hey," she said.

She turned to VJ in his pram.

"Hey, little guy," she cooed. "Can I?"

Leah nodded. Martha reached in and picked her friend's son up, holding him. VJ immediately smiled and reached for Martha's long hair, playing with it.

"He's so beautiful, Leah," Martha said. "You're so lucky."

"I know," Leah said softly.

They both smiled.

"It will happen for you," Leah said certainly.

"I hope so. If it doesn't, I just don't know what Jack and I are going to do."

* * *

"Hey, dreamer," Watson remarked, setting a fresh cup of coffee down in front of Charlie.

It had been a slow morning so far and for that everyone was grateful. Charlie was still living in a daydream, Jack was in a world of his own and Watson had her own issues. She wasn't sure she was quite ready to talk about them yet, if ever at all. It didn't seem right, especially not in light of everything her friends were going through. Charlie looked up and smiled guiltily at having been caught having happy thoughts.

"I'm glad everything worked out for you," Watson said.

She felt protective of Charlie, having known her since she was in an innocent recruit at training. The girls had been roommates and even kissed each other at one time while Charlie was trying to figure out her feelings for women in general and in particular, for Joey.

"Finally," Charlie said. "It's been a very long year."

Watson nodded. The two women glanced over at Jack who was buried in paperwork looking miserable. They hadn't seen him this unhappy since he and Martha had split up over Hugo.

"He looks like he's going through hell."

Jack and Martha had been desperately trying to conceive a child with no luck. Even with medical assistance they were getting nowhere and Jack was now suffering issues with his masculinity. He and Martha weren't communicating very easily and both seemed depressed. Neither Watson nor Charlie could imagine their home life was much fun right now.

"Let's take him out to lunch," Charlie said.

She was aware that she'd needed her friends when she had been lonely and now Jack needed her and Watson. Her old housemate jumped up but stopped short when the phone rang. She sighed and answered it rolling her eyes to indicate to Charlie that lunch was off and duty called. Jack and food would have to wait. Their unhappy friend remained oblivious to their plot.

* * *

Joey was thoroughly enjoying being back out on the water. She'd been nervous the first few times but now it felt like she'd finally come home. She was comforted to know that Aden was there and that he would always have her back. Since that first day they'd met on the beach, they'd known they would be friends for life. And since she and Aden were in charge of the boat, Gibsy had calmed down. All Joey was waiting for was him to finally leave. It would make her day. She had never really liked him. Her new crew member, whom she'd brought into replace Kayla was a woman called Sarah who seemed very nice. For her own sanity, Joey had stayed a safe distance away from her just in case Charlie got the wrong idea somehow but she was nice. At thirty, she was a little older and had a rather infectious laugh. She'd been working on boats her whole life like Joey had and from what she'd seen so far and based on Aden's reports, she was a very hard worker. Tall and blonde with musclar arms, Sarah was very open about herself, although Joey hadn't asked much. So far she had learnt that she was an out lesbian who didn't really do relationships but couldn't resist a challenge. Pulling back into shore for lunch, Joey watched Aden and Sarah muck around. Gibsy rolled his eyes. Joey grinned. She was beginning to relax more and more. She felt like she had aged a lot over the past year when really she wasn't even twenty five yet.

"Hey!" Aden yelled. "You coming to Crumble for lunch?"

Joey nodded. Aden beamed back at her.

"And someone needs to be grilled about her birthday party," he teased.

"Birthday party?" Sarah asked.

"Our boss here's turning twenty five," Aden explained.

Sarah shook her head and picked up her bag.

"I forget you're all still babies," she grumbled.

* * *

Belle stormed out of work feeling a complete wreck. How could she have been fired? She'd never been fired or failed at anything! She thought she had been doing such a good job at keeping her job and her recreational habits separate but her boss had apparently cottoned on and now she was fired. All her dreams of being an award winning journalist and photographer were over. Everything was over. She pulled out her phone and called Hugo, bypassing the ever present desire to flee into Aden's arms.

* * *

"Jack Holden get your butt outside now," Watson demanded.

Jack furrowed his brow at the sound of his friend barking orders down the phone.

"We're taking you to lunch," she explained a little more gently. "We'll be pulling up in about thirty seconds."

He laughed. The sound seemed almost alien.

"I'll be waiting," he promised, hanging up and gathering his stuff together.

* * *

Joey, Aden and Sarah headed to Crumble for lunch. Since Leah had gone on maternity leave, Roman had stepped in as head chef. Nobody had been quite so sure at first, least of all Joey but really, no-one could deny that he was damn good at what he did, which was surprising considering his previous employment had been nothing to do with cooking. Charlie had made her lack of interest perfectly clear, although Joey was aware that it didn't stop Roman flirting with her. Fortunately, Joey felt confidant enough these days that her paranoia had subsided. Charlie didn't flirt back, Roman was part of her past, and she loved Joey only. And that was more than enough for her.

"So, what are these birthday plans then?" Sarah asked.

"There are none," Joey said firmly, shaking her head.

"Joey!" Aden protested. "Charlie said..."

Joey sighed. Charlie was desperate for her to have a party.

"You should party," Sarah said certainly.

"I really don't want a fuss."

"You never want a fuss," Aden complained.

"Never, ever wants a fuss," a female voice behind Joey agreed.

Joey's face lit up. Looking up, she saw Charlie hovering over her. She was met with a kiss.

"Mind if we join you?" Charlie asked.

"Of course not!" Joey enthused, thrilled that her girlfriend was there.

Charlie, Watson and Jack pulled up three more chairs and made their introductions to Sarah who they had never met before. Watson couldn't quite resist checking the new woman out. She was enchanting. She firmly reminded herself that she was in a committed relationship and immediately felt guilty.

"I presume we interrupted a conversation about your birthday," Charlie said, picking up a menu.

"Yes, and how I am not having a party," Joey said pointedly.

"You have to have a party!" Aden insisted.

"Yep. If I'm invited, of course," Sarah smirked. "If I'm not, I don't really care."

Watson snorted and then blushed.

"You need a party," she told Joey.

"I think you're out voted, Joey," Jack concluded.

"Is there such a thing a little party?" Joey asked.

"Of course there is," Watson said.

She and Charlie exchanged glances, both recalling the kind of parties that Watson used to instigate at police training. There had been nothing little about them.

"And you're of course invited," Joey added, smiling at Sarah who looked pleased.

* * *

"Hugo, I think we've got too deep into this," Belle said.

She stretched out onto the sand and closed her eyes. Hugo frowned, immediately tense. He liked being with Belle. She was pretty and funny and she filled the void that Martha had left. But he was aware that without the substance of their relationship there would be nothing between them. He didn't want her to give it up. Then she would give him up too.

"Belle, we're fine," he assured her.

In truth, although she didn't know it, he didn't use as much as she did. He wasn't as heavily involved as she was and although he felt guilty about it, it was the only way he could keep control and force that loneliness away.

"Here," he said, offering her a pill. "I know you had a shit day. Forget about it all now."

* * *

An hour later, Aden, Joey and Sarah headed back towards the docks to start work again while Charlie, Watson and Jack made their way back to the car. Charlie and Joey had paused of course to kiss each other goodbye while the others made inappropriate sappy noises, making the girls blush. Watson couldn't help letting her gaze linger on Sarah a little longer than she ought to as they all parted. She was about to climb into the passenger seat when she heard high pitched shrieking coming from the beach. She and Charlie exchanged glances. Nobody sounded in pain but they did sound wild. Charlie nodded, silently agreeing that they should check it out. Locking the patrol car back up, the three police officers headed down to the beach.

* * *

"I'm fucking free!" Belle bellowed.

Hugo laughed as he watched his girlfriend leap around on the sand. Coming down would, as usual be very hard on her. He liked taking care of her though. He liked being the person she relied on, the person she needed. And right now, she was making him laugh. He looked up and saw Charlie, Watson and Jack approaching. Knowing he had a packet of pills in his bag, he panicked. Getting to his feet quickly, he fled.

"Where are you going?" Belle called after him, sounding utterly confused. "Hey! Hugo?"

Hugo continued to power across the sand.

"Prick!" Belle hollered as soon as she saw the cops.

* * *

Jack broke into a run as soon as he saw Hugo take off across the sand. If that wasn't an admission of guilt for something, he didn't know what was. But with such a head start, there was no way he was going to catch up with him. He gave up, exhausted and breathless with Hugo already out of sight. When he returned to his colleagues, they were attempting to talk a confused Belle down from her state of hyperactivity.

"Get your fucking hands off me!" Belle yelled.

"Belle, what have you taken?" Charlie asked.

"Nothing! I'm high on life!"

"Yeah, right," Watson said, rolling her eyes.

She nodded to Jack to search through her stuff, prompting a tirade of abuse. Once he'd found the pills in the bag, they unhappily arrested her for possession of an illegal substance and led her to the car, mostly to keep her out of harm's way than anything else.

* * *

That night, Martha and Jack lay side by side in bed, not touching. He'd told her about the day's events with arresting Belle and not being able to find Hugo. Martha hadn't really had much to say about it. Talking about Hugo wasn't really the done thing in their house, especially at the moment when things were so difficult between them. She wondered if life would ever get better than this.

* * *

Belle sat in her temporary jail cell. Charlie had told her they were holding her overnight and they would decide in the morning if they were charging her. She'd let herself into the cell and sat down with her, asking her how deeply she was into drugs. Belle hadn't wanted to talk about it but she'd agreed to call her old foster mother who had agreed to drive down overnight so she could be there by morning. Belle wasn't sure if she was glad or sad about it. Charlie had broached the subject of rehab but Belle had shut her down. She didn't need that kind of thing.

* * *

Carol was sound asleep, snoring softly. Watson lay awake, wondering how much longer she could keep pretending. She was ashamed of herself but she was bored. Carol was wonderful but it felt like nothing they did was interesting anymore. Everything was the same old routine and they had nothing left to say to each other. Their sex life was pretty much over and they didn't really communicate. They loved each other. They loved each other beyond the telling of it. But these days it felt like two best friends lived together instead of a couple. And Watson was feeling fidgety, like she wanted to move on. She missed her police academy days. She missed being single, wild and free. Sighing, Watson rolled over and shut her eyes. An image of Sarah flashed into her brain. She didn't want to hurt Carol but she wasn't sure she wanted to be with her anymore.

* * *

Hugo paced his bedroom in the house he shared with his mother and two brothers, having only just got home. He'd been sneaking round town all afternoon, knowing that the police were looking for him, having caught Belle high and with his stash of pills. He needed his personal belongings back from his bag. And he needed to get the hell out of town.

* * *

Charlie and Joey curled up in each other's arms in the darkness. Both women were distressed by what had happened to Belle. Like Joey, she had got into a terrible mess. They'd stayed up until well into the night talking about it.

"It seems very inappropriate to have a birthday party now," Joey said.

"Don't you think you can get out of this one, Missy," Charlie warned.

Joey laughed as she kissed her on the nose.

"You have had one hell of a year and I for one think it's absolutely essential that we celebrate your life in style," Charlie said softly.

They kissed tenderly.

"I love you," Joey whispered.

"I love you too. Words can't express how much."


	58. Chapter 58

_Hi everyone. Sorry for the delay. I had a very unwell weekend. But here is an update of Interwoven! Enjoy! IJKS xx_

**Chapter Fifty Eight**

**September 2010**

Irene Roberts sighed as she parked outside the police station. She closed her eyes and readied herself for going inside and protecting her girl. The police officer who had got in touch with her seemed to be nice enough and Irene desperately hoped that they would go easy on her.

* * *

"Hey, guys, Nicole Franklin's throwing a beach party tonight," Geoff announced, bounding up to his friends in the school corridor.

"So?" Annie said.

She had no idea what her brother saw in the new girl.

"So, we should go," he urged. "We were all looking for a party and now... now we've got one!"

Ruby grinned.

"Sounds good to me," she said.

Xavier nodded in agreement and slipped his arm around Ruby's shoulders.

"I'm not so sure Nicole's the kind of party person we want to hang around with," Annie said uncertainly. "I mean... look at her."

Everyone looked. She was standing not so far away with three boys hanging around her, including the school bully, Trey Palmer and the school charmer, aptly named Romeo. Annie held Jai's hand a little tighter. Romeo hadn't been at school for long but even she wasn't blind enough not to be attracted to him. She knew Ruby thought he was hot too, although obviously neither girl was willing to announce this to their boyfriends.

"I think going to Nicole's party is a great idea," Ruby announced. "And an even greater one is grabbing some booze to go with it."

"No way!" Annie objected.

The last time Ruby had got drunk, she and Xavier had ended up in a world of trouble with their families and Annie was not willing to be part of it.

"Oh, we'll behave," Xavier grinned. "Come on..."

Annie sighed.

"Fine," she said. "I'm in."

"Me too," said Jai.

"Geoff?" Ruby asked.

Still gazing at Nicole, he paid no attention.

"Geoff? Geoffrey?"

There was still no response.

"Oi!" Ruby bellowed.

He jumped and turned back to her in surprise.

"We're going," Ruby told him.

"Where?"

His mind was still lost in the realm of the girl he was besotted with. Ruby rolled her eyes in exasperation.

* * *

Aden and Joey headed for lunch together. He eyed his friend a little suspiciously. She'd taken him away from Sarah and Gibsy as if she wanted to talk to him in private. Sitting together on the beach, they began to unpack their sandwiches.

"What's up, Joey?" he asked.

"It's Belle."

Aden's hand stopped mid-way to his mouth.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"Charlie had to arrest her yesterday," Joey began to explain.

Aden threw his sandwich back down into its wrapping.

"What do you mean?" he demanded. "What happened?"

Joey sighed.

"It looks like she and Hugo have been... high on more than life," she said.

"High... as in... drugs?"

Joey nodded.

"Charlie's dealing with her now. Her foster mother has come in to be with her and Charlie's obviously going to go as lightly on Belle as possible. She thinks she needs a spell in rehab more than anything else and she's going to recommend that to the court when she goes."

"When will it be?"

"I don't know. But I can find out for you."

"And how's Belle?" Aden asked, full of concern.

"She's struggling," Joey told her honestly. "She was held overnight and she's having withdrawal from whatever it is she's got herself addicted to."

Aden sighed.

"And this is Hugo's fault?" he asked angrily.

"I guess. Although, he didn't force her to get involved in his lifestyle."

"I'm going to kill him," Aden threatened darkly.

"He's skipped town," she said. "Nobody's seen him. Not his family, his friends... nobody. He ran off when Charlie, Jack and Watson made the arrest."

He shook his head, debating whether to go and see his ex-girlfriend or stay as far away as possible.

* * *

Belle sat in her cell. She'd been interviewed again by Charlie who she supposed had been kind but still it felt like she was looking down on her. Once upon a time, they had been equals. They had gone on double dates with Aden and Joey and they'd hung out as friends. Now, Charlie was organising a court hearing. Still, she had let Irene come and be with her, albeit through the cell doors. Irene had promised that she would stay with her for as long as she was allowed. She'd said that whatever happened next, she would stick around and support her. It felt good to have her back after not really spending any time together. Irene hadn't wanted her to leave in the first place but Belle had assured her she would be safe and well. Sighing, she considered herself a complete failure.

* * *

Charlie arrived home after a long day at work. She was grateful it was done with, although she still had to talk to Joey about the next day. As if on cue, her girlfriend sauntered through the door. They wrapped their arms around each other and kissed lightly on the lips.

"How did it go?" Joey asked, referring to Belle.

"She's got a court hearing first thing tomorrow," Charlie explained. "I've put in a recommendation but they want me to appear in person."

"That's better though, right?" Joey said. "You can really plead her case."

"I'm meant to be off tomorrow," Charlie reminded her. "It's a certain person's birthday and I wanted to spend some quality time with her."

"Oh, that doesn't matter," Joey said, waving a dismissive hand.

"It does," Charlie argued.

Joey leant in and kissed her softly.

"You need to be there for Belle," she said. "You need to get her the lightest possible sentence and hopefully a stint in rehab instead of jail."

Charlie nodded, still frowning. Joey kissed her again.

"We'll have the evening," she promised. "And uh... well, we've got an hour before Ruby's due home from school."

Taking her hand, Joey led Charlie to the bedroom. Smiling again, Charlie was only too happy to follow.

* * *

Hugo stepped off the bus and shielded his eyes against the sunlight. Sighing, he wondered what he would do and where he would go next. He felt sick to know he'd had to leave his boat and his business behind, not to mention the stash of pills that had been in his bag. It was pretty much a case of starting from scratch. He'd left everything, including his family and was officially on the run.

* * *

"Charlie! Joey!" Ruby bellowed when she arrived home from school.

She heard a little scuffle upstairs and rolled her eyes, wondering if they ever stopped doing it. Was it like that for everyone? Would it be like that when she and Xavier were ready? She couldn't wipe the smirk from her face when Charlie and Joey thundered down the stairs.

"Hey, Rubes," Charlie said a little breathlessly. "We were just taking a nap."

"Uh huh," Ruby said knowingly.

"We were!" Charlie lied.

Ruby just smiled.

"Oh, shut up," her older sister said hurriedly.

"How was school?" Joey asked, changing the subject.

"It was school," Ruby said, turning up her nose as she followed Joey and Charlie into the kitchen.

"Got homework?" Charlie checked.

"A little," Ruby admitted. "But I was planning and heading over to Annie's so we can study together. Would that be okay?"

"Sure," Charlie said with a shrug.

"Do you want dinner before you go?" Joey offered.

Ruby recalled a once hungover Charlie warning her that if she ever drank alcohol, a meal beforehand was an absolute necessity. She readily agreed.

* * *

Belle sat in her cell for the second night running. She felt utterly miserable and a little sick. The food wasn't up to much, although Charlie had sneaked her a coffee from Crumble before she left to go home. Watson appeared every now and again to make sure she was okay. But she felt like she would never be okay again.

* * *

Aden sat in his apartment, indulging in a beer. With his father's history of alcoholism, drinking for solace wasn't Aden's style but he felt like it warranted it today. He felt responsible for Belle being in the state she was in. If he hadn't attacked his father then he and Belle would have stayed together. They could have protected each other. She would have saved him all his heartache and he could have kept her away from Hugo and his drugs. All this time, she'd been suffering and he hadn't even known about it. He'd believed that she was flaunting her new romance in his face and really, she'd lost complete control of herself.

* * *

Ruby, Xavier, Jai, Annie and Geoff threaded their way through party-goers on the beach. Annie and Geoff were the only ones who had decided not to drink. All Annie hoped was that things didn't get out of control like she feared it would.

"There she is!" Geoff announced, delighted and nodding towards Nicole who looked like she was playing the perfect hostess and mingling with everyone at the party.

"She's not that hot, Geoff," Annie said unhappily.

"Are you kidding me?" he replied. "She's amazing!"

He watched her a little gormlessly as she floated towards or possibly past their group. He leapt to his feet.

"Hi, Nicole!" he said.

"Hi um... uh... wait, don't tell me. Josh?"

Ruby and Annie giggled as Geoff deflated. She didn't even know his name.

"Geoff," he corrected her.

"Oh, right. Yeah. Geoff. Hi."

"How's it going?"

"Fine," she replied, scanning the group sitting at the blonde boy's feet. "Did I invite you guys to this?"

"Well, um, not exactly," Geoff said, almost apologetically. "We heard it was happening and didn't think you'd mind a few gatecrashers."

"Nope," she said pleasantly. "The more the merrier. See you later, James."

She wandered away to talk to another group of people.

"It's Geoff," he said quietly in her wake.

Sinking to the floor, he grabbed the bottle from Ruby and took a long swig. Pulling a face at the taste, he gulped down some more. Jai patted him on the back in consolation.

* * *

"Happy almost birthday," Charlie said sweetly when the clock neared half past eleven.

"Thank you," Joey replied, kissing her.

With the house to themselves, they'd settled down with wine, a movie and a box of chocolates. They'd watched a horror, Joey's favourite genre and she still found it amusing that the cop was the one who was frightened of mass murderers chasing teenage girls around.

* * *

Nicole stood next to Romeo. He was surprisingly square for such a cheeky guy and hadn't touched any of the booze on offer so far.

"That guy hasn't stopped looking at you," he commented, nodding towards Geoff, who was drinking with his friends.

"I don't even know who he is!" Nicole said, although his stares had definitely not gone unnoticed.

She supposed he was pretty cute, actually.

"Interested?" Romeo asked.

"More interested in you," Nicole told him.

He chuckled and put his arm around her. Nothing had happened yet but he hoped it was going to.

"Hey guys! Watch this!" Trey yelled.

Nicole, Romeo and many of the other party goers looked up to find that Trey and a couple of his friends had climbed up onto the roof of the Jukebox.

"Is he insane?" Nicole wondered, moving forward.

"Geronimo!" Trey bellowed, hurling himself off.

"Trey!" Nicole screamed.

She and Romeo raced forward and found their friend lying awkwardly on the ground. A few other people, including Geoff, Annie, Jai, Xavier and Ruby also arrived on the scene.

"Dude, that really hurt," Trey complained.

* * *

Charlie grumbled when her mobile rang. She and Joey had been mid-making out and neither welcomed the interruption.

"This had better be good, Watson," Charlie growled into the phone.

"Not good, I'm afraid," her friend replied. "We just had to break up a party and take some kid to hospital with a broken leg."

Charlie tensed, certain that Ruby was going to fit in here somewhere.

"Ruby was drinking at the party," Watson said.

Charlie sighed. Joey eyed her worriedly.

"Where is she?"

"Jack's bringing her home to you," Watson said. "Most people scarpered but we caught a few underage drinkers, including Ruby and her friends."

Charlie sat up and began to do her shirt back up, resting the phone between her ear and her shoulder. Despite not knowing what was happening, Joey began to pull her own clothes on as well. There was a knock at the door.

"They're here," Charlie said. "That's Jack. See you tomorrow."

Charlie hung up and stormed towards the door.


	59. Chapter 59

**Chapter Fifty Nine**

**September 2010**

Ruby stomped down the stairs and threw herself loudly into a kitchen chair. Charlie raised an eyebrow over her coffee cup. Joey turned from where she was filling up her thermos for the day out on the water. Ruby glared at both of them, still smarting from the telling off she'd received for lying about going to Nicole's party and for drinking alcohol. On top of the humiliation of getting caught, she also had a terrible headache and felt sick.

"Are you expecting sympathy or something?" Charlie asked, noting that her little sister didn't look well.

Ruby frowned. Obviously Charlie was still angry with her.

"I said I was sorry," she pointed out. "And I highly doubt you and Joey never did things wrong when you were my age."

The older girls recalled very few times that they'd misbehaved, at least not at Ruby's age. Charlie had been stupidly well behaved until she was almost an adult and Joey hadn't had any discipline to ignore after her mother had passed away. Her father had let her run as wild as she liked and till the day he died, he'd had no idea that she spent half her nights with her secret girlfriend, Zoe.

"We didn't sneak out to parties without letting an adult know where we were," Charlie said evenly. "And we didn't get drunk behind our parents' backs."

"I was hardly drunk, Charlie!" Ruby argued. "It was Trey who fell off the damn roof, not me! _He _was drunk!"

"I don't care," Charlie replied. "You lied to me and you could have got yourself in trouble."

Ruby shrugged.

"Are you hungry?" Joey said, changing the subject. "You should probably eat some toast or something."

Ruby looked like she was about to vomit and hurried away quickly.

"And she reckons she wasn't drunk?" Charlie asked.

"She could be a hell of a lot worse than she is," Joey pointed out, coming to sit beside her girlfriend.

"I know."

Charlie put an arm around her.

"Sorry," she said. "This is hardly the birthday morning I had planned."

"It's fine," Joey said, planting a soft kiss on her cheek. "We have tonight."

"I'll give you your present when I get home, okay?" Charlie promised. "I'm so sorry I have to work today. Hopefully I can get out of doing anything there this afternoon. Then maybe you could knock off early and we could at least have some time together before the party."

"Sounds good to me," Joey said chirpily. "Call me when you're free, okay? And don't worry. Life duties don't stop just because it's someone's birthday."

"I just wanted it to be special for you. It's hardly been the best year of our lives."

"It's been fine," Joey told her. "We may have lost each other but the important thing is that we found each other again. And the good stuff outweighs the bad stuff as far as I'm concerned."

They kissed tenderly and then Charlie reluctantly stood in order to leave for work. She had to be at Belle's hearing in twenty minutes time. Kissing each other goodbye, Joey got ready to clear away the breakfast dishes.

"Don't do those!" Charlie called over her shoulder. "I'll deal with them when I get home. The birthday girl does not to chores!"

Joey giggled and began to get ready to leave for work herself.

* * *

Belle was nervous as she waited for her court hearing. Watson had let Irene spend a little time with her beforehand but still Belle felt nauseous. An official entered the room and called them in. Irene gave Belle's hand a squeeze. Taking a deep breath, the younger woman prepared to face her future. Charlie had promised to put a good word in for her and make recommendations against prison. Belle just hoped that she would remain true to her word.

* * *

Xavier escaped the confines of the house as quickly as he could. The telling off he'd received from his mother had been awful. It had upset Brendan and eventually Gina had cried and accused him of making everything worse when they were already struggling with Hugo's sudden departure. He hurried over to Ruby's house. He doubted that Charlie and Joey had been easy on her either and he was looking forward to a bitching session about their guardians. He wondered how Geoff and Annie's grandfather would have reacted and if Jai's foster parents would be angry too. Perhaps going out drinking at a party hadn't been the best idea in the world, although it had been fun. And even though he knew it was a terrible thing to think, he couldn't help but feel smug that Trey had hurt himself. The boy was a bully and a fiend and neither he, nor any of his friends could stand him.

* * *

Charlie stood up in court and began to outline Belle's situation and the fact that a custodial sentence wouldn't help anything. She recommended that Belle spend some time in rehab where she could receive proper care and get herself back on her feet. She just hoped that her ideas would be listened to. It wouldn't be right to send someone to jail for an addiction. She needed support not more suffering.

* * *

Joey eyed Aden unhappily. They were just about to head out to sea but her friend seemed lost and confused. Joey sighed and poked him in the arm.

"Just go to the hearing, would you?"

"It's too late now," he told her.

She looked at her watch. It was only five past nine. If he hurried he would probably just catch the end. At least he would be able to see his beloved ex-girlfriend before she was sent wherever she was going.

"It's only started at nine," Joey told him. "You've still got time."

He stared at her a moment longer and then, nodding, he smiled gratefully and moved to jump off the boat. Stopping, he turned back to her.

"Are you sure it's okay to...?"

"Go!" Joey growled. "I give you leave to go, go, go!"

Chuckling, Aden headed off the boat and ran up the wharf in a bid to show Belle that he loved her.

* * *

"Geoff's grounded," Annie informed Ruby, Xavier and Jai when she arrived at Ruby's house. "I have excessive chores to do but because I wasn't drinking and because he's the older brother, I pretty much got away with it. I have never been in trouble before in my whole life!"

She frowned to herself and folded her arms. Jai attempted to hug her but she was cranky that she'd been pressured into going to a party she hadn't been interested in to start with.

"Oh well," Ruby said dismissively. "It's done now. We just grin and bear the discipline and..."

"Don't get caught next time?" Xavier smirked.

"Exactly!" she replied, kissing him chastely on the lips.

* * *

The judge was offering her summation of what should happen to Belle when Aden slipped into the public gallery. An older woman he recognised as Irene Roberts from photographs Belle had shown him, looked up and smiled politely with a hint of recognition. Encouraged, he sat beside her and listened to the judge. His eyes never left Belle.

* * *

"Why exactly do I have to go to this dumb party tonight?" Nicole complained.

Roman stopped and turned to face her looking distinctly unimpressed.

"Because you were bang out of order last night orchestrating that party and getting drunk and now I want to keep you where I can see you," he told her.

"So, you're punishing me for having a party by forcing me to attend another?" she challenged.

She had the self-satisfied, smug smile on her face that her mother had had whenever she was picking holes in his ideas when they were kids. Still sometimes he found it absolutely bizarre to have a daughter he never knew about.

"I can promise you that if you had any enthusiasm about Joey's party, you wouldn't be going."

"Why are you going anyway?" Nicole queried. "Didn't you sleep with her girlfriend or something?"

Roman cringed. He hated that Nicole knew so much about his private life.

"Charlie and I dated a long time ago. It's history. It's not a problem," he said firmly.

"Bet you wish it wasn't history," she smirked.

Ignoring her, he put the last of the dishes away and announced that he was going out to meeting with Leah and his boss.

"Do I have to come to that too or are you leaving me in peace for a little while?" she asked, following him to the door.

He turned back to her, distinctly unimpressed.

"Don't tempt me," he warned.

As soon as he was gone, she grabbed her mobile phone from the drawer where he'd confiscated and hidden it in continued punishment for her party crimes. She quickly selected the right number from her phone book. It rang twice before the boy picked up.

"Hey, Trey. How's your leg?"

* * *

Belle didn't know how to react when she was sentenced to three months in a rehabilitation clinic. Rationally, she knew it was the right thing to do and it was certainly better than prison but still, a big part of her protested and insisted that she didn't need help. She could get over this on her own, or at least with the support of Irene. If her foster mother was genuinely willing to stick around and take care of her, how could she not be fine? She turned back with teary eyes to look at the woman who had loved her as her own. She caught her breath when she saw Aden sitting beside her, his gaze fixed and worried. Perhaps he did forgive her. Perhaps he could love her again even after all she had put him through.

* * *

"I'm sorry to have to say this to you both but my wife and I have decided to sell up and move away."

Mr Robertson blurted his statement out quickly. Leah and Roman just stared at him in horrified disbelief.

"What?" Leah managed.

"We've decided to sell Crumble and move away. We wanted to go and spend our retirement near our kids and grandkids. They don't live near here," he explained.

"What... what happens to our jobs?" Roman asked, completely floored. "I mean, I know I'm only a temp but I was kind of hoping..."

"You would have been kept on," Mr Robinson confirmed. "But now... well, I'll certainly be recommending you to the new owners."

Roman smiled his thanks but what his boss had said hadn't really been of much comfort.

"Have you already decided on the new owners?" Leah asked.

"No. You two are the first people to know about it. I wanted you to organise telling the rest of the staff. And the cafe will go on sale at the end of the week."

Roman and Leah were both lost in their own distress. Roman had only just moved to town and he had a wild teenage daughter to take care of. And Leah had a baby boy to raise and provide for. Losing half her joint wage with Vinnie would seriously hurt them. Neither Roman nor Leah could afford to be unemployed.

"I'm sorry," Mr Robinson said politely. "I've got to go."

They remained seated as he hurried away.

* * *

Belle stepped out into the fresh air with Watson and Jack by her side. She wasn't cuffed but it was their duty to ensure that she was safely admitted to the clinic. Looking around, she smiled weakly as Irene hurried up to her. Charlie followed.

"Belle!" Irene said, a little breathlessly. "I'll be here the whole time. I'll visit as soon as I'm allowed to and I'll take care of you when you get out."

"If I ever get out," Belle said sadly.

"It's only three months. You can do it, darling."

Belle nodded numbly. She looked up at Charlie and thanked her for her help.

"Anytime," Charlie said sincerely. "I know it's going to be hard but you'll be okay, Belle. You'll pull yourself back from this."

"I hope so."

Charlie nodded and smiled and moved towards her car. Belle searched the car park for any sign on Aden but he was gone.

"He'll be back," Irene said. "I'll keep my eye on him, okay?"

Belle smiled, touched that her foster mother could still read her mind and was so in tune with her feelings.

"Thanks, Irene," she said.

"Are you ready?" Watson asked, knowing she needed to get Belle into the clinic as soon as possible.

"Yeah," Belle said.

She reached out to hug Irene goodbye and then let herself be put into the backseat of the car.

* * *

"Looks like you've got a nice lunch ahead of you," Sarah commented.

Joey looked up to find Charlie standing on the wharf with a large bouquet of flowers. She beamed and hurled herself over the side in order to throw herself into her girlfriend's arms. They narrowly avoided crushing the roses in the process.

"I'm afraid you guys are going to have to cope without Joey for the rest of the day," Charlie told Sarah and Gibsy. "I'm abducting her."

Sarah chuckled and waved them off. Gibsy ignored them all and continued tying the boat to shore. Giggling, Charlie and Joey headed off together towards Charlie's car.

"Now your birthday has really started," Charlie promised.

* * *

Irene headed back to her car. She stopped abruptly when she saw Aden sitting on the wall with his head in his hands.

"I promised I'd keep my eye on you while she's in rehab," she said.

He looked up with heavy bags under his eyes.

"She's going to get through this, you know. She's made of strong stuff."

"I know," Aden replied softly.

"And are you going to be around when she comes out?"

"I don't know if I can," he admitted.

* * *

"Charlie, this place is seriously expensive!" Joey said, as she and Charlie sat down at the new Italian restaurant just out of town.

"So?"

"So... so it's seriously expensive!"

The waiter handed them their menus. Joey's eyes nearly bulged out of her head at the prices.

"Charlie..."

"Joey, you're worth every penny. So just relax and enjoy it, okay?"

"Okay," Joey squeaked, perplexed by all her choices.

* * *

"Oh, I cannot wait for this shift to be over!" Watson declared.

They had escorted Belle to court and then settled her into the rehabilitation clinic and now they were patrolling. Having paused outside Crumble and taken the time to enjoy a cup of coffee in the front seats of the car, both of them were more than ready to go home. However, neither of them felt like they had got much to go home to.

"Are you going to Joey's party tonight?" Jack asked, yawning.

"Hell, yeah!" Watson laughed. "That's pretty much the only reason I want to get out of here."

"Not to spend time with your beloved?" Jack asked curiously.

"No," Watson said in a quiet voice.

Jack turned to face her, looking and feeling concerned.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Just... Carol and I don't communicate much these days."

He nodded in complete understanding.

"I take it you and Martha are still having problems," Watson concluded.

"I just... I don't know how much more we can take," Jack admitted. "I love her so much but this baby thing... it's too hard. Neither of us knows what to say to each other half the time. We only have sex in a desperate bid to conceive but it never happens. And it's killing us."

"Have you considered getting help with conception?" Watson asked.

"I don't want help," he said quickly.

"Jack..."

Silence fell between them for a moment. Then Jack spoke up in a quiet voice.

"I'm infertile," he said. "And it makes me feel like less of a man."

* * *

"Are you guys going to be allowed to come to Joey's party tonight?" Ruby asked her friends.

"Mum's granting me permission as long as either Jack and Martha or Tony and Rachel take me there, bring me back and keep an eye on me," Xavier said.

"I'll be there," Jai said. "I'm not even getting punished."

"I think Geoff and I are allowed. Pop takes prior commitments very seriously and he doesn't want us to let Joey down just because we misbehaved. But we have a ten o'clock curfew."

"Better than nothing," Ruby conceded.

* * *

Roman and Leah remained at Crumble deep in conversation as they wondered what on earth they would do if the new owners decided they didn't want to employ them. Roman stirred his coffee idly with a spoon, pondering a potentially lunatic idea. He looked up and met Leah's gaze.

"What if we bought Crumble?" he suggested.

"What we? Me we? You and me we?"

He chuckled and nodded.

"I wouldn't have enough cash to buy it myself," he explained. "But if you have the other half... Do you?"

"Well, I could probably get something together," Leah said uncertainly. "But... are you sure?"

"Look, neither of us wants to lose our jobs," he said reasonably. "So why not save them by owning the whole business?"

Despite her misgivings, Leah found herself becoming more drawn to the idea by the second. She had always wanted to own her own business. Roman seemed like a nice guy to be partnered with. Yes, the prospect was definitely an attractive one.

* * *

Aden and Irene entered Crumble. He noted a few people around that he knew but was more focussed on spending time with Belle's foster mother. It made him feel closer to his ex somehow, although he hadn't figured out how close he wanted to be yet. Their relationship was a complicated one to say the least.

"So, how come you didn't step up and say goodbye to Belle?" Irene asked, getting straight to the point.

Aden shrugged and shifted in his seat, not knowing the answer to the question.

"We haven't been on speaking terms for a while," he finally explained.

Irene nodded.

"She told me you'd broken up."

"Did she say why?"

"Something to do with your Dad?"

He nodded and grimaced at the memory.

"Then she started seeing Hugo and now... now I don't know what's going on with her," he said.

"She's got herself in a lot of trouble, Aden," Irene told him. "And she needs the support from people she loves."

"I just... I spent my whole childhood living with an alcoholic," he ventured. "I don't know if I can handle this again."

"Living with an alcoholic or an addict of some kind is damn near impossible," Irene conceded. "I used to be one. If my friends and my family had given up on me, I wouldn't be here now. I wouldn't have had the chance to dedicate my life to looking after vulnerable kids. Kids like Belle. If you do have the strength to be there for her, I know she wants you around."


	60. Chapter 60

_Hi everyone! I hereby invite you all to Joey's birthday party... And thanks to everyone for their reviews and kind wishes. I really appreciate every single one of you. IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Sixty**

**September 2010**

"Mummy's home!" Vinnie told VJ cheerfully when he heard the back door open and close.

"Hello boys!" Leah greeted warmly, kissing them both.

"You look cheerful," her husband commented.

"I am!" Leah declared, flopping back on the couch. "Roman and I are going to buy Crumble."

Vinnie stared at her in surprise.

"What?" he asked.

* * *

Charlie and Joey arrived home after a long and leisurely afternoon eating, talking and walking hand in hand across the beach. Ruby looked up with big eyes from the sofa when they entered the room.

"Have you been good?" Charlie asked sternly.

"Very!" Ruby said innocently.

She decided to leave out the part where her friends had visited, just in case that had been against the rules. The school holidays so far, sucked.

"Good."

"Do I still get to come to the party tonight?" Ruby asked.

She didn't want to miss celebrating Joey's birthday.

"Will you behave?" Joey asked, as sternly as she could manage, which was a thousand degrees less than Charlie.

"I promise," said Ruby.

"Then yeah, of course you can," Joey grinned.

"You're still in trouble though," Charlie told her. "You're just lucky I haven't told Dad."

"That's why you're the best," Ruby said sweetly.

"Don't even try it," Charlie said.

There was no way she was going to be sweet talked. Ruby stood and hugged her anyway and then bounded upstairs to get ready.

* * *

"So, are you going to stick around?" Aden asked Irene, as they tucked into desserts.

She nodded.

"I'm in a hotel right now but I'll look for somewhere to live for the next however long. I'll have to leave my job back home and look for one here so that I can be there for her while she's in there and when she gets out."

He smiled. It was nice that Belle had someone who loved her so much and was willing to look out for her. He just wondered where he was going to fit into Belle's recovery plan.

"And how about you?" Irene asked.

He blanched. She wasn't backwards in coming forwards, that was for sure.

"What do you mean?" he asked, playing dumb.

"Will you be around for Belle?"

He swallowed.

"I want to," he revealed. "But I don't know how."

* * *

Vinnie continued to stare at Leah as she explained how Mr Robinson was retiring and selling up and she and Roman wanted to team up and buy Crumble from him. She excitedly twittered away about how wonderful it was going to be and then stopped short when she realised that her husband wasn't smiling.

"Aren't you happy?" she asked.

"Well, I might have been if you came to me with this as an idea. But you've just gone ahead and said yes without even consulting me."

Leah chewed her lip and exhaled.

"Vinnie, I'm so sorry. I didn't think."

"You didn't think about me," he said sadly.

"It wasn't like that. You know what I'm like. I just got excited and carried away. I'm really sorry."

He smiled to show that all was forgiven.

"So, do you think it's a terrible idea?" she asked.

"No," he said honestly. "I think it's a great idea. I just waned to be consulted, that's all."

"You want to go for it?" Leah said, getting excited again.

"Sure! I think you'd be great at owning your own business."

* * *

Watson arrived home feeling heavy hearted. She felt terrible for Jack and all that he was going through and she also wasn't relishing the idea of making small talk with Carol before the party. Carol was on a shift she couldn't get out of so she wasn't going to make it. Watson wasn't sure if she was sad and glad. She and Carol had nothing to say to each other anymore and they were both struggling. But like Jack and Martha, neither of them was willing to talk about it. What was there to say?

* * *

Joey bundled Charlie into a hug in gratitude for her birthday gifts. She'd received the entire _Buffy the Vampire Slayer _box-set on DVD so that she didn't have to trawl through the channels for repeats anymore. And Charlie had also offered a bottle of wine and a box of chocolates to watch with.

"Sorry it's not very romantic," she apologised awkwardly.

"Are you kidding? This is amazing! You give me a wonderful present and then you apologise for it?" Joey chuckled.

She hugged her again and kissed her cheek.

"My romantic present will come later tonight," Charlie whispered.

Joey drew back, blushing and grinning.

"Can we skip the party in that case?" she asked.

Charlie kissed her lips.

"Nope," she said, standing up. "First, you must endure a party with tonnes of people wishing you well and giving you cards and presents and _then_ you can have whatever you want from me!"

* * *

"Hey, there's a party tonight, if you wanted to come," Aden offered as Irene dropped him off at home. "If you're sticking around town then it'd be a good way to get to know people. It's my best friend's birthday."

"Will I be the only oldie?" she asked worriedly.

"No, there'll be lots of..."

She raised her eyebrows.

"I mean, not that you're old but... um..."

"I'm teasing you, love," Irene said with a chuckle. "I'd love to come."

"Well, it's at the Jukebox at eight," he told her.

"I'll pick you up. Thanks for inviting me, Aden."

He beamed at her and climbed out of the car.

* * *

Watson and Carol moved around the flat in silence. They'd exchanged pleasantries about their days and Carol apologised again for not being able to make it to the party. She thought a lot of Joey and hated to miss out but work had to be her priority.

"Okay, that's me off," Carol said pleasantly, dressed in uniform and ready to go.

"Be safe," Watson said, kissing her cheek with distinct politeness.

"See you in the morning."

Watson waved her off and sighed heavily. How was she going to solve this?

* * *

Martha sat with Rachel and Tony in the corner of the Jukebox as the party got underway. She glanced at her watch. Jack would be there in thirty minutes and she was hoping that seeing him again in a more sociable atmosphere would help things. With everything going on at the moment, especially with Hugo and Belle being the subject on everyone's lips, things were getting even harder at home.

* * *

Despite her original reluctance to have a party, Joey was enjoying herself. She was touched that so many of her friends had shown up and Martha and her colleagues had gone all out at Charlie's request to decorate the place with streamers and balloons. Standing at the bar with a glass of wine in her hands, Joey caught her breath and looked around. Ruby was looking as innocent as she could as she colluded with her friends in the corner and other groups had also formed.

"Hey stranger," Charlie said, wrapping her arms around Joey from behind.

Her girlfriend grinned as Charlie kissed her cheek.

"I've barely seen Miss Popular all evening," Charlie complained.

"You've been gone for like two minutes!" Joey laughed, twirling around to face her.

In truth, Joey had stuck to her partner like glue and Charlie had just barely escaped to use the bathroom.

"I missed you," Joey pouted.

"You're pouting at your birthday party? Really?"

Joey nodded and turned her pout into a purse, asking Charlie for a kiss. The police officer was only too happy to oblige, wrapping her arms around her. Their kiss deepened until someone clearing their throat interrupted them. Drawing away from them, they saw Watson smirking.

"Surely you can wait until _after _the party?" she asked.

"How can I keep my hands off her?" Charlie asked.

"I said it before and I'll say it again, she is a cutie," Watson remarked.

Joey beamed and Charlie clutched her a little tighter.

"And she's mine!" Charlie growled.

"I'll be good!" Watson promised. "Happy birthday, Joey."

She kissed her friends cheek.

"I put your gift and card on the present table," she said. "And Carol sends sincere apologies for not being able to show up. Work."

"That's okay," Joey replied.

* * *

Ruby sat at the back of the Jukebox with Jai, Annie, Geoff and Xavier. She was determined to behave and prove to Charlie and Joey that she could be trusted.

"Nicole's here!" Geoff suddenly said excitedly.

"Keep it down!" Xavier complained with a laugh.

"Sorry. I just... I didn't know she was going to be here. Did you know she was going to be here?"

"Joey invited Roman to prove that she didn't hate him," Ruby explained. "It's some pride thing. I don't get it. I wouldn't like a guy who wanted to date my girlfriend... I mean, a guy who wanted to date my boyfriend. I mean... Oh, you know what I mean."

Annie snorted and patted her friend's hand.

"Anyway, I guess he dragged Nicole with him to the party to keep an eye on her after last night," Ruby mused.

"Whatever the reason, I'm glad!" Geoff concluded.

Ruby shook her head.

"She's not that hot!" Ruby insisted. "Tell him, Xave."

"What? Oh yeah, she's not... she's um... she's..."

"Oh forget it," Ruby snapped. "Come on, Annie, let's get some snacks."

She took her hand and dragged her to her feet. The boys stared after them helplessly.

* * *

Jack entered the Jukebox and looked around. He spotted the birthday girl and waved cheerfully, moving over to give her a hug.

"Happy birthday, Joey," he said.

She hugged him and thanked him and he greeted Charlie with warmth. Making his way over to his wife, he waved at Watson along the way and then made himself comfortable.

"Have I missed anything exciting?" he asked, accepting a kiss from Martha.

"I was just telling everyone that Roman and I are buying Crumble," Leah announced.

She and Vinnie hadn't been at the party long but she hadn't been able to contain her excitement.

"Oh, that's great," Jack enthused. "Congratulations."

As if on cue, Roman headed over with a round of drinks. He felt a little on edge. As much as he had made friends with most people in town, he and Joey barely talked and he was surprised to have been invited her to her party.

* * *

Nicole sighed and looked around the room. Romeo had bailed on her, saying something about needing to get home for his curfew after last night's activities had put him in a less than favourable light. Aside from him, there was nobody here her age or that she knew. She stopped when she saw a group of boys in the corner. Grinning, she fluffed up her hair and went over to them. She thought she vaguely recognised one of them from the party the previous evening but she couldn't be sure.

"Hi guys," she said pleasantly.

"Nicole!" said one of them, nearly falling off his chair.

She recognised the slightly flustered looked and grinned.

"Hey, you were at the party last night, weren't you? It's John, isn't it?"

"Geoff," he replied a little deflated.

"I'm Xavier," his friend said. "And this is Jai."

"Good to meet you. Mind if I sit?"

* * *

Sarah was nervous as she stood outside the Jukebox. While she might be bold and brassy on the outside, inside she was nervous. She desperately wanted to fit in with the people in this town. It was a nice place, somewhere she hoped she might call home and these were people she hoped she might call friends eventually. Taking a deep breath, she plastered a smile on her face and entered. Catching sight immediately of Charlie and Joey talking to a couple of women she hadn't met before, she headed over.

"Happy birthday," she ventured.

"Hey, Sarah," Joey greeted brightly. "Thanks for coming."

"I wouldn't have missed it," Sarah said.

Charlie put her arm around her girlfriend.

"See, I told you there'd be a good turn out!" she said, smiling triumphantly.

* * *

"I can't believe I've never noticed you boys at school before," Nicole said flirtatiously, aware that all three of them were hanging on her every word.

It was just the way she liked things to be.

"Hi, Nicole," said a female voice.

The blonde turned to come face to face with a strikingly pretty girl with wild hair and a slightly mousy girl with dark hair.

"Hi," she said pleasantly.

"Hi Xave," Ruby said tightly, moving to sit beside the pretty blonde boy. "We're back."

Xavier looked startled, as did Jai. Nicole grinned.

"Uh, Nicole, this is Ruby," Xavier managed, embarrassed at being caught ogling another girl.

"Otherwise known as his girlfriend," Ruby pointed out.

Nicole's grin broadened.

"And does one of them belong to you too?" Nicole asked Annie.

"Uh... yes. Um... Jai. Geoff's my brother."

Geoff flushed.

"Aw, how cute that you hang out with little sis," Nicole commented.

She turned to the girls.

"You should know that your boys were flirting outrageously with me," she informed them before walking away.

* * *

Watson sat on a stool by the bar, ready to order another drink.

"Hello again," said the woman beside her.

Watson turned to see Sarah, one of Joey's employees beside her.

"Hi. Sarah, isn't it?"

"Yep. Nice to see you again, Watson."

The police officer smiled, touched to have been remembered by someone so beautiful.

"Can I get you a drink?" she offered.

* * *

"Has anyone heard anything about Belle?" Rachel asked.

"She's got to do a stint in rehab according to Charlie," Jack explained.

Tony put an arm around his girlfriend, knowing she felt guilty for not spotting the signs and stepping forward to help sooner before she got into such a mess.

"It wasn't your fault," he reminded her.

She sighed and nodded.

"I just wish I'd seen what was happening so I could have stepped in or something. I've just hardly seen her to talk to since she and Aden split up."

She looked around quickly to check that the boy she was talking about wasn't around. It looked like he hadn't arrived at the party yet.

"She hasn't been herself," Leah agreed. "I guess we know why now."

"Because she was being led astray by my piece of shit cousin," Jack said a little more angrily than he'd intended.

Everyone turned to look at him. He swigged his beer.

"Well, I know he did wrong but nobody forced her to take drugs," Martha said reasonably.

Everyone turned to her instead. She blanched. She hadn't meant to say it out loud but now it was out there in the open. She glanced at Jack. He looked furious.

"I just mean that it's not all his fault," she said quickly. "Just mostly."

"Of course you'd defend him," Jack said bitterly.

Vinnie exchanged an uncomfortable glance with his girlfriend and wondered if it was time to get another round in. But unfortunately, it didn't look like the situation he could politely walk away from.

"What's that meant to mean?" Martha asked sounded wounded.

"Sticking up for him," Jack snapped. "I mean, I'm not surprised. We all know how you feel about him."

"I don't feel anything for him!" Martha insisted.

Jack stood, feeling overwhelmingly angry and panicked. Everyone was watching and he'd already let his mouth run away with him.

"Yes, you do," he continued. "I'm sure Hugo's absolutely perfect in your eyes. So why don't you go and have his bastard baby instead?"

He hurriedly turned and rushed at the door, nearly knocking Aden and Irene over as they arrived. Aden looked quizzically back at him and then into an almost silent room. He caught sight of Martha who looked set to burst into tears at any moment.

"I guess we've missed something," he managed.

Slowly, the guests resumed their chatter. Martha continued to stand by her chair, looking and feeling helpless. Rachel stepped up beside her and put a hand on her arm.

"Are you okay?" the Doctor asked, feeling like it was the dumbest thing she'd ever said.

"What do I do?" Martha asked, staring at her, wide eyed. "Do I go after him? What do I do?"

Rachel turned and gestured for Tony to join them. Nobody knew Jack better than his father.

"Go home and work it out," he told Martha. "He didn't mean it. If you can just talk it through..."

"But things haven't been right for a while," Martha admitted. "I'm starting to wonder if it's fixable at all."

"Go and try," Tony urged.

Martha nodded, grabbed her bag and left.

* * *

"What was that about?" Sarah asked, once she had Watson's attention back.

Watson plastered a smile on her face.

"Maritial bliss," she commented, feeling bad for Jack and Martha both.

"Oh," Sarah said, nodding. "That's why I remain eternally single. It's much simpler."

"Are you a nun?" Watson teased.

"Nuns are married to the church," Sarah pointed out. "I am a mere, humble deckhand."

Watson nodded and chuckled.

"I don't do the committed relationship thing. I like to be a single woman who gets on very well with other single women," Sarah informed her.

Watson tried to ignore how fast her heart was beating. Nobody had excited her in quite the way Sarah did since... since she'd first met Carol. Now Carol did nothing for her, no matter how hard they tried.

"So, are you a single woman?" Sarah asked, stirring her drink with her straw and smiling seductively.

Watson swallowed and gazed into Sarah's eyes.

"I sure am," she lied.

* * *

"Sorry I'm late," Aden apologised when he finally made his way over to Charlie and Joey.

His best friend still looked a little startled by Jack's outburst. He knew she wasn't so good with confrontation and he couldn't help but worry, although he also knew she would always be safe with Charlie by her side.

"What kept you?" Joey asked.

"I fell asleep," he admitted guiltily. "But Irene here was kind enough to pick me up on route."

He turned to introduce his friend to Belle's foster mother.

"Good to see you again," said Charlie once Joey had received a brief explanation of who the new woman was.

"Thanks um... Charlie, is it?"

Charlie nodded.

"Are you sticking around in town?" Joey asked.

"Yeah," Irene said. "I need to be here for my girlie – help her get out of all the trouble she's in."

* * *

Geoff jumped when a finger prodded him in the ribs. He turned and gazed at Nicole who had wandered back over. Ruby glared a little more at Xavier and Annie held Jai a little tighter than she meant to.

"Who is that?" Nicole asked, pointing.

"That's my sister and her girlfriend," Ruby replied as if she were stupid.

Nicole shot her a disgusted look.

"Like I care! I mean the guy!"

"Oh, that's just Aden," Geoff said dismissively.

Nicole fluffed her hair and smiled.

"Hello just Aden," she muttered to herself as she approached him.

* * *

Jack arrived home as stressed as he'd left the Jukebox. Storming through the living room, he entered his bedroom and grabbed a suitcase from the top of the wardrobe. Angrily, he began to fling clothes in it without rhyme or reason. If Martha thought he was going to stay here and be made a fool of, she had another thing coming. As far as he was concerned, their marriage was over.

* * *

"I hope Martha and Jack are okay," Joey said worriedly when Aden and Irene left them to order drinks.

"I'm sure they'll be fine," Charlie said gently.

If she was being honest, she had seen it coming. She had heard from both husband and wife, that things weren't good at home. At first, she had been too consumed with losing Joey to help in any active way. And then she was too consumed with getting her back. But she was sure her friends would work it out. They had been through so much together and whatever had happened tonight was unlikely to mean anything.

* * *

"Hi there," Nicole said, sidling up to Aden.

"Uh... hi," Aden said, wondering why some girl he didn't know was talking to him.

"I'm Nicole," the blonde said, extending her hand.

He shook it politely and introduced himself, still feeling confused.

"So, do you know the birthday girl well?" she asked.

"She's my best friend."

"So, how old are you?"

"Why?"

"Just curious."

"Twenty five," he revealed.

"I like an older guy," she purred.

Aden choked on the air in his mouth. He glanced at Irene in sheer bewilderment. Nobody ever made passes at him. And he didn't want them to, at least not until he had figured out how he felt about Belle.

"Good for you," he said, turning back to the bar to order his drink.

Nicole was relentless.

"Would you like to dance?" she asked.

* * *

Roman, Tony, Rachel, Leah and Vinnie continued their conversation, politely ignoring what had just occurred within their group. Roman sipped his soft drink and looked up, immediately catching sight of his daughter flirting with Aden at the bar. He didn't know the guy well but whoever he was, he didn't want him hanging around Nicole.

"Excuse me," he said to his friends.

Standing up, he headed over to Nicole and Aden.

"We're going home," he told her.

She looked horrified and embarrassed.

"What?"

"Now."

"But..."

"You're not making passes at older men right in front of me!"

"Mate, I wasn't..." Aden protested.

"I'll assume you're innocent for now," Roman told him.

He turned back to his daughter.

"Come on. We're going."

* * *

From their corner, Ruby and Annie smirked as Nicole was dragged home by her father.

"Not so cool now, is she?" Ruby commented.

Geoff looked crestfallen both that Nicole had had her eye on Aden and that now she was going away.

"You're really not missing out on anything," Annie told her brother. "You can do way better than her."

* * *

Martha arrived home and came face to face with Jack who looked like he was on his way back out. She stared at his packed bags.

"Jack," she said, for want of anything else to say.

"What?" he demanded.

"What are you doing?"  
"Leaving."

"Leaving?"

"Yeah," he said. "It's pretty self explanatory."

"But why?"

"Martha, you know things haven't been working for us for ages now," he sighed. "And you standing up for Hugo tonight. Well, that was just the last straw."

"So I'm not allowed an opinion?" she challenged.

"Don't twist things!" he begged.

"But all I did was say..."

"That you feel sorry for Hugo. I don't need to hear it, Martha. I don't want to hear his name. And I don't want you sticking up for the slime ball who got one of our friends hooked on drugs and then dumped her to face the music all by herself."

"So I make one comment about him and we're splitting up?" she asked, torn between sadness and fury.

"We've been broken for a long time," he told her. "The end was always coming and now it's here."

He slipped past her and left the house. She remained in the lounge, wondering what on earth had happened.

* * *

Joey and Charlie floated around their party. Joey clutched Charlie's hand tightly, feeling a little on edge. Jack and Martha had both stormed out mid-row and then Roman had bundled Nicole up and gone home too. So far, not all her guests were having a good time. At least Ruby and her friends had behaved well and the night was already wearing on so surely nothing else bad could happen.

"Scooch up for the belles of the ball," Leah said brightly.

Everyone did and Charlie and Joey settled down between them.

"Is everyone having a good time?" Joey asked a little worriedly.

"We're having a great time," Rachel enthused.

Joey smiled, feeling reassured.

"And hey, did you hear Leah and Roman's news?" Tony asked.

Both girls eyed their friends curiously.

"We're going into business together to buy Crumble," Leah told them.

"Oh, wow! That's awesome!" said Charlie. "Is Mr Robinson leaving then?"

"He's retiring and moving away so rather than us losing our jobs, we're going to be the big bosses," Leah said.

"Awesome," Joey agreed. "Yep. Everything is awesome. We're all having a good time and Leah's going into business and everything is good."

Charlie squeezed her hand gently.

"And it looks like a couple of people are having a particularly good time," Vinnie said, nodding towards the bar.

Everyone turned to where he was pointed. Charlie was ready to grimace over what her little sister might have been getting up to behind her back but instead she saw Watson and Sarah – kissing.


	61. Chapter 61

_I hope people are still enjoying this story. I know the other characters are getting more time than they have been getting recently but I hope you still like it. Charlie and Joey will of course, always be at the heart of the story and I solemnly swear to live by my promise that they will never break up again. IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Sixty-One**

**September 2010**

Watson was already up and dressed by the time Carol arrived home from her shift. They exchanged pleasantries about the party and work and then Carol fell into bed, leaving Watson alone on the couch with her guilty thoughts. She had been a lot of things in her life but she had never been a cheater. And while it may have only been a kiss, it still mattered. And everyone had seen. It was unlikely that Watson would be able to keep it a secret.

* * *

Joey and Charlie woke up late. Joey stretched and yawned loudly before snuggling back down against Charlie's warm, naked body. She moaned in delight as Charlie clutched her closer.

"You absolutely wore me out," the sleepy cop murmured.

Joey giggled.

"Says you!" she remarked.

* * *

Martha woke up with a start. Sitting up in bed she looked for Jack before all the memories from last night hit her hard. How could Jack have just walked out on her like that? It didn't make sense. Things hadn't been great for a while, sure, but it was nothing they couldn't work through. At least, she hadn't thought so until last night. The stress of their lack of baby had been slowly getting to them both and after one off hand comment that wasn't against Hugo, her husband had flown off the handle.

* * *

Tony and Rachel were making breakfast when Jack surfaced from the spare room. While they would never turn him away, neither was happy about him living with them. It wasn't because they didn't like him or want him around, but because they knew he should be at home with the wife that he loved. Having him in their house meant that he and Martha might really be over for good.

"Coffee?" he asked, sounding sleepy and unhappy.

"Sure," Tony said. "Humble pie with that?"

"Excuse me?" his son snapped.

"I guess you'll need it when you go over and apologise in order to make things up with Martha."

"I am not making anything up with Martha," Jack replied seriously. "I meant what I said last night. It's over."

* * *

"I hope everyone is okay," Joey said.

She and Charlie had just about ventured downstairs to breakfast. Ruby had left a note to say that she had gone down to the beach and she couldn't wait for them to surface. Charlie had been all set to complain that Ruby was having a high old time when she was still in trouble for getting drunk with her mates but Joey had pointed out that it meant they got to spend a leisurely morning together, just the two of them and she had relented.

"I'm sure they will be," said Charlie.

They set about making a big, unhealthy breakfast and worked side by side without needing to discuss who was doing what.

"Jack stormed out of there pretty angrily," Joey fretted.

"To be honest, I think he probably blew his top over something small," Charlie sighed. "There's been a big build up to them fighting. They barely talk these days."

"That's sad," Joey said.

She and Charlie knew only too well what it was like to live with and to love someone who wouldn't even look at you. It was impossible and it hurt like hell.

"What about Watson?" Joey asked. "What the hell was she doing with Sarah last night?"

"I have no idea," Charlie admitted. "I can't say I saw that one coming."

"I hope she and Carol can work through it. They've been together for ages!"

* * *

Jack took a deep breath and knocked loudly on his own front door. His Dad had convinced him that even if he hadn't changed his mind, he should at least have the decency to talk to his wife about it. She deserved a say too. He listened at the door and heard footsteps scurrying towards it. Martha pulled open the door looking sleepy and tearful. She switched to elated as soon as she saw him.

"Jack!" she said, delighted.

She flung her arms around him but he moved out of her grasp at the nearest opportunity.

"I'm not here to make up," he said as gently as possible.

Martha's face fell. He didn't seem angry anymore but his fury appeared to have been replaced by sadness. She was overwhelmed by her own grief at the conversation they inevitably seemed to have to have. She stepped aside and let him in. They settled on the sofa, a safe distance away from each other.

* * *

Aden stepped out of the sea, dripping wet from his swim. He stretched and walked towards his towel, yet again wondering what Belle was doing with her day. How was she feeling? Was she safe? Part of him was desperate to see her as soon as he was allowed but his fears held him back. As much as he loved her, he was unsure as to whether he could deal with another addict. After everything he had been through with his Dad, he was terrified of going through it again. And that was assuming that Belle was still interested in him. Maybe she wanted to move on and away from him. Maybe it was over for good and he was the only one who couldn't see it. He dried himself on the sand, unaware that a young blonde was watching him.

* * *

Charlie and Joey crashed out on the couch after eating themselves silly. Joey rested her head in her girlfriend's lap and smiled as Charlie idly stroked her hair.

"I think I'm going to have to stay here forever," Joey moaned. "My tummy is so full!"

Charlie reached out and rubbed Joey's belly.

"Mine too," she admitted.

"DVD?" Joey suggested brightly, her eyes immediately settling on the _Buffy _boxset, which they had left on the floor by the television.

Charlie nodded in agreement. Neither of them made any move to get up and put it on.

* * *

Watson looked up from the television when Carol padded out of the bedroom.

"I overslept!" the paramedic announced. "Sorry, honey."

Watson smiled and watched her move around the kitchen, making coffee.

"Would you like some?" she offered.

"Thanks," Watson accepted.

Carol made their drinks and came to sit beside her on the couch.

"So, tell me all about the party. Did you have a good time?"

Watson shifted guiltily, replaying her kiss with Sarah in her head yet again. She smiled awkwardly.

"It was good," she said. "I think Joey enjoyed herself."

"That's good," said Carol. "She was pretty worried about it, wasn't she?"

Watson nodded and sipped her drink, puzzling over what to do and say to save or end her relationship.

* * *

Martha and Jack held hands and gazed into each other's tearful eyes.

"I just feel like this has been a long time coming," Jack said. "We've barely communicated for so long. We only have sex in a desperate bid to make a baby, thinking that because the lack of one caused all of this, producing one will heal it. But now, I don't think it will."

"So, we're just... over?" Martha asked in disbelief.

"I'm sorry," he said. "Please say you understand what I mean."

"I do. I know we've been having problems but shouldn't we talk about them instead of walking away from our marriage?"

"I can't see a way to save us."

"There must be!" Martha said desperately. "It's us!"

"I know," he said softly. "I've loved you from the moment I met you but Martha, so much has gone wrong for us."

"So we can't have a baby? I don't care!"

"You know that's not true."

"There are ways to have kids. We could adopt, we could..."

"No!" Jack snapped, standing up. "Martha, every time I'd see that kid, I'd see my own failing as a man. I can't provide you with what you want, what you deserve."

Martha stared at him.

"Is that what you see when you look at me?" she asked.

He sat back down and buried his face in his hands and apologised.

"Well, I guess that's it then," she said, unable to remove the bitterness from her voice.

He nodded and got to his feet again.

"I'll uh... I'll collect my stuff when you're next on shift at the Juke," he said.

She walked him to the door. Giving each other one more lingering look, Jack turned away and Martha closed the door.

* * *

Nicole sat at Crumble and observed Aden eating some lunch. He really was very cute. He was even cuter than Romeo, who she had had her eye on for a few days now. Perhaps living here with her Dad wasn't so bad after all. He might not know or understand anything about her but at least there were a tonne of good looking guys in beachwear all the time.

"He's not going to pay attention to you."

Nicole turned to see Ruby, one of the girls from last night. She sat opposite her.

"He's in love already."

"That's never stopped me before," Nicole pointed out smugly.

"No, I mean he's really in love," Ruby said certainly.

Romeo walked in and up to the counter. Nicole flicked her attention between the boys and shrugged.

"Nicole, are you only interested in guys?" Ruby asked.

"What else is there to be interested in?"

"I don't know. Friends?"

Nicole turned to face her.

"Friends hurt you."

"And boys don't?"

"Not if you don't let them."

"Well, if you ever want to drop the act and actually start to get to know someone, take the risk and be their friend, I'm here."

Ruby stood and walked to Aden's table. Nicole watched her with curiosity.

* * *

"Watson, what's on your mind?" Carol asked.

She turned to face her girlfriend. Neither of them was oblivious to the fact that they had been struggling together for a while. Watson sighed and rubbed her face.

"I uh... well, um... Carol, we're not working are we?"

Carol chewed her lip and exhaled heavily.

"No," she said.

"I wish we were."

"Me too."

"I love you."

"I love you too. I always will."

"But..."

"But we're not _in love _anymore," Carol concluded.

Watson nodded.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"I'm sorry too."

Carol reached out to hug her. She buried her face in her neck.

"Thank you," she said, drawing away.

"For what?"

"For talking to me about it first," Carol explained. "I've been so worried that we were going to ignore it all for so long that one of us would end up straying or something."

She offered a small laugh. Watson bit the inside of her mouth in anxiety.

"Of course we wouldn't do that," she said, desperately hoping that nobody would rat her out.

* * *

Rachel arrived at the Jukebox. She scanned the place for Martha and found her propping up the bar.

"Hey," she said.

"I started without you!" Martha declared.

Rachel looked at three shot glasses and two wine glasses, all of which were empty.

"You sure did," she commented.

"Two wines and two shots please," Martha told Brad who served her without hesitation.

"Don't you think you should pace yourself?" Rachel asked worriedly.

Martha whirled around on her stool, nearly slipping off but catching herself in time.

"My husband left me today!" she announced.

Behind the bar, Brad's interest peaked.

"So no, Rachel," Martha said. "I will not pace myself."

* * *

Jack lay stretched out on his father's couch. Tony had gone to work and Rachel had gone out. He presumed she had gone to see Martha; they were best friends after all. He sighed, wishing that he had someone to talk to. He supposed that he actually had no end of kind souls who would listen to him but he wasn't in the mood to open up.

* * *

Ruby left Crumble and decided to go and see Xavier. She felt good to have challenged Nicole and she'd checked on Aden to see how he was feeling. Now, Xavier could reward her by grovelling for looking at another girl right in front of her. Smiling to herself, she picked up her pace. Yes, a nice day with her sweetheart boyfriend would be just perfect.

* * *

As the afternoon wore on, Charlie and Joey finally forced themselves up and out of the house. They'd managed to watch a couple of episodes, having eventually got up when they realised once and for all that they did not have telekinetic powers.

"Drink?" Charlie suggested when they found themselves outside the Jukebox.

Nodding, they went in. Spotting Martha and Rachel at the bar, they headed over and immediately realised that Martha was fairly intoxicated.

"Hey guys," Charlie greeted.

She raised an eyebrow at them.

"Good afternoon?"

"It's the worst afternoon ever!" Martha declared, somewhere between a laugh and sob.

She slung her arm around Charlie.

"You two... you two... you two are so lucky to have each other," she told both Charlie and Joey. "You are. I mean, you stick together, no matter what. You're lucky."

Joey sighed as she and Charlie joined them.

"I take it things didn't work out with Jack," Charlie said worriedly.

"He dumped me!" Martha declared, still in the same tone. "He walked right out of the house."

She made a gesture with her fingers of two little legs running across her other hand.

"Martha, I'm so sorry..." Joey ventured.

"It's okay! I don't have a husband. And I don't have a baby. But I do have you guys. And that's plenty enough for me. Brad! More drinks!"

He complied, hardly knowing which beautiful woman to look at first.

* * *

Leah and Roman headed into the Jukebox to talk about their business venture. They were immediately distracted by a crowd of women – Martha, Rachel, Charlie and Joey – sitting around a table.

"Hi," Leah greeted.

"Leah! And Roman!" Martha exclaimed. "Come, sit, drink!"

Leah looked worriedly at the others.

"We're in consolation," Charlie explained.

"Because my husband left me!" Martha said loudly. "He just..."

She tried to make the walking gesture with her hands but gave up in defeat and sank back in her chair. She sighed and began to cry. Leah moved to put an arm around her, perching on the edge of the chair.

"He just left," Martha wept.

Joey shifted uncomfortably. She was swamped with irrational guilt. If it hadn't been for her dumb party then they might never have had that fight and broken up their marriage.

"Because I felt sorry for Hugo," Martha continued. "It doesn't mean I want to fuck him again. I just have sympathy."

Roman raised his eyebrows. Obviously this situation was more complicated than he'd thought. He pulled up two chairs for himself and Leah and settled himself down. Charlie reached out to hold Joey's hand discreetly under the table, knowing how she felt about the situation.

* * *

Belle sat in her little room feeling miserable. She wasn't allowed a visit for a whole week. Apparently she had to settle in first before she was allowed contact with the outside world. She was unsure of leaving her room and mixing with all these people who had multiple problems. It was still hard to accept that she was the same as they were but she supposed, starting tomorrow, she would have to get used to being around them. She had to attend all kinds of group therapy sessions that she was not looking forward to at all. As she lay, staring up the ceiling, she wondered where Hugo had gone. Had he really abandoned her? He might not have been the nicest guy in the world but she was sure he wouldn't have really been so cruel as to let her take all the flack. That just wasn't fair. She'd believed that he cared about her. But still, she supposed she hadn't really loved him. She'd been caught up in his life but her heart had always belonged to Aden. She thought it always would.

* * *

Joey and Charlie bid the group their goodbyes. Martha was still drunk and a little too loud. Rachel was feeling fretful and Leah was itching to get home to her boys. Roman seemed to be enjoying himself, however. He wasn't as drunk as Martha but he was definitely tipsy. And the women were providing wonderful company. He was, as ever, sad that Charlie was leaving. Joey, now that he was getting to know her, was actually quite sweet, although she seemed a little quiet and nervous. He hoped that wasn't his fault. He knew that he had caused some problems between the girls and while he would whisk Charlie away in a heartbeat if he got the chance, he knew that Charlie was unlikely to ever notice him again. She seemed besotted with her girlfriend. Life had certainly changed during his absence.

* * *

"So things are really stressful here?" Ruby asked.

Xavier nodded. Gina hadn't stopped telling him off for their night out but he felt it was becoming undeserved. He was certain it was more about Hugo than about him. The more the days passed without any contact from his older brother, the more he started to hate him. He'd done nothing but cause trouble for himself and his family. First he had stolen Martha from Jack, then he'd tried to break up their wedding, then he'd sabotaged any chance of Belle and Aden getting back together and now there was all this drugs mess. Xavier was sure that he, Brendan and their mother were better off without him.

"I'm sorry, Xave," Ruby said sympathetically.

She put an arm around him and he kissed her.

* * *

Charlie and Joey arrived home. They hadn't stopped talking and fretting about poor Martha the whole way home.

"She's right though," Charlie said, sitting on the couch and taking her shoes off.

Joey perched in the arm chair.

"Right about what?"

"That we're lucky."

Charlie put her shoes to one side and looked up into Joey's big, brown eyes. She smiled softly and then came to knee at her feet, between her legs. She held her hands.

"Joey, I know we're over it all now but I am so sorry for everything I've ever done to hurt you," she said sincerely.

"Charlie..." Joey began to protest.

"I know you forgive me. And I'm so grateful for that every day. But I want to say it again. I love you so much. My life would be nothing without you. Every time I see you, I fall more deeply in love. You make my world go round and you're the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Joey blushed and smiled as Charlie closed the gap between them. Charlie let go of Joey's hand and wrapped her arms around her waist as they kissed.

"I'm so, so lucky," Charlie added softly.

"You could never be so lucky as I am," Joey replied, kissing her again.

* * *

Carol entered the Jukebox with the intention of getting a drink. Things had ended amicably between her and Watson but it didn't make it hurt any less. She loved Watson and they had been together long enough for her to assume that they would stay together. Why couldn't they stay together? They loved each other. How did you fall out of love just like that? She shook her head and spotted Martha, Rachel, Leah and Roman sitting at a table. Bracing herself to join them, she was greeted drunkenly by Martha.

"Carol! Come and sit! You and me... we can be like two peas in a pod! Both broken hearted!"

Leah and Rachel blanched, exchanging nervous glances. Carol looked puzzled and sat down.

"Why didn't you tell anyone that you and Watson had split?" Martha asked.

"Um... because it only just happened. How do you...?"

"Well, I think she's mean getting over you just like that," Martha revealed.

"Martha..." Rachel hissed.

"What are you talking about?" Carol asked.

"Nothing!" said Leah.

Both she and Rachel were regretting telling Martha about Watson kissing Sarah.

"Kissing that boat girl like that..." Martha continued, oblivious.

Carol chewed her lip.

"What boat girl?" she asked.

Martha looked stricken. She shook her head and made a zipping noise across her lips.

"What boat girl?" Carol demanded, turning her question to everyone at the table.

"Um..." Leah stuttered.

"Sarah," Martha said quietly. "When did you split up?"

"About half an hour ago," Carol said.

She got to her feet and stormed home.

"Oops," Martha mumbled, downing the rest of her drink.


	62. Chapter 62

**Chapter Sixty-Two**

**September 2010**

The evening rolled around and Charlie and Joey were watching more episodes of _Buffy _and delving into the chocolates when there was a knock at the door. Joey sat up to let Charlie move to answer it. Charlie wound her way into the kitchen and opened up, surprised to see Watson there.

"Is there any chance I could crash for the night?" her friend asked.

"What? Why? I mean, sure. But what's happened?"

"We split up," Watson explained, following Charlie through to the lounge.

Joey switched the DVD off in order to pay her former housemate her full attention.

"Because of Sarah?" she asked.

"We'd decided to split anyway," Watson explained. "And _then _she found out. I'm such a bitch."

She threw herself into an armchair and closed her eyes.

"I'll get wine," Charlie offered, scampering off.

"Such a bitch," Watson sighed, sure that she was going to beat herself up for hurting Carol for a very long time.

* * *

Carol stayed at home alone, a mess of tears and sorrow. She felt like such an idiot for believing in Watson. She knew exactly the type of person her girlfriend... her ex-girlfriend... had been before they met. Foolishly, she had believed that she could tame her and keep her faithful. Now all she could wonder was if she'd cheated before and if she was telling the truth when she insisted that it was just a kiss and she regretted it. Sitting back on the couch she sipped a glass of Bailey's.

* * *

"I have to run," Leah said. "Martha, do you need me to take you home?"

"Home to my absent husband?" Martha sighed. "Nope. I'm happy here, thanks."

"Martha, I have to go too. I don't think you should stay here alone," said Rachel.

"Hello!" Roman protested. "I am here, you know!"

"Sorry," Rachel apologised. "Are you staying?"

She hoped he would say no and then they at least had half a chance of getting Martha safely tucked into bed with a hot chocolate.

"Yeah, I'll stick around," Roman said.

Rachel and Leah's faces fell.

"I'll get her back safely," Roman promised with a charming smile. "I promise."

"See! He'll take me home!" Martha giggled.

"Martha..." Leah tried.

"I want to stay," Martha said firmly.

* * *

"Thanks for letting me crash," Watson said gratefully when she, Charlie and Joey were settled with a glass of wine each.

"No worries," Charlie said. "What happened?"

She and Watson had known each other long enough and well enough to be able to skip polite pleasantries.

"Well, I presume you saw me kiss Sarah," Watson sighed.

She glanced a little worriedly at Joey, who was Sarah's boss after all.

"Yeah, we caught that little show," Charlie told her.

Watson rubbed her face and sighed again.

"Well, Carol and I had 'the talk' and decided to split. We haven't been getting along for a while. I mean, we haven't been arguing or anything but that's half the problem. We weren't fighting, we weren't talking, we weren't interested in each other, we weren't sleeping together... nothing. But when we ended it, she... she, she said that she was glad we talked about it first before we went off and thought about other people. And I..."

Tears surprised her. Charlie reached out to touch her hand. Joey offered her a tissue.

"I just lied," Watson admitted. "I couldn't bear to break her heart and tell her the truth. Then Martha drunkenly blurted it all out. She wasn't even there!"

"I guess Leah, Rachel or Roman must have told her," Charlie said, still holding her hand.

Watson nodded.

"It's not their fault. I shouldn't have done it."

She wiped her eyes.

"She was so hurt," she sighed. "She came back raging and crying and I... I had no defence. We loved each other so much for so long and I just wrecked all of it."

* * *

With a takeaway pizza and a crate of beers ready for him to open one after the other, Jack slouched on the couch with a series of action movies, relishing the solace. Rachel and Tony had gone out to dinner and he imagined he would be passed out on the sofa before they even got home. He hoped he wasn't being a nuisance by sleeping in their spare room and he promised himself that it was only temporary. While he was certain that it was all over with Martha, he was determined that he was going to move on with his life and start again.

* * *

Nicole sat in Crumble pondering life over a milkshake and very aware that she was sitting alone. Ruby's words floated through her mind repeatedly. When she thought about friendships, she immediately thought of Trey and Romeo but really, she knew they were interested in her for less savoury reasons. And she had never minded that until now. The more she thought about it, the more she quite liked the idea of having girlfriends and mates that were interested in her mind and not just her body. She wondered if Ruby had been genuine earlier or if she had just been trying to psyche her out. She wouldn't be surprised. Half the reason she didn't have girlfriends was because other members of the female species were jealous of her. Still, it was definitely something to think about.

* * *

Aden climbed aboard the trawler, his head full of Belle. He doubted Joey would mind him stepping on board when he wasn't working. Just like her, the sea helped him think. Sitting down, he gazed out at the water and breathed in the sea air.

"Hey, stranger," said a voice.

He turned to see Sarah standing at the edge of the boat. He smiled and waved her up.

"I take it I'm not the only one who comes out here to gather my thoughts then," she remarked, sitting beside him.

"I think we all do it. Minus Gibsy. I don't think he has many thoughts."

She chuckled.

"So, what brings you here tonight?" Sarah asked.

"Belle."

"That's your ex-girlfriend, right?"

He nodded, impressed that she knew. They'd already split up before Sarah had arrived in town.

"She's been sent to rehab."

"Oh."

"I don't know what to do – whether to go and see her or not."

"What's stopping you?"

"I have a history of getting hurt by addicts," he explained. "That's the whole reason we split up in the first place."

"Because she was on drugs?" Sarah queried.

He shook his head.

"My Dad's an alcoholic," he said. "He gave me the crappiest upbringing in the world. It was only through Joey that I found any kind of freedom."

"You two are close," Sarah concluded.

"We actually dated when we were kids," he admitted.

Her eyebrows shot up into her fringe, making him laugh.

"That was a very different life!" he assured her. "But yeah, she's pretty much been my best friend since the first moment we met on the beach, all lonely and sad."

"That's cute. And quite sad," Sarah said. "In a tearful way, not a pathetic way!"

He chuckled.

"Thanks for the clarification."

Silence fell between them for a few moments.

"So, what's sent your mind into overdrive?" he asked, looking into her eyes.

"I'm pissing myself off," she admitted.

"Why?"

"I kissed Watson last night."

"I noticed."

She pulled a face.

"And now..."

"You regret it?"

"No. That's the problem. Now I can't stop thinking about her. And I feel completely pathetic and girlie. I never get like this over anyone."

He smiled sadly.

"I wouldn't get your hopes up," he said.

"She's a player, right?"

"She's practically married."

"What?" Sarah bellowed in alarm, making him jump.

* * *

"Okay, I'm officially wasted," Roman declared, downing the last of a long line of shots.

"I feel kind of sick," Martha admitted.

He put his arm round her shoulders as if he could protect her from her alcohol consumption.

"Maybe we should order some soft drinks," he suggested.

He couldn't help but be surprised at his state of inebriation. It wasn't like him. Normally he was a control freak who refused to let go. He had the odd beer now and again but he'd not been as drunk as this for a very long time. He hoped he wouldn't do anything stupid.

"I think drinking more booze is the best option," Martha told him. "Softies are for... softies!"

She giggled as he nodded and wobbled up to the bar.

* * *

In her pyjamas and still clutching her Bailey's, Carol watched television in the bedroom, desperate to fall asleep. All she could think about was Watson, wondering where she had gone and what she was doing. Had she gone off with the boat girl again? What was so exciting about her that Carol didn't have? Why had they fallen out of love? And why couldn't Watson have done the right thing? Did they owe each other that after all their years together?

* * *

"Goodnight, Belle," the nurse said.

"Goodnight," Belle replied flatly as she snuggled beneath her blankets.

The nurse switched off the light and pulled the door to. Belle closed her eyes to the world, hoping that she wouldn't wake up when the morning came.

* * *

"She has a girlfriend?" Sarah asked tightly.

"Watson and Carol have been together for a few years now," Aden said. "I guess she didn't tell you that."

"No!" Sarah exclaimed.

She stood and started pacing, the events of the previous evening running through her brain.

"I would never have kissed someone who was in a relationship," she said. "What must everyone think of me?"

"I doubt people are judging _you_, Sarah. Relax."

"I can't!" Sarah said, the volume of her voice increasing in pitch with every sentence.

"Honestly..."

She sat down beside him.

"They're not like a big, sappy couple that everyone loves, are they? I mean they're not the town's sweethearts like Charlie and Joey, right?"

"No. I mean, everyone knows they're together and they're quite obviously a couple but you haven't split up Romeo and Juliet or anything. They're not Mulder and Scully."

"Ross and Rachel," Sarah added with a grin, distracted by the game.

"Chandler and Monica!"

"Buffy and Angel. And Riley. And Spike. Okay, that one doesn't work so well," Sarah concluded glumly. "Anyway... ugh, I feel so guilty now!"

"If you didn't know, you didn't do anything wrong," Aden said firmly.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure."

They fell into a comfortable silence.

"Willow and Tara!" Sarah blurted out.

"Kermit and Miss Piggy," Aden grinned.

The game continued well into the night.

* * *

Nicole was just about the leave Crumble when Romeo and Trey entered. Trey was wobbling around on crutches.

"Hey guys," she greeted, sitting down again. "How's the leg?"

"Broken," Trey frowned.

"And have we learned anything from this little escapade?" Romeo teased.

Trey looked at him blankly.

"Don't jump off the roof!"

Nicole laughed. Trey glared.

"Speaking of stupidity, Romeo tells me that that Geoff guy keeps hanging around you."

"Geoff..." Nicole mused.

She came up blank.

"Hangs out with his little sister a lot," Romeo said. "The hot one."

"What hot one?" Trey queried.

"Annie or something."

"Ruby's the hot one," Trey argued.

Nicole felt as if she were watching a tennis match – and she still didn't know who Geoff was. She gave them a puzzled look.

"Blonde hair, big into the Christianity thing," Romeo informed her.

"Oh! Blonde, broad, kind of cute in an innocent, virginal kind of way?" she said.

"I don't think he's cute," Trey said.

"He's quite hot actually," Nicole said.

Trey grinned.

"I wouldn't get too excited. He only thinks he wants you. The likes of Geoff Campbell couldn't handle a girl like you," he told her.

She frowned.

"What you mean, a girl like me?" she asked worriedly.

"Someone hot," Romeo told her with a charming smile that made her blush.

"And someone who knows what she's doing," Trey added.

She pondered their statements with interest.

"So, you're saying that if I actually gave Geoff the green light, he'd run a mile?" she asked.

"Yep," Trey concluded.

She turned over Ruby's offer of friendship in her mind and then pointedly decided to use it for her own scheme.

"You know, that sounds like a challenge," she said.

Romeo's heart sank. He didn't want Nicole turning her attention to anyone but him. So far, he hadn't achieved more than friendship with her but he'd been hoping he'd be next in line. For the last few weeks he'd thought that Trey was his only obstacle. He definitely didn't like the idea of Geoff Campbell being thrown into the mix as well.

* * *

In her hotel room, Irene pored over the newspaper. She was busy scanning for houses and jobs. If she was going to settle down here then she was going to have to do it properly. It would be no good for Belle to come out of the clinic and have to shack up with her in a hotel room. She needed a nice, spacious place to live where Irene could take care of her. And hopefully, a place for Aden to visit so they could rebuild their broken relationship.

* * *

Rachel and Tony arrived home from their meal in town, feeling cheerful. They stopped giggling and talking when they found Jack fast asleep on the couch, having obviously spent the evening eating, drinking and watching DVD's. Frowning, they locked up and let him be, sneaking off to their room in silence and switching off the light as they went. All they could hope was that he'd get over his issues and let Martha back into his life.

* * *

Roman and Martha had started walking to Martha's house so that Roman could fulfil his promise of getting her home safely. But holding hands along the way, had led to a kiss and now they had changed course and let themselves into Roman's place. Giggling, they kissed again and thundered upstairs eagerly.

* * *

"Have you got everything you need?" Charlie asked.

She had made up the bed for Watson and settled her into her room with a glass of water.

"Yeah, I'm all set, thanks," Watson replied. "And I really appreciate you taking me in."

"That's what friends are..."

"Charlie!"

Joey's seemingly frightening voice pierced Charlie's heart, interrupting her words. She hurriedly said goodnight to Watson and ran across the hall and round the corner, bursting through the door to hers and Joey's bedroom. She stopped still when she saw her girlfriend sitting on the floor with a knife in her hand.

"Please take it away from me," Joey begged.

Charlie crept forward and sank down onto her knees in front of her. She gently extracted the knife from Joey's hand and tossed it away. Tears ran down Joey's cheeks as she gazed into Charlie's eyes. There was no blood. She just sat there shaking.

"Walk me through it," Charlie requested softly.

"I'm a freak," Joey told her.

"No you're not," Charlie insisted. "What happened?"

"I just... Everyone's in such a mess and I know it's irrational but I... I just kept thinking that... that if I hadn't... if I hadn't..."

She struggled to catch her breath. Charlie held her hands.

"Take it slow," she said.

"If I hadn't had my dumb birthday then none of this would have happened."

"What wouldn't have happened?"

"The breakups."

"Oh, Joey... you really don't need to take responsibility for that. Okay? Jack and Martha have been having problems and apparently so have Watson and Carol. If it hadn't been your birthday, it would have been something else. It's their problem, not yours."

"I know," Joey sobbed. "I do know but I can't help feeling that..."

"All of them need to take responsibility for their actions," Charlie said carefully. "It's nothing to do with you. It's not your fault."

"I'm not being rational, am I?" Joey asked tearfully.

"It's okay," Charlie said gently. "We're all allowed to have irrational moments sometimes."

Joey nodded but she felt awful. She felt like she had let Charlie down.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"It's okay," Charlie said. "And look, you might feel like you've gone ten paces back right now but you haven't. You've taken so many steps forward because you didn't cut. You wanted to but you didn't. You saved yourself and you called me instead. Isn't that progress?"

Joey nodded.

"I just feel like an idiot that I need to call that progress."

"You're not an idiot," Charlie said firmly. "You've been to hell and back and you're doing so well."

"I still kept a back up knife," Joey pointed out unhappily.

They both looked across the floor at it.

"Is that the only one?" Charlie asked.

Joey nodded, still shaking.

"Right," Charlie said decisively. "There's something you need to do."

"What?" Joey asked worriedly, as Charlie pulled her to her feet.

* * *

Watson headed to bed, supposing that if she was needed, Charlie or Joey would call on her. So far, their room was quiet so she decided to leave them to it. Turning the light off, she closed her eyes tightly, wishing the day away.

* * *

"And now we throw it away," Charlie told Joey.

She had been gently offering instructions and Joey had followed them to the letter. They had wrapped the knife up in bags and paper to pad it out, making it secure and safe. Then they had written a warning on the packet in case someone picked it up. And then they had taken it outside with the household bin.

"Ready?" Charlie asked.

Joey dumped the bag and allowed herself to be led back into the house.

"You must think I'm a real freak," she said bitterly.

"I would never, ever think that," Charlie promised.

Standing in the kitchen, she wrapped her arms around her and held her close, kissing her lips.

"Never ever, ever," she said.


	63. Chapter 63

_Hi all! Here is a well timed festive episode for you all. I confess it's very hard to write about sunshine at Christmas. Christmas is cold and snowy! I'm sure of it. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the way Charlie and Joey and the clan celebrate Christmas and New Year. IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Sixty Three**

**December 2010**

Joey, Sarah and Aden headed into the Jukebox together for after work drinks. It was Christmas Eve and they were all glad to be leaving the trawler exactly where it was until the New Year. For now, they could enjoy the sunshine and Christmas festivities. Charlie and Joey had taken it upon themselves to host Christmas for their family. Knowing that Aden didn't have any family to spend the day with other than the Holden's, who had fostered him as a child, they had invited him along.

"So, what are you plans tomorrow, Sarah?" Aden asked, sipping his beer.

His colleague shrugged. She had no plans. She never had any plans. The previous day, she had gone out to buy herself a microwave meal, some chocolate and a couple of bottles of wine along with a DVD and that, as far as she was concerned, was her day sorted.

"You're not going to be with your family?" Aden asked.

"I have no family," Sarah told him. "Or at least, they don't have me. Aside from my little sister, nobody wants to know the big, scary dyke."

Joey nodded in understanding. Things had never improved with her brother, Brett after she had been outed as a lesbian. Half of her still hoped that they could one day get back to being siblings, like their parents would have wanted, and half of her believed that she should just give up hope.

"Well, you'd be more than welcome to join us," she offered.

"Oh, no, I wouldn't want to intrude on the family thing," Sarah said.

"I'm intruding!" Aden grinned.

"Yeah, but you've known Joey and Charlie forever," Sarah pointed out. "I've lived here for five minutes in comparison."

"Oh, don't be silly," Joey said, waving her hand dismissively. "The more the merrier. If you can cope with our cooking, anyway."

Aden shuddered dramatically, earning him a playful slap on his arm.

"Are you sure?" Sarah asked a little nervously.

"Sure we're sure," said Joey. "Everyone's coming round at about twelve."

* * *

Watson, Charlie and Jack were all clock watching, desperately waiting for their shift to end. Charlie was itching to head over to the Jukebox to join Joey and her crew for drinks as they began to celebrate Christmas early. And Jack was nervously anticipating his date with Martha. It felt strange to be going on a date with his wife but after three months of estrangement and desperately missing each other, they had finally admitted that being apart wasn't the easy option. And so, on Christmas Eve, they were going out to dinner to see if they could work something out. And if they could, Martha would be joining him, Tony, Rachel and Lucas for Christmas Day.

"You look like you're about to explode," Watson remarked from across the room.

Jack looked up sharply.

"I'm fine," he lied.

"First date jitters?" she teased.

"Maybe a few," he admitted. "There's a lot riding on tonight."

"I hope it goes well."

"Me too," Charlie added.

Both Jack and Martha had been miserable since their split and it was driving all of their friends crazy. If they weren't going to get back together on their own then an intervention was needed. Thankfully, they seemed to be willing to try without help. The clock struck four and all three leapt up from their immaculately tidy desks and headed into the back to get changed into their day clothes.

* * *

Leah hurried into the toilets of Crumble and knelt to lift Martha's hair out of the way as her friend threw up violently. Sitting up, Martha wiped her mouth and struggled to catch her breath.

"Are you really that nervous about seeing Jack tonight?" Leah asked.

Her friend nodded. It had been a long road to get to a place where she and Jack could even talk to each other civilly again. Tonight brought so much pressure of a reunion. Leah hugged her and rubbed her back.

"It'll be fine. You and Jack... you belong together."

"And if we don't, I can still come to yours tomorrow?" Martha checked.

"Of course. But I won't expect you."

* * *

Ruby, Nicole and Annie lay side by side on the beach, refusing to accept that the sun was dying. The boys – Xavier, Jai and Geoff were in the sea.

"So, what are you all doing for Christmas?" Nicole asked.

"Charlie and Joey are being the hostesses with the mostess...es," Ruby said, furrowing her brow as she tried to rhyme.

"Geoff, Pop and I have church in the morning and then a small family dinner," Annie explained.

"Speaking of Geoff," Ruby began curiously. "What's the deal?"

Nicole blushed coyly.

"There is no deal," she teased, running her hands through her hair.

"Oh, come off it!" said Ruby. "You've been flirting for months. And we all know how Geoff feels!"

"He won't stop talking about you!" Annie groaned.

A wave of guilt flashed through Nicole's soul. It had all begun as a dare with Trey and Romeo. They'd insisted that not even Nicole could get Geoff to part with his virginity and she had never been one to turn down a challenge. At first, she thought it would be easy but after a few days of hanging out with him and his friends, having accepted Ruby's offer of companionship, she'd realised she would need to be in it for the long haul. Unfortunately, the more she got to know the group of five, the more she was getting to like them. Sure, they were 'the good guys'; they worked hard at school, got good grades, didn't misbehave and always stuck to their curfew – but Nicole had grown fond of them. And she hadn't failed to notice that her father was increasingly pleased by her turnaround in behaviour.

"He's cute," Nicole said. "And he's nice. And that's all I'm offering."

"What about Romeo?" Ruby asked.

"What about him?" Annie said quickly.

Both girls looked at her.

"You meant Nicole," Annie concluded with a blush.

"Yes, I meant Nicole," Ruby said. "Should I have asked you? Is something going on?"

Annie looked out to sea, observing Jai, the boy she had always been convinced that she was going to marry and have a family with. However, these days, she couldn't stop looking at Romeo. She wasn't sure if it was good or bad thing that he had so far never looked back.

"Nothing's going on," she insisted.

"Do you want there to be?" Nicole asked. "Because I could probably..."

"No! No. I'm with Jai, remember?"

Both girls were unconvinced but decided to let it lie.

* * *

Jack waved goodbye to his colleagues. Watson and Charlie finished packing their bags.

"Are you driving back to your folks tonight?" Charlie asked.

Watson shook her head and continued to empty her locker.

"No," she said. "They've decided on a cruise for Christmas."

"So what are you doing tomorrow?"

Watson shrugged and closed the locker door. She turned to Charlie.

"Nothing much," she said. "I'll probably go for a drive or something. Eat some pizza."

"Pizza?" Charlie said, sounding disgusted. "Nuh uh. No way. You're coming over to us."

"Charlie, it's your day with your family..." Watson protested.

Charlie put her hands on her hips and offered her stern face.

"You are family," she said. "I owe you so much, Watson. I'm not having you spend Christmas Day all by yourself. Last year was one of the two most miserable Christmases I've ever had and I never want anyone to be as lonely as Joey and I were then, okay?"

Watson looked a little helpless.

"It'll be fun," Charlie continued. "Please come?"

Watson began to waver between wanting to be miserable and lonely and wanting to have a good time.

"Please?" Charlie begged with her best puppy dog eyes.

"Oh, alright then," Watson agreed with a big grin. "If you insist. And if you're sure it's not a pain."

"It's definitely not a pain," Charlie confirmed.

* * *

"Okay, love, that's me done," Irene announced.

Leah approached to say goodbye and wish her a Happy Christmas. Once she and Roman had taken over Crumble one of their colleagues had resigned over not being invited to go in on the deal with them. They had offered her job to Irene the moment she had made it known that she was looking for work.

"I'm really hoping it's a good one," Irene said.

"I'm sure it will be," Leah replied.

Her friend nodded and hurried out of the restaurant, ready to hop in the car and pick Belle up from her stint in rehab. Irene wasn't sure who was more excited about her release.

* * *

Sarah left as Charlie arrived, assuring her that it wasn't personal – she just had things she needed to do. Sitting beside Joey, Charlie kissed her and stole some of her beer.

"Hey!" Joey protested.

Charlie just stuck her tongue out and put her arm around Joey's shoulders.

"Charlie, is it okay if Sarah comes for dinner tomorrow?"

Charlie froze.

"Um..."

"Please? She's got no family or anything."

"No, no, it's fine. It's just..."

"What?"

"I kind of invited Watson."

"Ooh, this should be interesting!" Aden smirked, leaning back in his chair.

Ever since Sarah had discovered that Watson had lied to her about being single, she hadn't been willing to forgive and forget. She had received several comments from various locals with misinformation about how she had split Watson and Carol up. Paranoid about being the bad guy, Sarah had refused to talk to Watson again, although it was obvious to everyone but her and Watson that she was still attracted to her.

"Should we cancel one of them?" Joey asked.

"I can't turn Watson away," Charlie said quickly.

"And I already made a fuss about Sarah coming," said Joey.

She sighed heavily.

"Maybe it won't be so bad," Charlie ventured hopefully. "It might be just the ticket to make them friends again."

Aden chuckled and shook his head.

"It'll definitely be interesting," he said.

* * *

"Hey!"

Nicole turned to find Romeo jogging to catch up with her as she walked home. She stopped and waited for him, smiling broadly. She certainly couldn't blame Annie for having a crush.

"How's it going?" she asked when he was near.

"Pretty good."

"What are you and your folks doing for Christmas?"

Romeo shrugged awkwardly. He didn't like to talk about his home life.

"What are you up to?"

"Me, Roman, yawnfest."

"How's the seduction plan going?" he asked.

"Yeah," she said vaguely. "I'm making progress."

He nodded, trying to hide his disappointment. The only person he wanted Nicole Franklin to seduce was him. He hated Trey for coming up with this stupid ploy that was proving to be months worth of work. All three of them had assumed it would be over long before now.

"Walk you home?" he offered.

"Yeah, that'd be nice," she said with a smile.

* * *

With Ruby watching a DVD with Xavier in the lounge, Charlie and Joey had headed upstairs to finish wrapping gifts. Of course, it had led quickly to a make out session.

"I'm so excited about this Christmas," Joey admitted.

They smiled sadly at each other as they thought about the Christmas before. It had been heartbreaking and both were determined to make up for last time.

"Me too," Charlie admitted.

She pulled Joey closer and kissed her lips. Brushing Joey's hair back, she kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Joey," she said sincerely.

Joey beamed at her.

"I love you too, Charlie. Sometimes I think the world and all it offers doesn't contain enough for me to tell you how much."

They kissed again, smiling against each other's mouths. Joey moved Charlie onto her back and positioned herself against her body. Neither broke away from their kiss.

* * *

It was nearly midnight when Jack and Martha arrived back at their old marital home. Dinner had gone well and they had let three courses last hours before they'd taken a walk back hand in hand across the beach. Jack had decided to walk his wife home and now, at the doorstep, they silently debated what to do next.

"It was wonderful seeing you again," Martha ventured, a smile appearing on her face.

Jack nodded and squeezed his wife's hands. Without giving himself time to talk himself out of it, he bent forward and kissed her. She kissed him back immediately, feeling absolutely overjoyed.

* * *

The following morning, Charlie and Joey woke to a loud banging on their bedroom door.

"Charlie! Joey!" Ruby hollered.

Charlie moaned as she glanced, bleary eyed at the clock. It was six in the morning. She moaned louder and rubbed her eyes. Every single Christmas morning, at the crack of dawn, Ruby never failed to wake up and drag her sister up with her.

"Come in," Joey called sleepily.

Ruby bounded through the door and landed on the edge of the bed, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"Happy Christmas!" she bellowed.

"Happy Christmas, Rubes," Charlie and Joey replied in unison.

"Let's go and open presents!"

* * *

Martha and Jack woke up in each other's arms, feeling peaceful for the first time in a long time.

"So, do I get to spend Christmas with you and your family?" Martha asked, a grin teasing her lips.

"Our family," he corrected her, kissing her smile.

"I got you a Christmas present," Martha ventured.

He looked surprised.

"I'll be right back," she promised, slipping out of bed.

* * *

Joey sat on the floor, stunned and speechless.

"Charlie, this is too much," she said.

Her girlfriend gazed into her eyes, holding her hands.

"It's just a holiday," she said.

"Yeah but... it's a holiday in a five star hotel at the Ayres Rock Resort," Joey said, looking at the brochure in awe.

"With a swimming pool!" Ruby added.

"With a swimming pool," Joey repeated.

"And a spa room!"

"And a spa room. See? It's a huge Christmas present."

"And you're worth every penny."

Joey set the brochure and the plane tickets in her lap and reached under the Christmas tree. She withdrew her gift for Charlie, worrying that it was inferior. She shyly offered the small box up to Charlie who accepted it gracefully. Undoing the wrapping, Charlie lifted the top off the box off and set in the floor. Inside the box on a little cushion was a silver necklace. On a chain, hung the outline of a heart. It was beautiful. Charlie looked up, feeling touched. She smiled and leant forward to kiss Joey's lips.

"It's beautiful," she said. "Thank you."

"I hope you like it," Joey said a little nervously.

"I love it."

She lifted it out of the box and asked Joey to put it on for her, which Joey readily agreed to.

"It's really beautiful," Ruby commented. "That must have cost a fortune!"

"Sssh!" Joey said quickly.

The purchase had made a huge dent in her savings but she didn't care. It looked lovely around Charlie's neck and that's exactly where it belonged. They gazed lovingly at each other.

"Okay, I'm going to make toast before you two get all snugly!" Ruby announced, skipping out of the room as Charlie and Joey kissed.

* * *

Leah smiled to herself when she received a text message from Martha wishing her a happy Christmas and to explain that she would be with her family this year and there was no need to set her a place at the table.

"What are you smiling about?" Vinnie asked, coming to wrap his arms around his wife's waist as he stood behind her.

"Martha and Jack finally got their act together," she explained.

He kissed her cheek.

"Merry Christmas all round then?" he said.

* * *

By ten past twelve everyone but Watson had arrived. Aden had been Charlie and Joey's first guest, closely followed by Ross and Morag who had overexcited Ruby by buying her a Wii. She had shrieked to high Heaven and exclaimed that they were all going to have so much fun playing games together. Sarah had then arrived with two bottles of wine for all but Ruby to share and some hastily bought gifts for everyone. Crowded in the lounge, the noise was such that Watson's knock wasn't heard. She came inside anyway and froze when she laid eyes on Sarah. Charlie and Joey had informed neither party that the other was attending.

"Merry Christmas everyone!" Watson said, covering her surprise.

"Hey, Watson," Charlie greeted warmly, standing up to give her friend a hug.

"Nice necklace!"

Charlie beamed and turned to look lovingly at Joey, thus explaining who it was from.

"We're having a sappy Christmas, I take it!" Watson remarked.

"Uh huh."

"I brought wine and dessert," Charlie's former roommate said, holding up her offerings.

"Great," Charlie said, taking her into the kitchen.

Back in the lounge, Joey was quick to apologise.

"I know you and Watson aren't exactly on speaking terms but Charlie and I both kind of invited you at the same time and then... well, we thought maybe you could make friends. 'Tis the season and all!"

Ruby immediately began singing 'Deck the Halls' as she rummaged around behind the television in order to set up her new video game console. Joey shook her head and turned back to Sarah.

"Anyway," she said. "Is it cool?"

"I guess," Sarah said uncertainly.

Joey patted her on the arm and smiled cheerfully.

* * *

In the kitchen, Watson immediately asked about Sarah's presence.

"Joey invited her without telling me. Anyway, it's a good thing!" Charlie said.

"A good thing? She hates my guts!"

"Because you lied," Charlie reminded her.

Watson pulled a face. She did not need to be forced to recall how badly she had hurt Carol and then disappointed Sarah.

"But she still likes you," Charlie continued.

"Yeah and that's obvious from the way she shoots daggers at me every time she lays eyes on me!"

"Yeah, because people keep accusing her of splitting you and Carol up when actually she had no idea you were in a relationship. But the point is that before she knew, she kissed you. And if she didn't care, she wouldn't be so upset about it. And I know you still like her."

"I don't!" Watson hissed as if it were the worst accusation in the world.

"Yes, you do," Charlie smirked, turning to check on their dinner.

Watson pulled a face and threw herself into a chair.

"I am not allowing my life to get complicated ever again," she said firmly.

"Uh huh," Charlie replied, not believing a word of it.

* * *

"Well, Christmas isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be," Xavier commented to Tony as he helped him and Gina dish up dinner.

Hugo was missing and all but mother and son were almost glad about it. Christmases with Jack and Hugo had been difficult ever since the affair and as far as Xavier was concerned, his older brother had brought them nothing but stress and shame. On top of Hugo's departure, they had all expected Martha to be absent but thankfully she and Jack had worked things out just in time. Now, there was at least some semblance of joy in the house this year.

* * *

After lunch, Ruby had been bouncing around begging everyone to play videos games with her but unfortunately, everybody was stuffed to bursting and struggling to move. Ruby sulked in a chair, keeping a permanent pout on her face and was determined to remain that way until somebody agreed to play. Charlie and Joey were holding hands on the couch and Ross was reading through a book that Ruby had bought him as a gift. Morag was in deep conversation with Aden, leaving Sarah and Watson seated beside each other feeling awkward. Finally, unable to take it anymore, Watson stood.

"I'm going to get some fresh air," she announced.

She headed outside. Sarah chewed her lip and then followed. Finding Watson sitting on the swinging bench outside, she came to sit beside her.

"I came out here to give you space away from me!" Watson remarked.

"Do you want to call a truce?" Sarah asked.

"I would love to call a truce. I already have Carol hating me. I don't want anyone else to – especially not someone nice like you."

Sarah blushed involuntarily.

"You haven't got back together then?" she asked.

Watson laughed softly.

"No. Definitely not," she said. "Carol and I were dying a death long before I made a pass at you."

Sarah nodded.

"We don't belong together. I think... I think I don't belong to anyone," Watson added, trying to laugh.

"Everyone belongs to someone in the end," Sarah said certainly.

"I thought your intention was to be eternally single and having fun."

"It is."

"So...?"

"So, I'm a hypocrite!" Sarah laughed.

Watson chuckled.

"I think you and I are one and the same when it comes to being single," she said. "I used to have your view on life and I am utterly determined to have it again."

* * *

It was the morning of New Year's Eve and Belle was sat at home alone. Irene was working a shift at Crumble and then she had promised to return with dinner and chocolate cake so that they could bring in the New Year together at home. Since her release from the clinic on Christmas Eve, Belle hadn't ventured out of the house. She was too nervous of the looks, stares and judgements she would receive from the community. Rehab had worked and she was determined never to go near so much as a painkiller again. She'd done a lot of psychological work as well but it was going to take something strong inside her soul to face real life again. And for every day that passed, she was painfully aware that Aden hadn't been to visit.

* * *

"Come on, grumpy," Nicole said.

Ruby looked up from where she was meant to be applying her make up in the mirror. Roman had agreed that Nicole could host a New Year's Eve party but Ruby was still disappointed that Charlie and Joey had left her in her father's care. She loved her Dad but she didn't want to live with him anymore, not having lived with Charlie and Joey who were moderately easier going than he was. At seventeen, she had hoped that she might be granted a little responsibility and be allowed to stay at home alone but Charlie had blatantly refused. She wished that she was eighteen like Nicole and Geoff were. A year's difference felt massive right about now. Nicole was allowed to do whatever she wanted. Ruby felt like she was allowed to do nothing in comparison.

"What's wrong?" Nicole asked.

"Charlie and Joey have wandered off into lover's paradise and I'm stuck living with my Dad," Ruby complained.

"Is it so bad?"

"It's awful!" Ruby said, pulling a face as if she had a bad taste in her mouth.

"Is living with Charlie and Joey so great?" Nicole asked.

"It's awesome. I mean, Charlie is strict sometimes but usually, I have freedom. And it's a really relaxed home."

"Isn't it weird seeing your sister make out with a girl?"

Ruby looked at her curiously.

"I'm not judging," Nicole said quickly. "I don't have a problem with anything like that. I think it's cool actually. But is it weird for you?"

"Charlie and Joey have been making out since they were younger than me," Ruby explained. "And Joey's been in my life since the day I was born so no, it's not weird. I like them together."

"That's nice," said Nicole.

"How are you finding living with Roman?"

"I don't know whether I hate living with my Mum or my Dad more," Nicole admitted. "They both suck."

"Parents, hey?" Ruby frowned.

"Yep," Nicole agreed.

* * *

As the world was set to turn from one year to the next, Sarah found herself in the Jukebox with Aden. He'd started the evening looking like he had the world on his shoulders so they had spent the best part of their three beers talking about Belle. Aden had opened up about his alcoholic father and how he had ended up living with Jack and his family. Then he believed he'd met the girl of his dreams in Belle but it had all gone wrong when Larry had reappeared in his life.

"Do you love her, Ade?" Sarah asked.

"Of course I do."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

"I just don't know if I'm strong enough to..."

"You're never going to find out if you don't give it a chance," Sarah told him. "By not pursuing things, you're both miserable. If you do go for it, then there's a possibility that you could both be happy again."

Aden nodded thoughtfully. He finished his drink and stood up. Then he realised that he would be abandoning his friend so he sat down again.

"I can amuse myself," Sarah promised. "Go."

Aden left just as Watson arrived. Sarah smiled at her new found friend and waved her over.

* * *

At Nicole's party, Romeo sat on the outskirts feeling sorry for himself. Nicole was all over Geoff like a rash and Annie, the only other girl in the whole school that he'd noticed, was permanently attached to her boyfriend, Jai. As people coupled up around him, he searched desperately for a girl, any girl, to kiss at midnight.

* * *

Irene and Belle exchanged glances when they heard a hurried knock on the door. Irene stood and opened up, pleased to find a breathless looking Aden standing there. He ran his hands through his hair and entered the room. Belle stood up and uttered his name.

"I owe you an apology," he told her, skipping any form of greeting.

"Aden..."

"I love you. I've always loved you – since the first moment I met you. Belle, you mean everything to me and I'm so sorry that I let you down with my Dad. I was honestly trying to protect you in my own confused, messed up way. And then when I lost you, I hated myself and my life. I should have been here for you during your recovery. I should have got in touch. I should have visited. All I can say is that I thought about you every single day and I loved you every single day. I'm going to love you forever – for the rest of my life. And I don't know how you feel about me or if you'd ever be willing to give me another chance but Belle, if I could at least be your friend now, I'd be the happiest guy in the world."

Belle stared at him and then Irene and then back to him again. She was in his arms in an instant.

* * *

Everyone in the Jukebox began to count down in an over-excited manner. Watson and Sarah had spent the remainder of the evening together and now it appeared they were welcoming in 2011 in each other's company.

"Three... two... one," they joined in.

Locking eyes, the moved closer to share a kiss.

* * *

On the balcony of their hotel room, in their open air spa, Charlie and Joey sipped champagne and gazed into each other's eyes.

"Three... two... one," they said, listening to the countdown on the television back in their room.

They melted into a kiss they would never get tired of, dumping their glasses on the side and wrapping their arms around each other, whispering 'I love you' over and over again.


	64. Chapter 64

_I hope you enjoy the extra long chapter! IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Sixty Four**

**March 2011**

"Charlie, can I see you for a moment?" Ross asked, hovering in the doorway of her office.

"Sure," his daughter replied, putting her pen down.

He nodded for her to follow him, which she did, heading out of her office and round to the back of the station where he had his own quarters. It was strange. They worked in the same police station every day but they purposely had very little to do with each other. Charlie didn't want her position as a Detective's daughter to influence her own position as Senior Constable. She wanted everything on her own merit, not because of her family. Ross respected it and she was grateful.

"What's up?" Charlie asked, sitting down in front of her father's desk.

Suddenly, his serious expression became a huge smile. It made her laugh curiously.

"What?" she asked again.

"Management have had a meeting. I was there but I wasn't allowed to be part of the decision. They wanted to promote someone to Sergeant and they've decided that you're perfect for the job."

"What?" Charlie shrieked in shocked delight.

"They want to promote you to Sergeant. It means more money, more responsibility and another climb up the ladder. What do you think?"

"I think I don't know what to say!" Charlie managed.

"Yes would be a good start," Ross smirked.

She laughed and struggled over her words.

"Well yes, obviously yes. Wow. This is... it's amazing."

"I wasn't involved in the decision because you're my daughter but I did manage to convince them to let me tell you the news. You're pleased?"

"I'm thrilled! Thank you."

Ross stood and hugged his girl, feeling overwhelming proud of her.

"Thank you," Charlie said. "And I'm glad that you're the one to tell me. It makes it mean even more."

They hugged again.

"Go take a break and call Joey," he said. "I know that's what you're itching to do!"

She laughed, pleased at just how well her Dad really knew her. She hugged him one more time and then scampered out of the station. In the fresh air, she hurriedly selected Joey's number on her mobile and impatiently listened to it ring.

* * *

Joey and her crew were just coming in to shore when Joey's phone came back into reception and rang.

"Charlie?" she answered, wondering why she was ringing at this time of the day. It was barely nine thirty.

"I made Sergeant!" Charlie bellowed.

"What?" Joey squeaked.

"Dad just told me that they're promoting me to Sergeant!"

"Oh my... Wow! Well done, Charlie! I didn't even know you'd applied for anything."

"I hadn't. They just... did it!"

On either end of the phones, Charlie and Joey's grins matched each other.

"I am so proud of you," Joey said sincerely.

"Can I take you to lunch at one to celebrate?"

"As if you need to ask!"

"I'll meet you off the boat. I love you!"

"I love you too, sweetheart. And well done again."

Joey hung up the phone to find Aden and Sarah both eyeing her curiously. Joey continued to grin.

"Charlie's been promoted to Sergeant!" she suddenly burst out.

* * *

Martha felt rotten and the more she considered why, she sicker she felt. She'd been keeping a lid on her big secret since she'd first taken the pregnancy test after Christmas. She was now six months pregnant and was grateful not to be showing as she didn't know how to explain herself. Jack hadn't commented. She assumed her just thought she was putting on weight. Since he'd moved back in at New Year, she had been desperately trying to keep it all a secret, hoping that if she didn't talk about it then the problem would go away. But as each day passed, she knew she was only getting closer to her new arrival. She felt guilty for not doing a single thing for her unborn child other than ignoring it. She'd not so much as visited a Doctor. The problem was that six months ago, she had slept with two men. One was her infertile husband and one was a friend who already had a daughter of his own. Sitting on the sofa with yet more tears rolling down her cheeks, Martha finally took the plunge and picked up her phone. It rang three times after she'd dialled.

"Hello?"

"Rachel? I really need to see you," she said.

* * *

Charlie blushed as Watson and Jack both offered their sincere congratulations. They hugged her and told her she deserved it. She felt strangely shy about telling anyone else but Jack and Watson were two of her best friends. Really, aside from Joey, Watson was her closest friend in all the world. They'd developed a bond during training that could never be broken.

"We are so going out for drinks tonight," Watson declared.

Charlie beamed at her.

"What's the celebration?" one of their colleagues asked.

"Um..."

"Charlie's been promoted to Sergeant!" Watson exploded joyfully.

The news immediately spread like wildfire. Charlie was flushed as everyone came over to say well done. Their evening of drinks was going to turn into a big one.

* * *

Nicole sat in class, half listening to their teacher but mostly keeping her eye on Geoff, her boyfriend. It was a strange situation. When she had first become friends with him and the people he hung around with, it had been part of Trey and Romeo's challenge. They had told her that it was absolutely impossible to get good boy Geoff Campbell into bed. Never one to let a challenge go, she had accepted and become part of their group. But now, just as she and Geoff were becoming impossibly close, she'd realised that he meant more to her than a dare. He was sweet and caring and funny. He adored her and she was starting to fall for him for real.

* * *

Charlie and Joey arrived at the same restaurant they had gone to on Joey's birthday. Exuberated at her own news, Charlie had decided that today, there would be no expense spared. She wanted to treat herself and the love of her life. Sitting opposite each other, each with a lemonade, they waited for their starters. They held hands across the table, oblivious to another couple who were eyeing them with a mix of intrigue and horror. So accepted in their community, it still felt strange to be judged for their sexuality elsewhere.

"When do you start?" Joey asked.

"Monday," Charlie beamed. "They're getting all the paperwork and everything ready this week. Oh, Joey, I am so excited. I wasn't expecting anything like this to happen so soon. I was hoping to make Sergeant by the time I was thirty or something but I've only just turned twenty eight. This is... oh, it's just so amazing."

Joey beamed at her delighted girlfriend and squeezed her hand.

"You deserve this," she said. "You work so hard, Charlie. You dedicate your life to your work. I can't think of a better person to get this promotion than you. And you're going to prove them all right and do them proud. I know you are."

Charlie leant across the table quickly and kissed Joey's lips. The couple across the way pulled faces and focussed on their food. Charlie and Joey remained oblivious in their bubble of joy.

* * *

"How have you not told anyone that you're pregnant?" Rachel asked.

Martha had come to the hospital and her friend had found her a side room in order to deal with the situation. She had performed an ultrasound and it was abundantly clear that Martha was six months pregnant with a little baby girl.

"I was scared to admit it," Martha told her sadly.

"But why? I mean... this is good, right? You and Jack have been trying for so long."

"I don't know if it's Jack's."

"Oh," came Rachel's quiet reply.

Martha hung her head and played with her hands in her lap.

"Who's...?" Rachel ventured.

"You remember when Jack and I split up and I got hideously drunk at the Juke?"

Rachel nodded. She'd drunkenly announced to Carol that her girlfriend had kissed Sarah the night before.

"Well, Roman and I..."

"Roman?" Rachel almost shrieked.

"We didn't put a lot of thought into it," Martha said as if that was any kind of defence.

Rachel came and sat beside her. She then held her friend's hand.

"I guess technically you weren't being unfaithful," she ventured.

"Unfaithful or not, I'm still likely to be carrying another man's baby. Jack and I have only been back together for a few months. This is going to destroy us all over again."

Martha broke down and wept.

* * *

Charlie's work drinks had turned into a somewhat bigger event that she had planned. Several of her colleagues, including Watson and Jack had shown up and her sister and her friends had also arrived. Aden and Belle who were largely inseparable these days had also arrived to congratulate her and Irene had come too. She and Charlie had bonded through Charlie's necessity for several coffees a day. Sarah arrived, having taken a little longer to go home and get showered and changed than she'd expected. She smiled and hugged Charlie, congratulating her and offering her a drink. Stepping up to the bar, she found herself standing beside Watson. They had slept together at New Year and barely spoken since. However, three months later, Sarah still couldn't stop thinking about the police officer. It wasn't like her and she repeatedly told herself off for it but there was just something about Charlie's friend that drove her to distraction.

* * *

After the party, Geoff decided to walk Nicole home. He just didn't feel quite ready to say goodbye to her yet and each time they had to part, it got harder. From the first moment he had laid eyes on the blonde girl, he had been smitten and even now he had to pinch himself to remember that it was real – she really was his. At her front door, she smiled shyly at him. He bent his head and kissed her, trying not to worry about being caught by her father.

"Goodnight," he said softly, not removing his hands from her waist.

"Do you have to go?" she asked.

"Um..."

"I just... I don't like saying goodbye to you."

He smiled, having thought exactly the same thing only a few minutes ago. She kissed him again.

"You could stay the night if you wanted," she offered.

"Well, um..."

"Geoff, I know you don't believe in sex before marriage," she said. "And I respect that. But I'm falling for you so badly. I can't stop thinking about you and I think you're the most beautiful boy I've ever met. If you wanted to... and there's no pressure at all... but if you wanted to, it would an amazing, loving thing. I really don't believe it would be a sin."

He gazed into her eyes, losing his sense of self in her beauty. He kissed her and followed her quietly inside the house and up to her room.

* * *

Falling back onto the bed, Charlie and Joey kissed passionately. Without allowing their lips to part, Charlie worked her hands beneath Joey's t-shirt, cupping her breasts. She buried her lips against Joey's neck, kissing and nipping her skin with a gentleness that left Joey craving more and more. Joey began to fumble quickly with Charlie's shirt buttons. In her hurry, one pinged across the room, making them both laugh.

"Literally ripping my clothes off," Charlie teased. "I like it!"

Joey giggled and allowed Charlie to sit up, undoing the rest of her buttons with more care and shrugging first the shirt and then her bra off. Charlie closed the gap between them and Joey quickly shifted so that Charlie was on her back. Charlie lay back and welcomed Joey's every touch. It had been an amazing day and it was looking to be an amazing night too.

* * *

The following afternoon, Geoff was distracted and hardly knew how he felt. He had lost his virginity and spent the night with Nicole, creeping out early in the morning so as to escape the wrath of Roman.

"What's up, mate?" Xavier asked as they put their bags in their lockers, preparing for lunch time.

"Nothing," Geoff lied.

Annie had obviously noticed that he hadn't come home for the night but he'd avoided every moment that she'd tried to talk to him. Now, Xavier appeared to be concerned.

"Seriously," the younger boy said. "You seem different. What's up?"

"Do I?" Geoff asked.

He had been nervous about everyone being able to tell. Part of him felt terrible for giving into his desires and having sex when his beliefs told him that it was wrong. But it had been amazing with Nicole and he was certain that he'd fallen in love with her.

"Yeah," Xavier said. "The girls are all doing some volunteer thing. Why don't we go for lunch and you can tell me all about it?"

He had a sneaking suspicion that he knew exactly what had gone on and if he was right, he wanted all the details.

* * *

**August 2011**

Martha flopped back on the bed, exhausted. Baby Leanne was a tiring little baby but she loved her very much. After a bad night, she had finally fallen asleep. Every day and night it felt like she was being run ragged. Being a single parent felt like the hardest job in the world. Once she'd confessed all to Jack, he'd left her. Again. They had desperately tried to cling to the notion that the baby might be his but once the little girl was born, they'd done a DNA test and there was no trace of Jack in Leanne's genetic make up. He'd tried to pretend that it wasn't a problem and that he could be a Dad to someone else's kid but after a month of disrupted nights, a hormonal wife and constant interference from Roman, he'd left. Now Martha was doing it alone with as little help from Roman as she was willing to allow. She still held out hope that Jack would come back to her and she didn't think that playing Mummies and Daddies with Roman would bring that about.

* * *

"Oh my goodness! This is amazing!" Ruby bellowed with glee.

She looked between Charlie, Joey, Ross and Morag and the car sitting behind Charlie's in the drive.

"This is seriously for me?" she asked.

"With fifteen driving lessons," Charlie informed her.

Ruby stared at her and then back at the little red car that was her eighteenth birthday present. Charlie, Joey, Ross and Morag had all clubbed together for the gift. She hadn't realised they had paid any attention to her hints about learning to drive but obviously they had because here was her very own car right in her driveway.

"This is amazing!" she declared.

Finally discovering the gift of movement, she excitedly launched herself in her family's arms, hugging each person in turn.

"I have the best family ever!" Ruby announced, giddy with delight.

* * *

Nicole sat on the beach feeling utterly miserable. Gazing out to sea, she had never felt so alone. Things had been going perfectly a few months ago. She and Geoff had been so close and she'd fallen head over heels in love with him. They'd made love after a party and it had been incredible. But when Geoff had confided in Xavier about it the next day, expressing his conflict between love and ethics, Trey Palmer had overheard him. Her 'friend' had wasted no delight in publically congratulating her on winning their bet, leaving her with tearful explanations that Geoff hadn't wanted to hear. She'd been shunned from her group of friends and she'd fallen out with Trey and subsequently Romeo. He'd attempted to be friendly but his loyalty to Trey had won out over his loyalty to her. Plus, she suspected that he was wounded at the thought of her being with someone else. His crush on her had been obvious since day one.

* * *

Charlie had anxiously agreed to start Ruby off with a beginner's driving lesson, although she hadn't been sure it was a good idea. Ruby had never so much as attempted to drive and Charlie had wanted her to start with an instructor and only help her out after several lessons but Ruby had begged, pleaded and whinged, reminding them all repeatedly that it was her birthday, and Charlie had reluctantly agreed. On entering the house again, she was a little pale. Ruby had nearly hit three parked cars but the teenager was insistent that she was a natural.

"How did it go?" Joey asked when she saw them arrive back at the house.

"I'll take her out again after a few professional lessons!" Charlie remarked.

She threw herself dramatically into Joey's lap, resting her head there and gazing up at her beautiful face. Ruby immediately began to sulk.

* * *

Aden walked along the beach in the direction of Crumble. Ever since he and Belle had got back together, he had had a permanent spring in his step. All his fears about loving an addict had been eradicated and Belle worked hard to avoid any kind of drug. She even refused to take something for a headache. She'd told him repeatedly that she loved him more than life itself and both had promised to never do anything that would cause them to lose each other again. Belle was working with Irene, Leah and Roman at Crumble these days. She still hoped to get back into journalism again and for now, photography was just a hobby. She was more than content with her lot and so was Aden. He stopped walking when he saw a blonde girl sitting on the beach, shuddering as if she was crying. He studied her and wondered whether he ought to go over or leave her be. Sighing, he changed direction and approached.

* * *

"Maybe I'll learn to drive one day," Joey mused.

She and Charlie were in the kitchen preparing a small buffet for Ruby's birthday party. She had opted for a small get together with her friends and family at home and somehow, Charlie and Joey had ended up doing the catering.

"You want to learn?" Charlie asked, cutting sandwiches.

"Yeah," Joey said, mixing the salad together. "I mean, I can steer a boat. How hard can it be?"

She smirked at her girlfriend who giggled.

"I guess the only difference is the other vehicles on the road!" Charlie said.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about them," Joey pouted.

Charlie stopped what she was doing and came to stand behind Joey and wrap her arms around her waist. She nestled her nose into Joey's shoulder.

"I'm sure we could stretch to some driving lessons for you, if you want," she said.

"Really?"

"Uh huh."

"You know Ruby will see this as competition!" Joey remarked.

"May the best woman win," Charlie replied.

* * *

Aden and Nicole sat side by side. They didn't know each other very well. Aden's biggest interaction with her was when she had flirted with him at Joey's party. But she didn't seem like the same girl at all as she broke down in front of a perfect stranger and told him everything that had happened and how much she had lost.

"I guess all you can do is apologise," Aden ventured. "They have to forgive you eventually."

"They won't. And they don't even understand because by the time Geoff and I slept together, it wasn't about the dare anymore. It was nothing to do with that. I loved him and I wanted to be with him."

"Then you need to say that."

"I have. He doesn't care."

She wept and he put a tentative arm around her.

* * *

**October 2011**

"Hi, Geoff," Nicole tried when she caught sight of him at Crumble.

He shrugged, not really wanting to talk to the girl who had tricked him back in March. Their first post-school year hadn't shaped up to much for either of them. She hovered by his table.

"Would you maybe like to go for a walk or something?"

"I'm meeting Annie," he said coldly.

Nicole sighed and sank into the opposite chair.

"Geoff, I have apologised a thousand times for what happened and I've tried so hard to explain to you what really happened. Please, please won't you forgive me?"

"No."

"I thought Christians were supposed to be all about forgiveness," Nicole pointed out.

"You made me happier than I ever thought I could be and I was willing to go against my morals to be with you. And it was all a lie. I don't wish anything bad for you but I don't want to be your friend, okay?"

Unhappily, Nicole stood and wandered to her own table. Things had been a little better recently. Since that day on the beach back in August, she had become friends with Aden and Belle. They were like older siblings to her and they'd befriended her when nobody else would give her a chance. Roman had been furious about the whole thing with Geoff and even gone as far as threatening to send her home to her mother but fortunately, he had relented and agreed that Aden and Belle were a good influence on her. The fact that his own indiscretion had resulted in her having a half sister not so long ago, gave her weapons to battle him with. Remaining at her table, Nicole turned the menu over in her hands. She looked up as Annie entered Crumble and joined her brother. She'd heard on the grapevine that she and Jai had split up a month ago and every time she saw either party around town, they looked unhappy. She wondered why, if they were so miserable without each other, they didn't get back together. She looked at the door when Romeo came in. They didn't speak much now. Once Nicole had fallen out with Trey, Romeo had stuck by his friend instead of her but they'd recovered enough to say hello. She waved. He wandered over and sat down but his eyes were on Annie.

"She's single now, you know," Nicole told him.

"I know."

"Why don't you...?"

"I'm not taking dating advice from you, Nicole," he said shortly.

She frowned and supposed he had a point. Shrugging, she perused the menu instead of paying attention to him. He continued to gaze at Annie.

* * *

Joey entered the police station. It was Saturday afternoon and Charlie was working so Joey had ventured over to visit her, pleased with herself for driving. She'd passed her test the week before and it was hard for Charlie to get any car time now that Joey constantly wanted to show off behind the wheel. Ruby hadn't yet passed and was very cranky about it.

"Is Sergeant Buckton here?" Joey asked Watson.

She grinned broadly, still enamoured with her girlfriend's not-so-recent title. Watson hollered across the room so that Charlie could hear her in her office. The brunette appeared looking irritated and then broke into a smile when she saw Joey standing there.

"Sergeant Buckton," Joey grinned. "Do I have to commit a crime to get some time with you or can I take you to lunch?"

Charlie chewed her lip. She really did have a lot to do. But Joey looked so pretty and so pleased with herself that her responsibilities quickly flew out of the window.

"Lunch sounds amazing," she said.

Closing her office door, she took Joey's hand and they headed out of the station together.

* * *

"Annie!" Romeo said, standing up and nearly sending his chair flying in his hurry.

The younger girl, who had got up to leave, paused and looked at him.

"Yes?" she said.

After the Nicole and Geoff fiasco, knowing how Trey and Romeo had been involved, she was sceptical of even talking to them – even if she thought Romeo was gorgeous and had had more than one dream about him since he'd moved to town.

"I uh... I heard about you and Jai."

"So has everyone."

"Well, uh... I was wondering if you might like to go out sometime. Now that you're single."

"I'm single because I want to be," Annie informed him. "Not every girl is desperate to have a boyfriend. And besides, there's no way I'll leave myself open to be treated the way Nicole treated Geoff."

She shot a glare at the blonde girl sitting surprisingly meekly at the table. Nicole opened her mouth to respond but she had nothing to say so she closed it again. Romeo hung his head. Annie waved goodbye to her brother and headed home.

* * *

"Will you be back in time for dinner?" Joey asked when she pulled up outside the police station, reluctantly dropping Charlie back at work.

"Should be," Charlie said.

They kissed each other goodbye. It had been intended to be quick but immediately it deepened and began to linger. Charlie pulled away breathlessly.

"Maybe I'll try and knock of early," she said, kissing Joey one more time and climbing out of the car.

* * *

Ruby walked back from Xavier's house along the beach late into the evening. She felt a little strange. Ever since Geoff and Nicole had slept together, even if it had turned out to be a disaster, Xavier had been asking if they might take things to the next level too. She wasn't sure she was ready and there was no way she was going to do something without being certain. She stopped walking when she saw a figure huddled down on the sand.

"Hello?" she called, against her better judgement.

She approached with caution and was shocked when she saw Romeo. He was lying in a sleeping bag and had several bags with him.

"Romeo? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said quickly, looking embarrassed. "I just thought it'd be nice to sleep under the stars for a night."

"But... all this stuff for a night?"

"Yeah."

"Romeo, what's going on?"

She didn't know the guy terribly well. He hung around with Trey, who she couldn't stand and Annie was attracted to him against her better judgement. Other than that, she didn't know anything about him.

"Nothing," he lied. "Leave it."

"Well, I'm worried about you."

"You don't even know me!"

"So? It doesn't mean I can't care."

"Are you kidding me? All your little mates hate me because of Nicole and Geoff."

"No, we don't. We don't have anything against you."

"Annie does," he sighed.

"Well, I don't. Why are you sleeping out here?"

"I'm homeless," he admitted.

"How?"

"My foster parents left to go travelling and they put me back in a care home. I didn't want to be there so I left."

"And you're sleeping on the beach?" Ruby asked incredulously.

"Where else is there to go?"

"Well you could... We have a spare room."

"Are you offering or showing off?" he asked.

"Offering," she said. "Come on."

* * *

Charlie and Joey were in the middle of watching a comedy sketch show, cuddled up on the sofa. They looked away from the television when they heard the front door open.

"Ruby, you're late," Charlie immediately scolded.

She frowned when she saw her sister wasn't alone.

"And you have company," she said, stating the obvious.

"Romeo's homeless," Ruby said. "Can he sleep in the spare room?"

"Um... well, I guess so," Charlie said uncertainly, looking at Joey for help.

Joey nodded, also unsure.

"It's just for a night," Romeo said politely. "If that'd be okay."

"Yeah, um... why?"

The teenagers came in to sit down and Romeo explained the story from the beginning.


	65. Chapter 65

**Chapter Sixty-Five**

**January 2012**

"What are you up to?" Aden asked, creeping up behind Joey and making her jump.

She dropped her pencil and turned round to glare at him. She couldn't stay cranky for too long, however. She had never been able to resist his cheeky grin. When he smiled like a naughty child, she always thought about growing up together and the bond they had first made on the beach when he was new in town. Throughout everything in her life, all the good times and all the bad, Aden had always been around to make her laugh and confide in.

"So, what _are _you up to?" he asked, nudging her along the bench of the boat so that he could sit down.

"Nothing," she lied, closing the folder in her lap.

"Liar," he said, making a grab for the folder.

She jerked away and they began to squabble over it, making themselves laugh.

"Seriously," he said. "What have you got there? Have you even left the trawler for lunch?"

"I brought sandwiches," she said, nodding to the unopened Tupperware container beside her.

He watched her with intrigue, wondering why she was being so coy. Usually she told him everything.

"Ready to set sail, Captain!" Sarah announced, jumping back on board after her usual half hour at Crumble.

Joey shoved her folder in her bag and retrieved her pencil, standing up ready to spend the afternoon out at sea.

* * *

"So, we have to make ourselves scarce tonight?" Romeo asked as he, Ruby and Xavier sat in the Jukebox together drinking soft drinks.

Romeo had met the couple after they had finished for the day. Having failed the year, Xavier was back at school while Ruby was working with Nicole in a hair salon while she prepared to save money to go to University. Romeo had got himself a handful of jobs in order to pay the miniscule amount of rent that Charlie and Joey charged. After the night that Ruby had brought him back from the beach, Charlie and Joey had invited him to move in with them. His landladies charged him rent because he had demanded it, not wanting to live off them scot free.

"Well, no, they didn't say that exactly but I for one have no interest in having dinner with the grown ups," Ruby replied.

Xavier smiled and put his arm around his girlfriend's shoulders, thrilled that she had decided to spend the evening with him. Charlie and Joey had invited Aden and Belle round for dinner.

"Aden's cool," Romeo said honestly.

One of his jobs involved helping Tony out at the gym and he often saw Aden in there on the weekends and in the evenings. He admired him for being the only guy he'd ever heard of that could resist Nicole's charms and knew he had been a good friend to Joey, a woman Romeo had come to like and respect very much.

* * *

Sarah had arrived home and changed in order to go for a run, catching the last of the sun's rays before night began to fall. Listening to her iPod, she jogged along the sand, focussing on her feet and regulating her breathing. Finally tiring, she stopped and caught her breath.

"What's a girl like you doing in a place like this?"

Sarah looked up to find Watson leaning against the fence that outlined the beach.

"Just getting some exercise," she replied. "Going to book me?"

"Would you like me to?" Watson smirked.

Despite herself, Sarah laughed.

They'd brought in the previous New Year together, ending up at Sarah's place during the first few hours of 2011. Since then, they'd slept together on several occasions, usually separated by months. The time in between was filled with banter and flirtation but nothing even nearly resembling a relationship. Both felt the need to give the other a run for their money.

"You should be so lucky," Sarah remarked, jogging on and leaving Watson watching.

* * *

Charlie, Joey, Aden and Belle sat round the dinner table. Joey had cooked a chilli and everyone was helping themselves to fajitas, chilli, cheese and salad, as well as large glasses of wine that the guest couple had brought round. Aden smiled to himself as he overloaded his plate greedily. There was a time when he'd thought he would never be in this position again – sharing a meal with his girlfriend and his closest friends. Every day he was grateful that he and Belle had been able to find their way back to each other.

"Oh, hey, Charlie, do _you _know what's in that folder Joey's being so secretive about?"

Joey dropped her fork and offered her friend a look that could kill.

"No," Charlie said, pausing in her bid for the salad bowl. "What folder?"

"Nothing," Joey said quickly. "There is no folder."

"Yeah, there is," Aden continued. "You hid it in your bag at lunch time."

Charlie reached for the salad and eyed her girlfriend curiously.

"It's nothing," Joey insisted.

"Joey Collins," Charlie teased. "Are you keeping secrets from me?"

"No! I um... It doesn't matter," Joey replied.

She continued to glare at Aden as if she hated him.

"Maybe that wasn't an appropriate thing to bring up at the dinner table," Belle pointed out. "It could be anything."

"Exactly!" said Aden. "And I for one want to know what it is."

* * *

Ruby and Xavier had left the Jukebox to go back to Xavier's house for a takeaway and a movie. Romeo had taken the hint that it was to be a romantic evening, and remained at the drinks venue to play pool. Jai had wandered in and joined him for a game, which had turned into several. It had taken a little time but thanks to Ruby's kindness, Romeo had managed to ingratiate his way into the lives of her friends. He'd quickly bonded with Jai and being the same age as Geoff, they'd found out that they actually had some things in common. Even Nicole had calmed down lately and the others were starting to warm to her, helped by her being Ruby's colleague at work. The only person Romeo hadn't got close to, however, was the person he desperately wanted to. Annie was friendly enough but she usually played it cool, which only ever served to make him like her more. She was frustratingly beautiful and intriguing and although he knew it would cause serious problems between him and Jai, who still liked her, Romeo knew that if he could find a way to be with her, he would do it in a heartbeat.

* * *

Having finished their meal, Charlie and Joey sent Aden and Belle into the lounge while they quickly stacked the plates in the sink.

"Hey," Charlie said softly, taking Joey by the waist.

She kissed her lips gently.

"What's this about a folder?"

"Oh, really, it's nothing," Joey said, looking down embarrassed.

Charlie gazed at her, wondering why she was being so secretive, although she was interested more than suspicious. Joey caught her gaze and kissed her.

"It's just some hobby stuff," she said dismissively.

She took Charlie by the hand and they took a new bottle of wine in to their guests.

"Did you get anywhere about the folder?" Aden asked.

It appeared to have become his mission to find out what his friend was hiding. Charlie shook her head and sat down on their new two-seater sofa, which had replaced one of the armchairs. Joey poured wine into each empty glass.

"It's just some hobby stuff," she repeated, sitting down beside Charlie.

"What kind of hobby stuff?" Aden asked.

Belle rolled her eyes.

"Aden, would you please leave the poor girl alone?" she begged.

* * *

The film was long forgotten as Ruby and Xavier kissed on the sofa. Ruby felt breathless as Xavier ran his hands up and down her side, pulling her closer and closer to him. They'd been making out for a while and her body tingled each time he touched her breasts over her clothes. It was the furthest they had gone before and Ruby knew that her boyfriend was itching to take things to the next level. She didn't feel quite sure yet and had asked herself repeatedly, how a person knew they were ready. How could Xavier be so certain that he wanted to sleep with her? And why wasn't she feeling the same way? Was there something wrong with her?

* * *

"Ugh! Okay, fine!" Joey said, exasperated, throwing up her hands in despair.

Aden's eyes glinted and Charlie and Belle waited to find out what was in Joey's mystery folder.

"You've totally blown it out of proportion," Joey accused. "All it is, is that I've been doing some drawing, some art work."

"Art work?" Charlie asked.

She smiled, remembering Joey had enjoyed the subject at school but she'd never thought it was something her partner had wanted to continue.

"Yeah," she said. "It's a private thing that's just for me. I'm not very good at it but I find it peaceful. It's a good thing to de-stress with."

Aden felt a little guilty for nagging. Joey had been searching desperately for something to replace her tendency to cut herself in stressful situations and drawing was obviously something she hadn't wanted to share.

"That's nice, Joey," said Belle, who was currently using photography for a similar reason.

"Can we see something?" Charlie asked.

"No," Joey replied. "I told you I'm not very good."

"I'm sure you..."

"No," Joey said, kissing her lips to distract her and confirm that her decision was final.

* * *

Ruby walked home alone, bumping into Romeo, Jai and Annie on the way as they exited the Jukebox cheerfully.

"Hey guys," Ruby said. "Good night?"

"Probably not so romantic as yours," Romeo smirked, knowing she'd had a cosy night in with her boyfriend.

"See you later, guys," Annie said. "I'm going to head home."

"I'll walk you," Jai offered quickly.

He was very eager to spend as much time with his ex in a bid to try and win her back but so far, she hadn't seemed interested.

"I'll escort you home then m'lady!" Romeo said, linking arms with Ruby.

* * *

By midnight, Charlie and Joey were ready for bed. Ruby and Romeo had long since been home and Aden and Belle had left. Upstairs in their room, the girls got into their pyjamas, ready for bed.

"So, are you really not going to let me see this art work of yours?" Charlie asked.

"It's rubbish," Joey said. "I probably won't keep any of the pictures. I'll probably just chuck them away."

"No!" Charlie protested. "Oh, Joey, please let me see?"

Sighing and knowing she couldn't refuse Charlie's puppy dog expression, Joey moved to pick up her bag. Climbing into bed, she pulled out a folder and offered it up to her girlfriend, who seized it joyfully. Joey cringed as Charlie examined rough drawings of the landscape surrounding the boat when they were out at sea and of the seafront when they were docked, including the outline of Crumble and the Jukebox as well as random pedestrians. The third picture was quite obviously of Aden, leaning against the side of the boat, looking thoughtful.

"Joey, these are really good," Charlie said, looking up at her girlfriend's meek face.

She skipped to another picture. Joey had drawn Charlie fast asleep on the couch looking far more serene and beautiful than Charlie thought she could ever be in real life. She was touched and looked back at Joey again who had squeezed her eyes shut, mortified.

"Seriously, Joey, these are beautiful," Charlie told her. "Really beautiful."

"They're nothing special," Joey replied.

"You've got a real talent here," Charlie said. "You should pursue this."

"Pursue it?"

"Go to an art class or something where you can develop your talent."

"It's not a talent," Joey protested.

"It is," Charlie insisted.

She put the folder down and held her girlfriend's hand, impressed that she had such a hidden skill. She leant in and kissed her tenderly.

"It really, really is."

* * *

The following evening, Charlie arrived home with a prospectus for the local college. Joey began to protest but Charlie demanded she take a look. They looked through it together and Charlie pointed out a new art class that would start at the end of the month.

"You get to do tonnes of things!" Charlie announced. "Landscapes, all different types of disciplines, portraits, abstract art, life modelling. Life modelling?"

She suddenly had visions of Joey having to paint some beautiful woman.

"Maybe we'll find another course," she said, turning the page.

Joey turned it back, interested for the first time as the course was constructed of so many things.

"There might be another that includes everything but that last bit," Charlie said.

"Charlie, you wouldn't seriously get jealous of me drawing a nude woman, would you?"

"Maybe it'd be a man..." Charlie wondered.

"You'd be jealous?" Joey asked incredulously.

"No," Charlie said with a small pout that was just asking for Joey for a kiss.

Charlie blushed as Joey obeyed.

"Just as long as you don't trade me in for someone hot enough to do that kind of thing," Charlie said.

"As if!" Joey laughed. "Besides, _you're _hot enough to do that kind of thing. You'd run rings around any model."

Charlie blushed more and rewarded her girlfriend with a kiss.

"It's not too expensive," she said. "Why don't you give them a call in the morning?"

Joey nodded, slowly coming round to the idea.

* * *

Later that night, Joey was taking a bath and Charlie found herself watching mindless television with Ruby and Romeo. It was nice having their lodger around. Charlie and Joey had spent a fair amount of time talking to him and he had opened up to them more than he did with other people. He'd revealed a family history of drunken abuse which had put him in care. They felt like they were connecting with him and were glad to help him out during the difficult time of having nowhere to live. Now, he couldn't even have stayed in the care home because he was technically an adult. They let him pay a small amount of rent to make him feel better but they didn't really want it. They enjoyed his company and he was very easy to live with.

"Why can't it be that simple in real life?" he wondered aloud as the two lovers on the TV, united.

"Oh, Romeo, why don't you just ask her out?" Ruby asked.

"Who?" Charlie wanted to know.

"I did!"

"Who?"

"Yeah, but when you weren't friendly with her."

"Who?" Charlie bellowed.

"Annie," they replied in unison.

"You like Annie?" Charlie asked, surprised.

Romeo blushed and nodded.

"You know, for someone so good looking, you really are lousy with girls!" Ruby commented.

"Thanks," Romeo said sarcastically. "That really helps, Rubes."

Ruby shrugged in return and tuned back into the television. Charlie just shook her head and chuckled. They continued watching their programme until Romeo yawned and stretched, signalling that he needed to sleep. Bidding the girls goodnight, he headed up to his room.

"Charlie?" Ruby said when he was gone.

Charlie looked up sharply at her tone. It was the one she used when she wanted something.

"Yes?" she said.

Joey walked through the lounge in her pyjamas and wet hair, waving as she headed towards the kitchen and offered them both a hot chocolate, which they eagerly accepted. Ruby then turned back to her older sister.

"How do you know when you're ready to have sex?"

Charlie blanched.

"How do you... what?" she asked in alarm.

"How do you know when you're ready to have sex?"

"Um... well, um... Joey!"

Ruby jumped at her sister's fright. Joey poked her head round the door.

"What's wrong?"

"You um... you need to... um..."

She gestured to Ruby. Confused, Joey came into the room and sat down, facing a very red faced Ruby.

"What?" she asked.

"I was asking Charlie how someone knows when they're ready to lose their virginity and she freaked out," Ruby said flatly.

Joey snorted with laughter.

"She's just realised that you're not a child anymore," she said, rolling her eyes at her girlfriend.

Charlie shuddered. How could her little baby sister be ready to have sex? She forced herself to remember that her little baby sister was actually already eighteen and could easily and legally have been having sex for a couple of years.

"I haven't been a child for a long time, Charlie," Ruby pointed out. "Xavier and I have done tonnes of stuff apart from sex!"

Charlie clapped her hands over her ears. She focussed hard on calming down. Joey's smirk was not helping.

"So? Big sister number two," Ruby said, turning to Joey. "How do you know?"

"Well, I think you just... know."

Ruby frowned.

"That's not helpful. Um... okay, well, um... uh... When I had my first sexual experience, I was in a loving, trusting relationship. I mean, it didn't end that way but when Zoe and I first got together, it was wonderful. And we'd been together a little while and it was my birthday when we decided that we were going to do it. It was the first time for both of us and it was really special."

"Were you nervous?"

"I was terrified. But the fear was overruled by how I felt about her. It just felt right, to be close to her in that way although..."

"Although?"

"Well, I knew in my heart that really I wanted it to be with Charlie," Joey explained bashfully.

She looked up at her girlfriend who smiled at her in return, touched by the sentiment.

"So, you slept with Zoe even though you loved Charlie?"

"I loved them both," Joey explained. "I had no idea that I ever stood a chance with Charlie back then so she was always the person I would have loved my first time to be with but I believed it wasn't an option so if I was going to be with anyone then I loved Zoe enough for it to be her."

Ruby nodded thoughtfully.

"How many people have you been with?" Ruby asked. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Just Zoe and Charlie," Joey told her.

"And you loved both of them?"

"Yes."

"Sex is better when you love someone," Charlie put in, finally ready to join in with the conversation.

"How many people have you done it with?" Ruby asked.

"Three. Roman, Angelo and Joey. And I've only ever been in love with Joey. I can promise you that it's better when you're in love."

The couple smiled at each other. It made Ruby smile, thinking that they were very cute.

"That plus that fact that I'm not into..."

"Boy parts?" Ruby grinned.

Charlie snorted with the imagery and nodded.

"That's something that scares me," Ruby admitted.

"What?"

"Boy parts. Xavier's boy parts! I mean... I just... I don't know if I'm ready."

"All I'll say to you, Ruby is not to rush things," Charlie said. "If you're having doubts and you're not sure if you ready, then wait until you are sure. The worst thing you can do is push yourself into something you don't want. I freely admit that I wasn't ready when I had sex for the first time. I was so mixed up in my head and even though I was very attracted to Roman back then, essentially, I slept with someone I hardly knew and who was going to leave my life pretty quickly. I knew it wasn't a long term thing. I knew it wasn't right and to be honest, I did it for the wrong reasons."

"What were your reasons?"

"I was thrilled to actually be attracted to someone who wasn't Joey. I wasn't ready to deal with my feelings for her then and I'd never felt pulled towards anyone else very strongly. Roman was the mysterious soldier visitor," Charlie explained. "I got carried away. He was nice and he was gentle with me but it still hurt. It wasn't very comfortable and I was so nervous. If I could go back and have my time again... well, I'd put my head on right and accept who I've been in love with my whole life and could therefore have skipped the previous two."

Joey beamed at her. Charlie beamed back.

"So, you two think I shouldn't do anything until I'm completely sure?" Ruby asked.

"Yes," said Charlie.

"And that's you as a woman, not my over protective older sister?"

"Yes. I swear."

Ruby nodded and thanked them. It had helped to hear about their experiences. She pictured Xavier, thinking how pretty he was and how much she loved him and trusted him.

"I'm not ready yet," she said. "I think I will be soon but for now... I think we need to practice the other stuff first."

Charlie coloured at the thought.

"The only reason I'm thinking about it is because he wants to. Off my own back, I don't want it yet. I will. But not yet. It's a big commitment. I mean, look how hurt Geoff got after his first time and he and Nicole were crazy about each other. I don't want to take the risk yet. But soon."

"And when you do," Joey ventured. "You will make sure you're careful, won't you?"

"Oh, yes! Yes, of course. I won't be making any silly mistakes," Ruby promised.

* * *

The end of the week brought Charlie's twenty ninth birthday with it and she had settled on having a few friends round, including Aden, Belle, Watson, Sarah, Jack, Rachel, Tony, Leah, Ruby, Xavier and Romeo. The birthday girl had taken delight in teasing her lodger about inviting Annie. Martha hadn't been able to get a babysitter and Vinnie was playing babysitter to his son. Charlie and Joey couldn't help but be glad that Martha wasn't able to make it. She and Jack weren't arguing or anything but they were still separated and as usual, it was blatantly obvious that they wanted to reunite. The evening was as quiet an affair as it could possibly be with the likes of Watson around and it didn't finish until late.

"We'd better get back," Rachel said at eleven o'clock. "I've got a hell of a shift tomorrow morning."

She, Tony and Jack all began their goodbyes while Xavier lingered on his goodbye to Ruby. Leah soon followed suit, although she could already picture Vinnie falling asleep in front of the TV with VJ cuddled up on his lap. Ruby and Romeo scampered up their rooms and after bringing up the folder again and being reluctantly shown Joey's work, Aden and Belle had departed.

"Okay, well, we'd better let these two get to bed," Watson smirked, looking knowingly at Charlie and Joey who blushed appropriately.

She turned to Sarah, offering her a lift home. She accepted and another round of goodbyes began. Charlie and Joey waved them goodbye at the door and then made their way upstairs.

"So, am I dropping you at yours or taking you to mine?" Watson asked, when she and Sarah were pulling out of their parking space.

Sarah smiled at her. They both knew the answer.

* * *

"Happy birthday Sergeant Charlie Buckton," Joey said in the safety of their room.

Charlie moved closer and held her by her hips, pressed their bodies together.

"Have I mentioned how much I like it when you call me that?" she murmured.

Joey kissed her neck and stroked her back.

"Maybe a couple of times," she said, smiling as she began to explore her girlfriend's beautiful and familiar body.

"Well, I definitely do," Charlie said, lifting Joey's chin and capturing her lips gently.

Joey nudged Charlie back towards the bed, ready to give her the final part of her birthday present.


	66. Chapter 66

**Chapter Sixty-Six**

**March 2012**

It was Tuesday evening and Joey finished dinner quickly in order to head out to her art class. Being able to drive at last had never been more of a blessing than now. She would have hated to have to ask Charlie for lifts every single week, although she was borrowing her little blue car.

"Okay, I'll see you guys in a few hours," she said.

Ruby and Romeo waved and continued eating. Charlie paused to kiss her girlfriend goodbye. She looked forward to Tuesday evenings when Joey returned home full of excitement and wonder and showed Charlie the masterpieces she'd created. While Joey didn't think her work was anything special, Charlie always did and ensured she always told her so.

"She's really into this art stuff, isn't she?" Romeo commented when his temporary guardian had departed.

It was nice living with Charlie, Joey and Ruby. While he hoped that he would eventually be in a position to move out on his own, he was very grateful that they had taken him in. He had been working various jobs since leaving school and he was slowly becoming independent.

"She's really good at it," Charlie said.

Ruby nodded in agreement.

"What's she doing tonight?" she asked.

"She hasn't said," Charlie told her.

* * *

Aden and Belle sat side by side on the sofa watching television and holding hands. It felt good to be together again but they were ensuring they were taking things slowly. Belle was still living with Irene and intended to stay that way.

* * *

Last month, when their grandfather had passed away, Geoff and Annie had also moved in and Irene was taking care of them. She'd told them the week before that she was going to sell up at home and make this her permanent residence. She enjoyed looking after Belle, Geoff and Annie and hadn't had foster kids of her own for some time. Work at Crumble was going well and she was beginning to set roots in town with friends.

* * *

Belle and Aden took it in turns to stay at each other's houses but made sure they spent a couple of nights a week apart. Neither wanted to become dependent on the other or rush into anything they weren't ready for. It hadn't been a case of just simply settle back into their former relationship. This was new and delicate and both were desperate for it to last.

* * *

"So, what exactly are we doing?" Sarah asked between kisses.

Watson paused and grinned.

"If you don't know that then we really ought to stop," she smirked.

Sarah slapped her playfully on the arm and kissed her again, pulling her in closer as they fell back onto the bed. They weren't in a relationship and had been very firm in making that clear. But it appeared that at least once a week, they ended up spending the night together. Nobody knew about it, at least as far as they were aware and they were enjoying sneaking about immensely. Neither was exactly sure why they wouldn't commit to something more serious but the idea scared both of them. It was better to keep things the way they were.

* * *

Charlie was already in bed, tucked up beneath the blankets reading _Written on the Body _by Jeanette Winterson when Joey came home. Greeting each other with a kiss, Charlie put her book down and unashamedly observed her partner getting changed. Joey giggled. She always felt flattered by the attention she received from her girlfriend. No matter how long they had been together, as friends and lovers, Charlie always seemed to appreciate her.

"So, what wonderful things did you create tonight?" Charlie asked.

Joey took her folder and crawled into bed beside her.

"Life drawings," Joey said.

"Life drawings as in...?"

Joey opened the folder and Charlie saw a perfect drawing of a far too beautiful woman completely in the nude.

"It's um..." she faltered.

"You don't like it?" Joey asked worriedly, studying Charlie's face.

"No! No! It's beautiful. She's... beautiful."

Joey grinned as she realised what the problem was. Closing the folder, she set it to one side and closed the gap between herself and her girlfriend, kissing her passionately. A little breathless, they parted and gazed into each other's eyes.

"So um... she was nice?"

"I didn't talk to her."

"But you think she's pretty?"

"She's not a patch on you," Joey said certainly.

Charlie blushed and smiled.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I can prove it."

"Prove it?"

"Let me draw you," Joey proposed.

Charlie opened her mouth in surprised. Joey captured her lips in another kiss, making them both smile.

"You want to draw me?" Charlie asked a little nervously.

"You're the most beautiful woman in the world and I'd really like to capture that."

"You've drawn me before," Charlie pointed out.

There were several sketches of Charlie asleep or not paying attention.

"Not that like that," Joey said, jerking her thumb in the direction of her discarded folder.

Charlie continued to blush, contemplating the idea of posing naked.

"Nobody will see it though, will they?" she asked.

"Not without your permission," Joey promised.

Charlie nodded and smiled, kissing Joey gently.

"What if you draw me and compare it to her and find that she's hotter than me?" Charlie teased. "What if you suddenly discover what you're missing out on and run off with the naked lady from your art class?"

Joey laughed loudly and pulled Charlie down on top of her.

"That could never ever happen," she said.

* * *

Nicole arrived at Crumble and saw Geoff sitting in a corner booth. Their friendship was tentative to say the least. After her trickery, the whole group had quite rightfully turned their back on her but slowly and in large part thanks to Romeo and then Ruby, Nicole had worked her way back into their lives although she was aware that she had to make a real effort every time she saw them. They could kick her out without mercy if she took a misstep.

"Hey," she said softly.

The blonde boy looked up with a sad expression. She sat opposite him.

"How are you doing?"

He shrugged and stirred his milkshake.

"I wish there was something I could do to help you," she ventured, not really knowing what to say.

He nodded and continued to stare blankly ahead feeling utterly empty inside.

* * *

It was the following day, Saturday afternoon and Charlie was experiencing a giggling fit as she sat, propped up and stripped down on the bed so that Joey could sketch her body.

"Would you stop?" Joey begged, also laughing.

"Sorry," Charlie apologised, forcing herself to keep a composed face.

"You moved your arm."

"What?"

"Your left arm. It's meant to be across your body on your right leg."

Charlie looked down and attempted to put her arm back where it was meant to go. Watching her struggle, Joey put her pad and pen down and moved across the room to fix Charlie's position.

"Do I get a kiss?" Charlie asked hopefully.

Joey obliged. Charlie instantly moved her arm up to wrap it around Joey's body but was quickly scolded for moving.

"Better reposition me all over again then," Charlie said.

Falling back on the mattress, she pulled Joey with her, ready to foil their artistic attempt for the second time that day and indulge in making love.

* * *

Sarah and Aden sat in the Jukebox together. They'd played a game of pool and were now enjoying a couple of beers. Sarah looked up sharply when a uniform-clad Watson entered the bar. Aden gave Sarah a knowing look. While the girls believed their strange little affair was a secret, he was certain he knew what was going on.

"What?" Sarah asked innocently.

* * *

Joey lay in Charlie's arms. She pressed her lips against Charlie's collarbone and breathed in her scent. Charlie chuckled and ran her hands through Joey's hair.

"We're not doing so well with the whole model and artist thing, are we?" she commented.

"It's not my fault!" Joey protested. "How can I sit here and look at you all naked and not touch you?"

"I hope you didn't say that to the model last night!" Charlie remarked with a laugh.

"As if!"

They kissed tenderly before Joey pulled Charlie into a sitting position. Kneeling in front of her, she ruffled her hair so it was slightly out of place, as if she had been doing something very naughty, which of course, she had.

"Now I need you standing to attention," Joey said, keeping her voice low and seductive.

She took both of Charlie's breasts in her mouth, one at a time, teasing and positioning her. Charlie smiled in delight as Joey ran her tongue down her tummy and parted her legs. She moaned as she felt Joey's lips and tongue teasing her most intimate place. Then she frowned when she stopped.

"I need that smile back," Joey ordered.

"Then I need that tongue back!" Charlie replied.

"Afterwards," Joey said, kissing her once on the lips and closing her legs into a more dignified position. "This is exactly the position I want to draw you in. Hold still."

Charlie obeyed, warning that she'd better get a wonderful reward when it was done.

* * *

"Okay, I'm going to leave you to it," Aden said, standing up.

"Oh," Sarah said, also getting out of her chair.

She looked at Watson who was laughing with Leah and Vinnie at the bar. They hadn't spoken but they had cast each other many furtive glances.

"I'm sure you can find a reason to stay," Aden said.

Sarah blushed involuntarily and looked at Watson. Watching Aden leave, she decided that she would also head off. Watson certainly shouldn't expect her to drop everything in order to be with her. Outside, she took a breath of fresh air.

"Hey!" said a voice behind her.

She turned around and saw Watson standing in the doorway.

"Don't you want to have dinner with me?" Watson asked.

Sarah chewed her lip, attempting to decide. She didn't want to give in so easily but an evening with Watson sounded wonderful.

* * *

Geoff and Nicole walked along the beach together. In opposition to tradition, Nicole had decided to walk Geoff home to make sure he was okay. He'd remained subdued for most of the evening but he seemed to have been comforted by her attention. Standing at the door to his new home, they said goodnight. Spontaneously, Geoff leant in and kissed her. Taken by surprise, Nicole took a few moments to respond but she then quickly returned the gesture whole heartedly. Then he slipped away into Irene's house without another word.

* * *

**June 2012**

"Thank you so much for taking me in," Romeo said.

He, Charlie, Joey and Ruby were sharing a takeaway on his last night in the Buckton-Collins household. Having saved up enough cash, he had started looking for a place to rent. In a conversation with Aden whose tenancy was up at his place, the two blonde boys had decided to rent a place together. Romeo was excited at the prospect of living independently and having a little bachelor pad, although with Aden in a long-term relationship, he wasn't exactly young, free and single. Still, it was a positive move and he was looking forward to it, although he would miss Joey's dinners and the way the place was always miraculously clean after he'd made a mess.

"It was our pleasure," Charlie said cheerfully. "It's been lovely having you round the place."

"We'll miss you," Ruby added.

He smiled and blushed.

"I hope you'll come by and visit a lot," Joey said, sipping her Diet Coke.

"Well, I still need somewhere to do my laundry!" he laughed.

Joey shook her head.

"No way! I'm not continuing to do your washing when you're not even living here!"

She knew full well that by 'somewhere' he actually meant 'someone'. Joey had happened upon him one morning trying to figure out how to switch the machine on and she'd been bailing him out ever since. Regardless of the amount of times she'd shown him what to do, he hadn't quite caught on. He smirked back at her and promised that he was joking.

"We've actually loved having you so much that Joey and I have made a decision," Charlie ventured, immediately capturing both teenagers' attention.

"You want to adopt me, don't you?" Romeo said cheekily.

"Not quite!" Charlie laughed. "We um..."

"You're having a baby?" Ruby squealed.

"Not quite!" Charlie repeated. "We decided that we wanted to apply to be foster carers."

She waited for a reaction but there was none.

"What do you think, Rubes?" Charlie asked.

"We won't do it if you're not in agreement," Joey added.

"You mean like Irene does with Annie and Geoff?" Ruby asked.

"Yeah," Charlie said. "Like that. What do you think?"

"I think it's a great idea," Ruby beamed.

"And I think you'd make awesome foster parents," Romeo added. "Speaking from experience."

* * *

It was a Saturday and Martha was up even earlier than Leanne. To celebrate her daughter's first birthday, Martha was holding a little tea party with her friends and a few kids from the mother and baby group they attended. It had been a hard year without Jack but she thought she had coped well. Roman was supportive from a distance and she appreciated it although she was careful not to be too friendly with him. If she and Jack were ever going to get back together, which she knew was unlikely, she had to be as perfect as possible for him.

* * *

Jack helped Aden lift his weights back into the holder.

"Thanks!" the younger man said, sitting up and rubbing the sweat from his face.

"No worries," Jack replied.

"How's everything going?"

Jack hoisted himself onto the running machine and turned it on. He shrugged. Both of them knew full well that it was Martha and Roman's daughter's first birthday today. And it was something that Jack couldn't be a part of. Aden watched him as he withdrew into himself.

"Why don't you just go to the party?" he blurted out.

Jack looked up sharply and stumbled a little before regaining his composure.

"Excuse me?"

"Why don't you go and tell Martha and Leanne that you love them and you want them to be your family again?" Aden asked.

"Because we're not a family," Jack said. "Leanne is Roman's daughter, not mine."

"Let me ask you something," Aden challenged. "If Martha had told you that she was pregnant and the baby had turned out to be yours, would you all still be together now?"

"Yes," Jack said, turning the machine off and decided the conversation needed his full attention.

"Even if she'd still slept with Roman during your break up?"

"Yes," Jack said slowly.

He would have been hurt. He _was_ hurt. But he would have put it to one side for his wife and child.

"Then why can't you get over it and be with them now?"

Jack looked at him incredulously.

"Because she's got a kid by another man!" he snapped.

"Does it matter?" Aden asked seriously.

"Of course it matters!"

"Martha has been in love with you from the moment you met," the blonde boy said. "And you've been in love with her for the same amount of time. And you're both still in love with each other now. The two of have you have gone through so much together – an affair, infertility... all of that. You keep breaking up but the thing is, you keep getting back together again – because you're meant to be together. You're perfect for each other. Okay, so Roman is Leanne's father but that's just biology. He might have provided the means for her existence but he's not her Dad. He's being as supportive as Martha will let him but she's keeping him at a distance because she's still hoping that you two will work things out. She wants _you_ to be Leanne's Dad – not Roman. She loves you. She needs you and she wants the three of you to be a family."

"I tried, Aden. I tried. But I couldn't deal with it. Leaving was the right thing to do."

"For who?"

"Well, for..."

"You walked out and what's everyone left with? You keep your pride and lose the love of your life. Martha struggles every day with being a single mother. And Leanne hasn't got a Dad. It's not her fault that she biologically belongs to Roman. She didn't choose her parents. She deserves someone to be her father, to play games with her, to love her, to protect her from the big, bad world. And you should leave your pride behind and be that person. It's not perfect but then, nothing ever is. What you've got is a wife that adores you. And a little girl who would love to have you be her father. All you've got to do walk back through that door and make things right."

Jack sighed and came to sit beside his sort-of-brother on the bench.

"I had a biological father," Aden continued. "But he was never a Dad to me. He let me down over and over again in ways that I can't even bring myself to talk about. The only time I ever felt like I had a Dad was with Tony. It didn't matter that he was biologically nothing to do with me. It didn't matter that I arrived in his home... in your home, when I was teenager. I felt loved in your house. I felt like I had a family. Blood and kin and all that... it didn't matter. And it wouldn't matter to Leanne either. Pretty much any man can have unprotected sex and get a surprise a few months later. But for them to step up and be a good Dad – that takes something altogether different."

"What if I'm not made of something altogether different?" Jack asked. "I mean, I tried and I failed before."

"I've seen the way you look at Leanne whenever you bump into Martha. You want to be there for her. I know you do. And whether you and Martha are still in love with each other or not, isn't even a question."

* * *

By the middle of the afternoon, Leanne's birthday party was in full swing and both mother and daughter were having a lovely time, although the absence of Jack was, as usual, noticeable and painful. But still, her baby girl was having lots of fun playing with all the presents that her mother's friends had bought her.

"She's so beautiful," Charlie said, stepping up beside Martha who was observing the party from the kitchen.

Martha beamed.

"Yeah, she is. I mean, I know I've lost a lot through having her but she's worth every little bit of pain in the world. I love her so much."

Charlie smiled and watched Joey move to sit on the floor with Leanne and start playing peek-a-boo, which sent the tiny chid into fits of laughter.

"She's really good with her," Martha said. "Do you think you guys will ever decide to...?"

"We're looking into becoming foster carers," Charlie revealed.

"Really?"

"We got so much out of looking after Romeo. Helping him and everything. We've applied so we'll just see what happens."

"That's great," Martha enthused. "Who'd have known how our lives were going to turn out when we were all kids?"

"Yeah!" Charlie chuckled. "We're all proper grown-ups now. Scary, hey?"

* * *

Aden joined Joey on the floor, contributing to her game with Leanne and making her laugh even harder. Joey was giggling too and Aden wondered who was actually having more fun. He felt sad that his conversation with Jack earlier in the day had obviously done no good. The policeman hadn't shown up and obviously wasn't made of the strength Aden had believed of him.

* * *

Roman joined Leah at the buffet table where they, the caterers for the party, were putting out more food. Roman couldn't quite stop himself from glancing at Martha now and again and now that she was standing and talking to Charlie, he could barely concentrate. Between the two of them, they were the most amazing women in the world and he wasn't quite sure which one he was most besotted with. Charlie had been the innocent, virginal girl who had adored him and he had chosen her above any of the girls who had thrown themselves at him when he and his friends had taken leave in town so many years ago. Now, of course, she was a well respected police officer and she was a lesbian who was practically married to her partner. And Martha was a separated woman, vulnerable and lovely and he had fathered her child. Both were absolutely stunning.

* * *

Jack sat in the apartment he had rented since he'd left Martha and Leanne. He'd stayed with Tony and Rachel for a short while but now he was mostly standing on his own two feet – except that with every breath he took, he missed his wife. Aden's words swirled in his mind. His kind-of sibling had never been so honest and brutal before. Opening his wallet, he took out the photo of Martha. He smiled sadly, thinking, as ever, how beautiful she was. He had loved her for so long and he didn't think that would ever end.

* * *

Joey was washing her hands at the kitchen sink, having eaten some banoffee pie and got sticky. She jumped and then smiled when she felt Charlie's arms around her waist.

"I hope we get to foster a little kid," the older woman said.

She kissed Joey's neck softly.

"Me too," Joey admitted.

"Martha loved your picture by the way."

Joey blushed and beamed. She had drawn a picture of Leanne and framed it as part of their birthday gift to Martha's daughter.

"I never thought I'd see the day when I was actually doing art work to show people!"

"I did," Charlie smirked. "Just so long as you never show anyone that picture of me!"

Joey giggled. That had been one wonderful day.

"It's beautiful," she said.

"It's pornographic!" Charlie chuckled.

"No way. It's tasteful. What we were doing before it was pornographic!"

Charlie snorted with laughter and hugged her girlfriend tightly.

"Well, I hope we can indulge in some more later tonight!"

The room suddenly went quiet. Charlie and Joey looked up to find that Martha had opened the door to Jack. Aden smiled quietly to himself. Jack looked a little nervous.

"I brought a birthday card and present," he said, offering an envelope and a small, wrapped parcel.

"Thank you," Martha said, accepting it.

"Could we talk?" he asked, painfully aware that they had an audience.

"Of course," she replied.

Walking past Aden, she quickly asked him to look after Leanne and she and Jack disappeared into her bedroom. After a few continued moments of silence, everyone resumed their conversations.


	67. Chapter 67

**Chapter Sixty Seven**

**August 2012**

Charlie arrived home feeling cheerful. She found Joey in the back garden sketching a rosebush beneath which their neighbour's cat had curled up to sleep.

"Hey, beautiful," the policewoman greeted, bending to kiss Joey, who turned her face up to meet her.

"How was your day?" Joey asked, returning to her sketching pad.

"Yeah, it was pretty awesome actually. They've invited us all to learn to ride bikes," Charlie replied, sitting down beside her girlfriend.

Joey stopped drawing and turned to face her.

"I hope you mean bicycles," she said.

"No, proper bikes," Charlie enthused, making a revving noise. "Motorbikes. Cool, hey?"

"Not cool!" Joey objected.

Charlie's face fell.

"They're dangerous, Charlie! Your life is risky enough running around catching bad guys but doing it on a death trap? Are you kidding me?"

Charlie chuckled and ruffled Joey's hair, rewarding her grumpy pout with another kiss.

"Sweetheart, I'll be fine," she insisted. "Don't worry about it."

"How can I not worry? I always worry! And so does Ruby."

"Really?"

"Neither of us gets any sleep when you're on a night shift," Joey informed her, still pouting.

"Are you serious?"

"Deathly!" Joey replied firmly.

Charlie frowned, looking confused and disappointed.

"I was excited," she admitted.

Kissing the top of Joey's head, she stood up and wandered inside to get changed. Joey stared at the cat but didn't move.

* * *

Ruby and Xavier were thrilled to find Xavier's house empty. With Hugo gone, the house was much quieter anyway but Gina was at work and Brendan was as his day centre, leaving the teenagers to their own devices. Falling onto the couch in each other's arms, they kissed passionately.

* * *

Joey wandered back through the house and called Charlie's name. Receiving no answer, she headed upstairs and heard the shower running. Knocking lightly on the door, Joey tried the handle. Entering the steamy bathroom, she smiled to herself as she listened to Charlie sing in the shower, oblivious to her guest. Joey quietly kicked off her shoes, shrugged herself out of shorts and underwear, pulled her t-shirt over her head and unhooked her bra. Charlie shrieked in surprise when the shower cubicle door opened and then beamed when she realised Joey was naked and intent on joining her. Opening her arms, Charlie welcomed Joey into her embrace. They clung together, barely letting a droplet come between them. Letting her wet hands roam over Charlie's back, she pulled her even closer and let her lips descend upon her neck. Charlie's moan could just be heard over the rush of the water.

"Sorry for being unsupportive," Joey said.

"What?" Charlie asked, completely entrance by Joey's lips, tongue and the hand that had carefully crept between her legs.

"Before. About the bike training," Joey explained, lifting her head.

They gazed into each other's eyes for a moment. Joey's other hand slipped up to Charlie's breast.

"I just worry," Joey said. "But I'll get on board if that's what you want to do."

"Does getting on board mean more kisses here?" Charlie asked hopefully, indicating her collarbone.

Joey laughed and pressed her mouth against Charlie's skin, nudging her back ever so gentle against the glass with every intention of kissing any place Charlie desired.

* * *

"We could... um... we could go to my room," Xavier mumbled between kisses.

Ruby, whose shirt was undone, withdrew uncertainly.

"I don't think now's the right time," she said awkwardly.

"I have protection!" Xavier said a little too quickly. "I bought... I bought some... you know, just in case. So that we were safe and everything."

He didn't want to put pressure on his girlfriend or upset her in anyway. But they had been dating since they were kids and now at eighteen, he was desperate to grow up and show her just how much her loved her.

"No, it's just..."

Ruby sighed and did up her shirt. Xavier leaned in attentively, hanging on her every word.

"I want it to be special," Ruby told him.

Xavier nodded thoughtfully.

"Well, um... it's your birthday in two days. How about then? That would be special."

Ruby smiled and nodded, taking hold her his hands.

"That sounds pretty perfect to me."

* * *

Charlie pushed Joey back on the mattress, kissing every inch of her body that she could find. Spontaneous afternoon sex was such a pleasure!

"I love you," she whispered, moving to kneel on the floor between her girlfriend's legs.

Joey moaned at her touch.

"I love you too!" she growled.

* * *

Ruby arrived back home with her mind full of Xavier. Had she really agreed to have sex with him in a couple of night's time? Annie was determined to stay a virgin until she was married. Nicole had slept with a couple of guys, including Geoff but now that they were dating for the second time around, they weren't being intimate. Geoff held the same values as Annie and he'd made it clear that he didn't want to have pre-marital sex. Ruby knew that Nicole was struggling with it but after everything that had happened before, she'd decided that she loved him enough not to push and lose him.

"Charlie? Joey?" the youngest girl called.

There was no answer so she flopped onto the couch and turned the television on.

* * *

Xavier headed out to the Jukebox and joined Romeo for a game of pool.

"You look cheerful," Romeo commented.

Xavier blushed and remained quiet.

"Did you and Ruby...?"

"No!" Xavier said. "But we're uh... on her birthday!"

Romeo high fived him and then frowned.

"You know, she's pretty much like a sister to me. Do I need to give you the 'if you hurt her' talk?" he asked sternly.

Xavier laughed and shook his head.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with her," he said honestly. "There is no need for the talk."

* * *

Charlie and Joey giggled together as they trotted down the stairs in towels.

"Ruby!" Charlie said.

Her little sister turned around and rolled her eyes.

"I do live here, you know!" she remarked.

"We um... we lost track of time," Charlie said awkwardly.

"We were... talking about motorbikes!" Joey squeaked.

Ruby and Charlie both snorted.

"Give me some credit!" the youngest girl said. "I know you were having wild, passionate sex."

Both women coloured but couldn't deny it.

* * *

Two days later, Ruby's nineteenth birthday party was in full swing. The teenager was having a wonderful time, Xavier was being particularly attentive and all her friends had shown up. Nicole was draped over Geoff, Jai was looking longingly at Annie and Romeo was busying himself with snacks from the buffet table. Ruby couldn't help but notice the little looks that Annie and Romeo kept casting each other. Charlie and Joey were giggling in the corner with Martha and Jack and Ross and Morag had also shown up to wish Ross's youngest daughter a happy day. Charlie had panicked a little when Ruby had shyly asked if Xavier could spend the night. Her eyes had bulged at the inferred meaning but she and Joey had agreed.

"I love you," Xavier said softly, wrapping his arms around his girlfriend's waist.

Ruby beamed and let him kiss her cheek.

"I love you too," she said. "I always have."

* * *

As the evening drew on, Jai had got bored of hanging out with his friends and being nothing but a buddy to Annie. He wondered if he would ever get over her. It felt like a lifetime since she had dumped him but no other girl had caught his attention since. With Jai gone and on Ruby's confident urging, Romeo had approached Annie and shyly started to make conversation. Since he'd moved in with Charlie and Joey and befriended Ruby, he had been welcomed into their little gang and eventually so had Nicole but he was far from getting close to the girl of his dreams. And loved up Aden wasn't exactly the bachelor buddy he had hoped for when he'd moved in with him.

* * *

Nicole and Geoff danced closely with each other. It had been a long road for them but Nicole hoped now that her boyfriend loved and trusted her and although she was itching to take things to the next level, she didn't want to pressure him. The two of them had long since left school and while Nicole was working as a hairdresser, Geoff had wangled a job on Joey's trawler. He was enjoying it and Nicole was pleased to see him become mates with his colleague Aden, and Aden's housemate, Romeo. It had loosened him up somewhat she much preferred him when he wasn't feeling so highly strung.

* * *

"I'm still not sure about your little cousin spending the night at my house!" Charlie remarked to Jack, who chuckled.

"They're growing up, Charlie," Joey teased gently.

Charlie frowned and sipped her wine.

"But Ruby's just a baby!" she protested.

"Sweetheart, she's nineteen years old."

"Only just!"

"What were you doing at nineteen, Charlie?" Jack grinned.

Charlie frowned further. She'd been fighting her lust for Joey but sleeping with Angelo and she'd already had a one night stand with Roman. Perhaps Ruby _was_ an adult. She had certainly been more thoughtful and careful about considering losing her virginity than Charlie had been.

"Everyone has sex," Martha told her friend. "Even if they're your little sister."

Charlie sighed dramatically.

"I guess if she's going to do it with anyone it's good that it's Xavier. He is lovely. I suppose."

* * *

After the party wound down, Romeo offered to walk Annie home. Geoff and Nicole were going for a walk along the beach in a bid to extend their time together. At the doorstep, Romeo paused and softly wished Annie goodnight.

"Goodnight," she replied.

Before she could protest, he planted a kiss on her lips. She stumbled in surprise but he held onto her, holding her up as their kiss deepened.

* * *

Xavier and Ruby said goodnight to Charlie and Joey and trotted off to Ruby's bedroom. Closing the door behind them, Ruby switched on a lamp and they turned to face each other and hold each other's hands. The kissed as if it were the first time, full of nerves and excitement.

"I think I fall in love with you more deeply every single day," Xavier admitted.

Ruby blushed and kissed him again, certain that she was doing the right thing.

* * *

"I hope she's okay," Charlie said.

She fidgeted noisily in their bed, folding her arms and repositioning her pyjama top.

"Charlie, stop fretting," Joey begged.

"I just..."

Joey rolled onto her side and leaned in close.

"I am sure that there are plenty more things that you and I could be doing right now than worrying about your sister's virginity," she said.

Charlie's devilish smile matched Joey's as she pulled her into a passionate kiss.

* * *

**September 2012**

Joey's jaw dropped in unashamed lust when Charlie rode up into the drive on her new motorbike. Having passed her test with ease and decided that she thoroughly enjoy riding a bike, she'd convinced Joey to let her buy her own. Still uncertain about safety, Joey had been reluctant but now, watching Charlie straddle the bike and toss her hair out of her helmet as if in slow motion, clad in leather trousers and a jacket with a black vest top, all thoughts of protest fell out of Joey's head. Charlie grinned wickedly at her and climbed off the bike. Joey took her hand immediately and led her inside. Dumping the helmet on the kitchen table, Charlie followed Joey quickly up to their room.

* * *

**November 2012**

"Where's baby boo?" Joey asked when Martha and Jack entered the Jukebox hand in hand.

Since they'd got back together in June, the couple had been more than a happy family and the rest of their friends were thrilled. Jack accredited Aden for talking some sense into him but Joey was still yet to find out what her best friend had said.

"Rachel and Tony are looking after her," Martha explained. "Mind if we take a seat?"

"Sure," said Charlie. "Go ahead."

"Champagne?" Jack remarked, looking at their bottle and glasses.

Both Charlie and Joey broke out into delighted smiles.

"We've been approved as foster carers!" they burst out in unison.

* * *

Tony smiled affectionately as he watched Rachel play with Leanne. Spending time with his grandchild (for all intents and purposes), brought back very happy memories of raising Jack and Lucas and, for a time, Aden. He and his wife had fallen pregnant when they were just fifteen so now, at forty-four, he was sure that he was too young to be a grandfather. Having a twenty nine year old partner helped him feel young, also.

"I want a baby," Rachel swooned.

She clapped her hands over her mouth. She hadn't quite meant to say it out loud. Tony swallowed and furrowed his brow, coming to sit beside his girlfriend.

"You want a baby?" he asked worriedly.

Rachel looked at Leanne, happily giggling over some dolls.

"Yes," she admitted.

"Um... uh..." Tony stuttered.

"Can we have a baby?" Rachel asked hopefully.

"Uh... uh..."

He sighed.

"No."

* * *

Ruby bounded home in a fit of giggles and joy. Charlie eyed her curiously.

"I passed my driving test!" the young girl squealed.

"At last!" Charlie laughed.

"Hey!"

* * *

Jack and Martha collected Leanne from a very subdued Tony and Rachel. The couple worried that looking after their daughter hadn't been fine but both Tony and Rachel assured them they were just tired. Jack had made a crack about Tony being a granddad, which hadn't amused him. Now, the couple were strolling hand in hand along the beach with their little girl while Rachel and Tony were barely talking at home. A horrific, awkward silence hung in the air. Martha smiled at her husband. There had been a time, not so long ago, that she hadn't thought this life was possible. Jack had been devastated to learn that Roman was Leanne's biological child. But finally, he had come round and asked to be a family again and she had been more than willing to let him.

* * *

"Joey!" Ruby said, leaping her to feet when her sister in law returned from a nap, the champagne at the Jukebox having made her unnaturally sleepy.

It only reminded Charlie of what her girlfriend had been like on wine before she'd been legally allowed to drink it. She fondly recalled her graduation from the police academy when Joey had got drunk, made several inappropriate comments and spent most of the evening looking at Charlie's cleavage.

"I passed my driving test!" Ruby declared.

"Finally!" Joey giggled.

Charlie snorted. Ruby merely glared.

* * *

Leaving Crumble for the day after a long shift, Roman stepped out into the sunshine. Martha, Jack and Leanne strolling across the beach immediately caught his attention and his heart sank. He'd never known about Nicole and it was only now that he had developed a somewhat awkward relationship with her. She took after her mother and was a real handful. He was just grateful that she'd chosen to date someone like Geoff instead of someone like Trey. Now, he was risking not having a real relationship with another daughter. He provided money and Martha allowed him to spend time with her but she was obviously adoring Jack more and more. And so was Martha. Any notion he had once had of really being with the brassy brunette and their baby had been firmly dashed.

* * *

Ruby bowled Xavier over with a hug as soon as he opened the door.

"What's the celebration?" he asked, chuckling at her childlike, excited face.

"I passed my driving test!"

"Too you long enough!" he laughed.

"Would you all just _shut up_?" she snapped, immediately falling into a sulk.

"I was only joking!" Xavier protested worriedly.

* * *

"I was thinking," Jack ventured.

"Uh oh!" Martha laughed.

Her husband turned to her with a very seriously look in his eyes. Holding onto both her hands, he gazed into her expectant eyes.

"Why don't we renew our wedding vows?" he suggested.

"Really?"

He nodded vigorously.

"This year has been hell – with all the uncertainty and pain but I want us to be together, Martha. I want us to be a family. I want us to remind ourselves of exactly what we mean to each other. What do you think?"

"We could do it on our anniversary!" Martha agreed readily.

* * *

Charlie, Joey, Watson and Sarah sat round the dinner table together at Crumble.

"So, are you two doing it or what?" Joey asked tactlessly.

Watson choked on her drink at Sarah dropped her fork. Neither of them was exactly sure what they were doing but they were having a good time.

"We, uh..." Watson began.

"We're friends," Sarah said calmly.

Charlie looked amused, as did Joey.

"What?" Watson asked.

"You two are friends like we were friends," Joey told them.

"We're not... Oh, shut up!" Watson said grumpily, making them laugh more.


	68. Chapter 68

**Chapter Sixty Eight**

**March 2013**

Charlie and Joey sat side by side feeling terribly nervous. They'd cleaned the house from top to bottom and set up the spare room with a child's bed and some toys. Their first foster child was due to arrive any minute. They'd spent weeks preparing and had even gone as far as inviting Irene round for dinner to grill her on what being a foster parent was really like. They were being given a two year-old boy called James, whose mother was in a rehabilitation clinic. Charlie and Joey both leapt to their feet as soon as there was a knock on the door.

* * *

Jai entered Crumble and sighed when he saw all his old friends crowded round a table together. He'd left the group several months before when Annie and Romeo declared that they were an item. It still made him angry now. Romeo had been his friend. He'd confided in him about how much he wanted Annie back and still he had swooped in and stolen her. And she seemed far happier and far more affectionate with her new boyfriend than she had ever been with her old one. It wasn't fair. And while on an individual basis, Ruby and Xavier still made an effort, the others were lost.

* * *

Martha and Rachel wandered through town together, pushing Leanne in her buggy. She liked to get up and walk a lot of the time but Martha was still in the habit of taking the pushchair out because her little girl tired easily and Martha had neither the energy nor the inclination to carry her.

"No luck with Tony then?" she asked Rachel.

Her friend frowned and shook her head. She and Tony had been debating having a baby for some time now and Rachel was losing. Tony had pointed out that he was a grandfather now and that was the end of his life span as a father, at least as a new father. He didn't understand that she didn't feel like a grandmother and that she desperately wanted a baby of her own. They were at loggerheads and getting nowhere fast.

"Anyway, this is a happy day for organising your wedding," Rachel said. "Not for me to complain about my boyfriend."

* * *

Two hours later, social services had left Charlie and Joey alone with James. They were nervous but he seemed like a happy child, content to play with toys and smile at them. They wondered if he had any idea what was happening in his life and they desperately hoped that they would do their best for him. They'd already arranged a play date with Martha, Jack and Leanne the next day and Leah would be bringing VJ round to visit the day after that. They were hitting the ground running and felt nervous about it but they were also very excited.

* * *

Ruby sat close to Xavier at a table at Crumble. They'd been eating lunch with Romeo, Annie, Geoff and Nicole but Geoff and Romeo were now having to hurry as they were due back at work in five minutes time. Joey was off for the day in order to receive baby James but Aden was a hard task master to say the least.

"I wonder how Charlie and Joey are coping with the baby," Ruby mused.

"I'm sure they're having a great time," Romeo said certainly. "They're going to be great parents."

"So long as they don't get kids that are school age," Annie said without thinking.

"What do you mean?" Romeo asked curiously.

"Well... just... um... they might..."

"Might what?" Ruby demanded.

"I think she's worried that they might get bullied if they have two Mums," Geoff said, hoping he was being diplomatic.

"No way," Romeo chuckled. "Who's narrow minded enough to care these days?"

Annie and Geoff remained quiet. Nicole studied her boyfriend carefully.

"You don't have a problem with them, do you?" she asked.

All eyes turned to Geoff who looked fretful.

"No," he eventually said. "I mean, I was taught that homosexuality was wrong but I don't have a problem with gay people as such. I mean, I work for Joey. And I work with Sarah. I think they're both awesome. And Charlie and Watson too. I just don't... get it."

"What's to get?" Ruby asked. "They're just in love with each other like I love Xavier, you love Nicole and Romeo loves Annie."

"Yeah, but..." Annie started. "Yeah."

She decided that agreement was the best way forward. Romeo put an arm around her, oblivious to any homophobia his girlfriend might harbour. She was perfect as far as he was concerned. Nicole was less convinced.

"If you do have a problem with them, I'm going to be seriously pissed," she said. "I really don't want a boyfriend who's stuck in the dark ages. And I doubt Ruby and Romeo will be impressed either."

"I don't have a problem with them!" Geoff insisted.

Xavier sighed. The gang were firmly used to the bickering that went on between Nicole and Geoff these days. Everyone was wondering how long they were going to last this time around.

"You'd better not!" Nicole continued.

"What did I just say?"

"Oh, look at the time!" Romeo interrupted, looking at his watch. "We've got to get back to the trawler before Aden kicks our butts."

He stood and kissed Annie goodbye.

* * *

**April 2013**

Watson waited nervously in the car for Sarah to show up. She smiled when she did and climbed out to help her girlfriend with her stuff. It had been a long time coming but the two of them had finally admitted that they were a couple, although they continued to keep each other on their toes, and they were now venturing into their first weekend away. Watson had booked a romantic hotel, one recommended by Charlie, the Queen of romantic gestures and now they were off to spend time together all alone and hope that things didn't go terribly wrong.

* * *

"Oh, it's okay, baby," Charlie said softly, holding a tearful James close to her.

Dressed in uniform, she was about to start an evening shift but James had fallen over and she'd rushed to his aid while waiting for Joey to finish in the shower. Joey came downstairs.

"Oh dear!" she said. "What happened?"

"He fell over," Charlie said, ruffling his hair.

"Where does it hurt, sweetie?" Joey asked.

The toddler pointed to his knee. Joey bent and kissed it better.

"Better?" she asked.

He nodded, hugged Charlie a little tighter and then allowed her to put him down. Immediately he scampered back to his car collection.

"I'm heading out," Charlie told her partner.

"What time will you be back?"

"Early hours. I'll creep in quietly," she promised.

They kissed tenderly, Charlie grabbed her helmet and left. A few moments later, Joey heard her zoom off on her bike.

* * *

Aden, Romeo, Geoff, Xavier, Roman and Vinnie were all seated round the kitchen table at Roman's place, having arranged to play a game of poker for the evening.

"What are all your ladies doing for the evening?" Vinnie asked the younger men.

"They're having a girlie night in at Irene's," Aden explained. "Apparently there's going to be DVD's and pampering."

"Personally, I'm picturing scantily clad pillow fights!" Xavier joked.

Roman pulled a face. Romeo shook his head and chuckled.

"Your head must be a very interesting place!" he said.

"Oh, it is!"

* * *

"Let's patrol," Charlie suggested to Jack who looked bored to tears with his paperwork.

"You're a sergeant now, Buckton," he teased. "Isn't all that beneath you?"

"I'm bored!" she complained. "You'd think a Friday night would be a little more exciting, even in this town, wouldn't you?"

Agreeing, Jack stood and they headed out of the station together.

* * *

"So, do you want to go downstairs and get dinner or something?" Watson asked.

She felt a little flustered that Sarah's first instinct had been to unpack every single thing and tidy it away. Watson had resisted the urge to point out that they were only there for two nights and instead, had grudgingly unpacked her own things.

"No," Sarah replied.

Watson sighed, ready to launch into how their weekend was a mistake and that they were already irritating each other when she caught the look in Sarah's eye. Pulling her partner close, they kissed. All was forgiven.

* * *

With Leanne, James and VJ all asleep upstairs, Martha, Joey and Leah were eating dinner together and listening out for their slumbering children on the baby monitor.

"Whoever would have known when we were at school that we'd all be married with babies before we were thirty," Leah remarked.

"I'm not married!" Joey squeaked.

"Ironically, you're the most married person here, Joey!" Martha laughed.

"Hey!"

"Sweetie, you and Charlie have been an old married couple since the day you were born!"

"We have not!" Joey objected.

They both looked at her with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, hush!" she said, tucking back into her food.

* * *

"Fuck," Vinnie sighed as Roman wiped him out of chips at the last minute.

He'd bet every ounce of cash he had tonight and he'd lost all of it. Most of it had gone to Roman with a little going to Romeo. But regardless of who the money went to, the point was, none of it was in Vinnie's pocket. He'd dug himself into yet another hole.

"Better luck next time, mate!" Roman grinned, pleased with his plunder.

"You're a demon!" Xavier said.

He hadn't bet even nearly the same amount as Vinnie but he too, hadn't won a cent.

"That was fun," Geoff admitted.

He'd been a little unsure when the boys had suggested a night of gambling but he'd had a good time. And it meant a night without arguing with Nicole, which was always a bonus. He was out with the boys and she was with the girls. And these days, it seemed that this was the best way.

* * *

"Okay, if you could change one thing about your man, what would it be and why?" Annie asked.

Ruby, Nicole and Belle pondered their answers.

"I don't want to change anything," Belle said fondly.

"Oh, you suck!" Ruby teased.

Belle laughed.

"Well, it's me that's made the mistakes with us," she explained. "Aden's pretty much the perfect guy. There's nothing I'd ever want to be different."

"I'd make Romeo a little brighter!" Annie admitted with a giggle. "He's pretty and cute but he's so naive!"

"I think naivety is endearing!" Ruby giggled. "Xavier thinks he knows everything!"

"And Geoff definitely does," Nicole said, not sounding as amused as the others.

* * *

Charlie and Jack pulled up on the side of the road, sirens quiet but lights flashing.

"Hello?" Charlie called, stepping out of the car and approaching a worrying heap on the ground. Clutching her gun, still in its holster with one hand and shining her torch with the other, she called out again. Jack hovered behind her. When the lump made no move our sound, Jack stepped ahead and turned the huddle over. It was a person who looked like they had been beaten within an inch of their lives. Jack checked him over as quickly as possible while Charlie radioed for an ambulance.

* * *

Vinnie had sloped off home feeling sorry for himself, Romeo had convinced Geoff to take him home so that he could say goodnight to Annie, and Xavier had wangled a lift back to his mother's house. Aden had remained behind in order to help Roman clean up.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good," Roman said.

"You went a little quiet after Martha and Leanne became a topic of conversation," Aden pointed out.

Roman shrugged. The whole situation made him sad. For a while there, he had lived in genuine hope that he and Martha might make a go of things but now his one night stand was getting ready to renew her vows with Jack.

"I just... I find the whole thing hard. I really want to be with her but..."

"I'm sure nobody would object to you seeing more of her."  
"Jack would!"

"She's your daughter..."

Aden caught Roman's expression.

"You're not talking about Leanne, are you?" he realised.

* * *

Leah was getting ready for bed when her husband returned home. She'd enjoyed a nice evening with Martha and Joey. Selfishly, she was thrilled that some of her friends were now having babies. She had felt lonely being the only Mum.

"How was your night?" she asked as Vinnie kissed her.

"Yeah, it was good. I won a little," he lied. "We weren't playing for much though."

* * *

Charlie and Jack finished up at the hospital and drove back to the station. Both were worried. It wasn't a usual occurrence to have an assault like that in their town. They couldn't help but wonder if it was the start of some kind of spree.

"I hope he's okay," Charlie said, breaking the silence at last.

"Yeah," Jack sighed. "Poor guy."

* * *

"Of course I meant Leanne," Roman lied, busying himself with dumping cans into the recycling.

"No, you didn't," Aden accused gently. "Or at least, you didn't _just _mean her. Roman, are you in love with Martha?"

"I didn't mean for it to happen!" Roman replied, aware that Aden and Jack were especially close.

"You need to end this now," the younger man warned.

"I know."

"Does she know?"

"She's got no idea how I feel. Nobody does. Except you."

"You have to forget her, Roman. She and Jack cannot break up again."

* * *

Ruby pouted when Romeo showed up to say goodnight to Annie and realised Xavier had just gone straight home.

"Uh oh!" Romeo laughed. "I didn't mean to get him in trouble!"

"It's not your fault you're an awesome boyfriend and he's not," Ruby said, not entirely meaning it. "I think I found something I want to change about him!"

"What?" Romeo asked in confusion.

"Don't ask!" Nicole said quickly. "I'm heading home."

She kissed Geoff goodbye and accepted when Ruby offered to walk part-way home with her.

"Wait up," Romeo said. "I'll come too. I can't have two young women walking home all alone and vulnerable at night."

He kissed Annie goodbye and promised to see her in the morning while the girls laughed about their town being the safest place on earth.

* * *

Charlie arrived home as quietly as humanly possible. It had been a long night and she doubted she would get the image of the poor, broken man out of her mind for a long time. She and Jack had discovered that his name was Dan Baker and he was heavily in debt. The more they discovered, the more they were sure he'd been assaulted by a loan shark. Sighing, Charlie crept into the house and locked up behind her. Placing her helmet on the table, she trotted upstairs and poked her head round the door of James's room. He was snoring softly and she smiled affectionately at him in the glow of the hall light. Then she turned and slipped into her own room, shutting the door behind her and stripping off into the dark. Immediately, she snuggled between the sheets and was cuddled sleepily by Joey, making all her worries and concerns fall away.


	69. Chapter 69

_Hooray! I woke up in time to update before I started getting ready! Enjoy your chapter of Interwoven. The Waiting Game will be updated tomorrow. IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Sixty-Nine**

**May 2013**

Jack and Martha stayed apart the night before their wedding vow renewal. Jack stayed with Tony and the two of them, plus Aden and Lucas shared a couple of beers together. Martha ventured out to Crumble to have dinner with Rachel, Leah, Charlie and Joey. A bottle of wine had been opened and everyone was having a lovely time. Vinnie was babysitting VJ, Leanne and James and had grumbled profusely about not being allowed out to play.

"So, how many times are you and Jack actually going to get married?" Charlie teased her friend.

Martha poked her tongue out.

"Should we be asking you two when you're going to do it?"

Charlie and Joey exchanged glances. For however long they had been together, it hadn't been something they'd discussed. It hadn't occurred to either of them, considering it wasn't anything legally binding. Charlie held Joey's hand over the table and kissed her cheek. She then swiftly turned the attention onto Rachel, the only heterosexual, non-married woman among them.

"Tony and I are quite happily living in sin, thank you!" the Doctor smirked.

She sipped her wine and fought sadness. In truth, things weren't so happy in their household. They were still battling over whether to have a child or not and it was starting to tear them apart. With both of them wanting different things in life, they were unsure if they could stay together.

* * *

Vinnie was watching cartoons even though the kids had long since gone to bed. A knock at the door startled him. Cautiously opening up, he froze when he saw who was standing there.

"Have you got what I need?" the man asked darkly.

"No," Vinnie said, his good mood immediately deflated.

The man grabbed him by the collar. Vinnie swallowed in fright. He winced as he was slammed against the wall.

"Mate, I'll get it sorted," Vinnie insisted. "I just need more time."

"Don't you think you've had enough time?" the man snarled.

"I know but..."

He was slammed hard against the wall again. The clock above him fell to the floor, hitting his head on the way down.

"Please? I've got kids asleep upstairs..." Vinnie begged. "Please? Just a couple more days."

"Two more days and I'll be back," the man warned before storming out of the house.

Vinnie sank to the floor, breathless.

* * *

Roman stood in the kitchen of Crumble. It was almost impossible to keep serving Martha's table, knowing that she and her friend were celebrating Martha's love for Jack. Taking a deep breath, he picked up their desserts and headed back out to deliver them. They accepted the food gratefully and continued talking. Still feeling sad, he walked away, hoping that they would leave soon.

* * *

"I am so glad that Vinnie ended up babysitting," Xavier said honestly, lying beside Ruby in bed.

She giggled and kissed him.

"Yeah, I think we can safely say that this would make us bad babysitters!" she giggled.

He nodded and kissed her again, thrilled that Charlie and Joey were out and he had her all to himself. As the months wore on, he was more and more aware that Ruby would eventually start University. She'd taken a couple of years out but then she wanted to go and study and he couldn't help but be afraid of losing her. Having finally finished school, Xavier was working with Martha at the Jukebox and enjoyed it enough that he didn't think he'd be leaving any time soon. Sometimes it felt strange to him how they were all growing up. When he, Hugo, Brendan and their mother had all arrived in town, he'd been a child, besotted with Ruby Buckton, the prettiest girl in all the land. Since then, his brother had run off to escape drugs charges, he and Ruby and their friends had left school and were earning their own money. For the first time, he felt like a grown up.

* * *

"Where's Roman?" Leah wondered. "We need more wine!"

Joey giggled as if her friend had told a joke. Charlie chuckled and put an arm around her. Joey on wine was always hilarious, regardless of how old she was.

"I'll go and find him," Martha declared, standing up and wobbling a little on her feet.

She just about found her way behind the counter and into the kitchen. She found Roman standing alone, leaning against the counter.

"Hey," she said cheerfully.

He turned to face her looking sad.

"Could we get another bottle of wine?" she asked. "We reckon a few more glasses and Joey will be dancing on the table!"

He chuckled and opened the fridge, pulling out a new bottle and placing it on the side so that he could open it. She watched in silence as he uncorked the lid and their hands touched as he handed it over.

"Don't do it!" the blonde man said suddenly.

She eyed him curiously.

"Don't drink more wine?" she asked, utterly confused.

"Don't renew your vows with Jack. Martha, I'm sorry but I'm in love with you. Don't be with him," he said urgently. "Give me a chance to prove how much you mean to me."

"Are you crazy?" Martha bellowed.

She gave him a look of sheer disgust.

"My night with you was a mistake. The only good thing we got out of it was Leanne. Jack is the only man I ever want to be with."

She dumped the bottle, grabbed her friends and charged out of Crumble and into the Jukebox instead.

* * *

The following morning, Joey was roused by the smell of coffee. She opened her eyes and winced as a headache took control. Charlie ruffled her hair gently and sat beside her, attempting to coax her awake.

"Why do you let me drink wine?" Joey complained.

"Like I had a choice!" Charlie remarked. "You were like a drink demon. On heat!"

Joey cracked open an eye as memories of their particularly energetic lovemaking invaded her brain.

"It's not my fault wine makes me horny!" Joey pouted.

Charlie leant in and kissed her.

"I didn't say I was complaining!" she remarked.

* * *

"Vinnie!" Leah called as she hurried to get herself, her son and Martha and Jack's baby ready for the wedding.

Charlie had already been round early to pick James up. Unfortunately, Leah couldn't find her husband anywhere.

"Vinnie!" she called again.

He appeared through the back door.

"Where have you been?" she asked.

"Nowhere," he said quickly. "Just outside getting some air."

"Oh, okay," Leah said. "Leanne needs changing and I have to have a shower."

* * *

Charlie and Joey sat side by side at the church as Martha and Jack took their vows. Joey leant her head on Charlie's shoulder and held her hand. Together, they had James on their lap. Beside them, Xavier and Ruby were also gazing at each other lovingly and behind them, Geoff and Nicole were cuddled up. It was such a romantic atmosphere, bringing out the sap in everyone. Apart from Roman. He sat at the back of the church as if he had a bitter taste in his mouth, wondering what was so wrong with him that everyone he fell for wouldn't love him back.

* * *

The reception was in full swing. Charlie and Joey had taken to the dance floor with James who had his own kind of groove going on. VJ came to join them, taking Leanne with him by the hand and the five-some formed a happy little group. It was strange but now that Charlie and Joey had had James in their lives, even for such a short time, they couldn't imagine life without him. Neither of them could bear the idea of giving him back to his mother when she was recovered and rehabilitated. But then, they supposed that was the nature of fostering. Several times, they had talked about looking into adoption.

* * *

Geoff took Nicole into his arms and they danced close to each other. They seemed to have recovered from their period of bickering over every single tiny thing and they felt happy with each other again and closer than they'd ever been before. Nicole gazed into her boyfriend's eyes and took a deep breath.

"Geoff, you know how much I love you, don't you?" she said timidly.

He smiled, nodded and kissed her.

"I love you too," he said. "And I really want to show you how much."

* * *

Aden offered Roman a beer. The chef had been morose for most of the day and with Aden being the only one who knew why, apart from the bride, he felt the need to help snap him out of it.

"Mate, you really need to..."

"I know," Roman said quickly. "I just... can't."

He sighed heavily.

"I've never felt like this about anyone before," he admitted.

"She's with Jack," Aden said. "She loves him. You need to go out and meet someone new, take your mind off it."

Jack paused behind them puzzling over what he'd overheard.

"I just wish she'd have chosen me," Roman continued. "Me, Martha, Leanne and Nicole could have been a happy family."

Jack tapped Roman on the shoulder. The moment he turned around, he punched him in the face.

* * *

One week later, Charlie, Joey, Ruby, Xavier and James were preparing to go on a boat trip to mark the anniversary of Elsie's death. Ross and Morag had declined to go but Charlie and Ruby's father had promised to lay flowers at his late wife's grave. Every year, it was hard for the family to get through Elsie, Clara and Paul's anniversaries but they pulled through together. This year, Charlie had suggested they do something nice to mark it and Elsie had always enjoyed being out on the water with those she loved. Xavier was pleased to be invited. As a child, he'd been very fond of Ruby's Mum. She'd always been nice to him and she'd cooked a mean meal on a regular basis. Joey took charge of the boat and steered them away from the shore. Leaving James in Ruby's care, Charlie stepped up behind her girlfriend and held her tight.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," Joey replied.

* * *

Along with a renewal of their wedding vows, Jack and Martha had indulged in a second honeymoon. Things had been tense at the reception after Jack had punched Roman. An argument had ensued and Aden and Tony had been forced to intervene and separate them. Martha had spent much of their wedding night and their honeymoon firmly convincing her husband that Roman meant nothing to her and Jack was her one and only. Knocking on Tony and Rachel's door in order to pick up Leanne, they were greeted warmly.

"You guys are cheerful!" Martha remarked as they settled down with cups of tea.

"We're going to try for a baby!" Rachel announced, gushing with joy.

After a long time of battling, Tony had finally given in. Spending the week with Leanne had definitely helped and they were finally both on the same page and looking forward to being parents.

"And..." Tony nudged.

"And we're getting married!" Rachel squeaked.

* * *

In the sunshine on the deck of the boat, Joey, Charlie, Ruby and Xavier were quietly reminiscing about Elsie and Clara and Paul. Charlie and Joey were careful not to mention just how close Ruby's mother had been to her best friend. It wasn't the right time to tell her. She had been so young when it all happened and they were sure it would be hard for her to get her head around. What she didn't know wouldn't hurt her. And they never ever wanted Ruby to be hurt. Charlie looked affectionately at James who was playing with his toys on the floor. She smiled.

"You know, once upon a time it was you playing with your toys on a boat like this," Charlie told her little sister.

Ruby smiled. She had a vague recollection of a boat trip when she was very small but it wasn't clear. Still, she liked her sisters telling her about it.

"Mum, Dad, Clara, Paul, Brett, Joey, me and you, we all came out for a holiday and we had such a good time," Charlie said.

She reached out and held her partner's hand. It had been on that trip that the confused teenagers had shared their first kiss.

"Joey and I tried to be all grown up and..."

"Make out?" Ruby teased, remembering the story.

Joey snorted and Charlie poked her tongue out.

"We looked after you," she said with a mock glare. "You were our little baby for the whole week!"

Ruby grinned.

"And now you have your own little one," she said, slipping onto the floor to give her temporary nephew a cuddle.

"Yep," Charlie said, ignoring the twinge of sadness over the fact that at any time, James could be taken away from them.

"I wonder what Brett's doing now," Ruby mused.

He'd sold the house last year and moved away without saying goodbye. It still felt weird to Joey to see strangers entering and departing her childhood home. She hadn't been able to bring herself to get to know them, although their cat was cute.

"I heard he went travelling," Joey said. "But other than that, I have no idea. It's sad really."

"Do you miss him?" Xavier asked.

"I do," Joey admitted. "I mean, I know he was horrible to us. But back when we were kids, we actually got along pretty well. We loved each other. And he was seriously sweet on Charlie."

Charlie shuddered at the memory of adolescent make out sessions with Joey's brother in a desperate bid to pretend she wasn't in love with her best friend. It seemed like a completely different life.

"Still, at least Mum and Dad didn't have to see Brett and I destroy each other," Joey added sadly.

Charlie moved to put an arm around her, holding her closer.

"Yeah," Ruby agreed. "It would have made them sad."

Charlie nodded.

"But at least Mum did get to see you two getting together," Ruby said more cheerfully. "Seeing you so happy made her so happy."

"And seeing the beautiful young woman you were rapidly turning into made her proud," Charlie replied.


	70. Chapter 70

**Chapter Seventy**

**July 2012**

Charlie kissed Joey with the intention of it being a brief kiss goodbye but instead, it developed into something more sensual. Joey moaned softly against Charlie's mouth. The novelty of her girlfriend clad in leathers in order to ride her bike had not yet worn off. When Charlie had begun taking Joey out for a spin on a more regular basis, she'd bought Joey her own pair and suddenly realised exactly what the attraction was. Their kiss finally ended and after coming back for a couple of pecks more, Charlie finally left for work. Joey finished washing up the breakfast things, collected James to take him to Martha's for the day, hollered a goodbye to Ruby and left the house herself. Now that Charlie had the bike, she largely let Joey rule the car, which was fun. After saying goodbye to James and thanking Martha for taking care of him while she and Charlie were both at work, Joey stopped off at Crumble to order five coffees for herself and her crew.

"Is everything alright?" she asked Leah.

"Yeah," the young woman replied, although she wasn't very convincing.

Joey offered her sceptical look.

"Vinnie and I are still knee deep in attempting to investigate what happened to a grand of our savings," she explained.

She rolled her eyes.

"I don't know why I'm making out like we had more than that saved. We were pretty much cleaned out."

Two months before, someone had emptied their bank account and while Charlie had made it a priority of investigation, they'd come up with no evidence to pin on anyone and come no closer to finding the money.

"No luck at all?" Joey asked.

"Nothing," Leah sighed. "It was for VJ's future. It's just so..."

She sighed in frustration.

"Never mind," she said. "Sorry for boring you with my problems. How's everything with you?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," Joey replied. "Can't complain."

***

"Okay, everyone," Ross said, gathering the team together. "We have a new guy here today. He's been transferred from the city. Well, actually, he's being transferred back."

He glanced at Charlie, feeling guilty. He'd only found out who their new recruit was the day before and he hadn't had a chance to warn his daughter.

"So, here he is," he said.

Charlie nearly dropped her cup when she saw Angelo, her ex-boyfriend walk through the door. He had slightly shorter hair and was much more muscular than he had been before. She swallowed uncertainly. What on earth was he doing back here? He immediately sought her out and smiled as if nothing bad had ever happened between them.

***

Ruby eyed her friend curiously as Nicole returned from the bathroom. They were on their break from the salon and enjoying packed lunches and cups of coffee. Or at least, they had been until Nicole had rushed off clutching her mouth.

"Are you okay?" Ruby asked worriedly.

Nicole nodded but looked rather pale.

"Must have been something I ate," she said. "I've been up chucking all morning."

"Thanks for the imagery!" Ruby joked. "Maybe you should go see a Doctor."

"No," Nicole said dismissively. "It's fine. I might have had some dodgy prawns last night, that's all."

***

Sitting in Crumble on their break, Aden took Romeo to one side, feeling a little awkward.

"Listen, mate, um..." he started, glad that Sarah and Joey were knee deep in conversation and Geoff was in a world of his own.

Romeo looked at him expectantly.

"Well, you know our tenancy's up in a few weeks," Aden ventured.

"Please don't tell me you're moving out," Romeo begged.

Aden looked even more awkward.

"It's just that Belle and I... well, I haven't asked her yet but I'm going to. Tonight, I'm going to ask her if she wants to move back in together," he said.

"Well, you could just move her in with us..." Romeo suggested.

"I don't think that'd work," Aden told him. "She struggles enough at the moment without having to clean up after us full time."

"Who has to clean up after you?" Sarah asked, interrupting their conversation.

"My money's on Belle," Joey said. "These two are pretty damn messy."

"Hey!" they both protested.

Joey raised an eyebrow at Romeo.

"Okay, fair point," he admitted, tucking into his food.

"So, what's going on?" Sarah inquired.

"I'm going to ask Belle if she wants to move in together again," Aden explained. "I feel like we're finally ready. We're so close right now and it feels like the right next step."

"Well congratulations," Joey grinned. "My boy's all grown up!"

She giggled and he flicked a chip at her.

***

"So, aren't you planning on talking to me at all today?" Angelo asked, approaching Charlie in her office. "Sergeant?"

"I've been busy," she said, continuing writing up her report from an incident the day before.

He came to sit on the chair opposite and smiled at her. She paused and looked up at him.

"Why do you even want to talk to me?" she asked. "You hated me by the time you left town."

"I'd like to forgive and forget," he said. "Maybe we could even try again."

She laughed and then clapped a hand over her mouth. He frowned.

"Are you seeing someone?" he asked.

"Joey," she informed him.

He laughed.

"I should have known," he said. "How long?"

"Just over six years," she told him. "Are you single?"

"Young and free," he said.

"Not that young!" she laughed, aware that she would be thirty on her next birthday.

While she was far from being past her prime, she did often wonder where the time had gone. She still remembered being a child, dragging Joey with her everywhere she went.

"How come you got transferred back here?" she asked.

"They figured you guys could use my expertise," he said with a confident smile.

"And what expertise would they be?"

"You'll find out," he promised.

She nodded and picked her pen back up.

"Was there anything else?" she asked.

"I just wanted to clear the air – let the past stay in the past," he told her, standing up. "Start afresh."

"Fine," she agreed. "See you later."

He nodded and headed back to his own desk.

***

Leah waved Vinnie into the kitchen as soon as he arrived. VJ had joined Leanne and James with Martha for the afternoon so that his mother could work and his father could go and talk to the bank again.

"Any news?" Leah asked.

"No," he replied.

"I just don't understand what the happened. I mean, how could someone have taken your card without you even noticing?"

"I don't know!" Vinnie snapped. "It's not my fault, Leah!"

Roman kept his head down and attempted to tune them out. It didn't feel right to eavesdrop.

"I'm not blaming you," Leah insisted. "I'm just..."

"Blaming me," Vinnie accused. "We've been wronged, Leah. It's not you against me."

"I know!"

"Well maybe start acting like it!"

She stared after him as he stormed out. Sighing, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to force away involuntary tears. Roman put his vegetable knife down and moved to put his arms around her. She accepted his embrace.

"I wasn't accusing him," she said.

"I know," he replied. "Vinnie's just feeling like he's let you down so he's being sensitive about it. Just go home tonight and give him a big hug, alright?"

He squeezed her shoulders gently. She nodded and decided to do just that.

***

Joey was busy cooking dinner when Charlie arrived home. She felt the familiar thrill rush through her, the same way it always did when they saw each other again after a long day at work. Charlie put her helmet on the table and gathered her girlfriend into her arms, kissing her tenderly. James immediately began to try and stretch to reach it. He also had a fascination with her.

"Something smells good," she commented when they parted.

She picked James up and twirled him around the room, making him laugh and forget all about the helmet. She kissed him hello and then popped him back into his chair.

"Pasta," Joey told her. "Ruby's staying at Xavier's."

"Oh, does that mean I get to keep you all to myself?" Charlie asked. "Minus little 'un of course. Because if that's the case, I may not be responsible for my actions."

Joey grinned and kissed her again, wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Well now that gives me something to look forward to!" she said.

"You bet!"

Releasing her, Charlie excused herself to go and get changed, promising to be back imminently. Joey returned to her pots, calling back that she needed to take her helmet off the table.

***

Romeo, Annie, Ruby and Xavier were outside the cinema waiting for Geoff and Nicole to arrive. They'd arranged to see a soppy romantic, by choice of all three girls and they would be following it with dinner. It felt nice to be coupled up and able to go on triple dates, although Geoff and Nicole had started bickering regularly again after a brief period of grace. That was largely why Romeo and Annie had opted to go in Ruby's car instead of Annie's brother's. They couldn't face the rows.

***

Aden and Belle sat down to dinner together. They were at his and Romeo's apartment and he'd cooked a special meal in order to create the right setting for his question.

"What's on your mind?" Belle asked.

He'd been acting strangely for the last couple of days and she was curious as to what was going on.

"Well uh... actually there is something," he said.

"What?"

"I was wondering if you'd..."

He took a deep breath and opted to finish the sentence very quickly.

"I was wondering if you'd like to move in together."

She looked a little stunned and her first thought was panic. Things had gone wrong when they lived together before. It hadn't been related but it brought back memories.

"Well... uh... I don't think I want to live here with you and Romeo. I mean, he's great but..."

"Not here," Aden clarified. "Me and you in a place of our own. I know we'd be renting but we could still make it ours. What do you think?"

"Um..."

His face fell.

"You don't want to," he realised.

"No, no, I do. I just..."

"It's fine," he said. "I mean, Romeo wasn't keen on losing his housemate anyway so..."

Belle felt terrible over the look on his face. She hated to disappoint him.

"I'd love to live with you again," she said quickly, although her heart wasn't in it.

***

"Angelo is seriously back here?" Joey asked, pulling a face. "For good? Yuck. I think I hid it pretty well but I was not a fan."

Charlie snorted indelicately with laughter, prompting James to do the same even though he couldn't quite follow the conversation. Joey certainly couldn't have made her distaste for Charlie's then boyfriend any more obvious.

"I'm just saying!" Joey pouted.

"Well I can't say I'm a fan," Charlie said. "Although I guess it was all a product of my own making."

She chased some pasta around on her plate with her fork.

"What do you mean?"

"The whole reason I started dating Angelo in the first place was because I was in denial over how I felt about you. Watson had confronted me about my feelings and then the next time he asked me out, I said yes because I was so terrified of being gay. And I slept with him for the same reason."

She succeeded in pinning the pasta and raised her fork to her lips.

"Sorry," she said. "You probably don't need to hear that."

"Charlie, I think we're secure enough for me not to feel jealous about a past relationship," Joey said affectionately. "I think I did my jealous craziness at the time."

Charlie grinned.

"You were really jealous?" she asked.

It wasn't something they'd really talked about before.

"I was sick with it!" Joey admitted, reaching for her Malibu and coke.

"Even though you had a girlfriend?"

"For as long as I remember, all I've ever wanted is you, Charlie. Girlfriends and boyfriends never changed that. Nothing ever could."

Charlie pushed her plate away and reached out to hold Joey's hand.

"Do you know how amazing it is to be loved like that?" she asked seriously. "I mean, you know I feel the same, right? I've just never been able to express it as eloquently as you can."

Joey shifted forward and kissed her.

"If you love me even half as much as I love you, I'll consider myself the luckiest woman in the world," she said.

"Char-ree!" James squeaked.

She turned to her foster son. He was pointing at his drink. Glancing at her watch, she told him he could have his bottle of milk with bed. He pouted a little but accepted when Charlie scooped him up off his chair. Charlie followed him to his bedroom and got him into his pyjamas, tucking him into bed. Joey arrived with his bottle and they both kissed him goodnight. Slipping out of the room but leaving it ajar so the light from the hall could creep in, Charlie turned back to Joey.

"Where were we?" she asked.

Pulling her closer, she kissed her. Then she took her hand and led her across the hall to their bedroom.

***

Romeo, Annie, Xavier and Ruby made polite conversation but the tension at the table was painfully obvious. Nicole and Geoff had, as usual, got into a huge argument and were now barely speaking. The tension could be cut with a knife. Romeo held Annie's hand under the table, knowing that his girlfriend's brother's stress was getting to her. The siblings were so close, especially since they'd lost her father, and she always seemed to absorb his pain.

"So, that movie was good," Ruby ventured.

"Yeah," Xavier agreed. "I like it. You know, for a chick flick!"

"It wasn't a chick flick!" Ruby protested, purely to launch them into a lively debate about movies and distract them for a while.

***

Angelo sat in the Jukebox drinking a beer and familiarising himself with the town and all its local haunts again. He looked up when he saw Watson and some girl enter. Deciding that despite how things had ended with Charlie, her former housemate had never really done anything to her, except leave her high and dry with rent so there was no reason why she couldn't be friendly towards him.

"Hey," she said, approaching the bar.

"Can I get you a drink?" he offered.

"Two beers. Thanks. This is Sarah, by the way."

Angelo and Sarah shook hands.

"Girlfriend?" he asked, after ordering from a surfer dude looking blonde boy.

"Yeah," Watson said proudly.

It had taken a while but they had finally settled into commitment and strangely, it felt really good. They pulled up chairs to his left and sat down.

"So, you've been busy since I left, hey?" the policeman commented.

"This is new... ish," Watson said. "But yeah, life's been nothing short of interesting."

"I hear the delightful Charlie is finally banging Joey."

Watson's mouth fell open in surprise at his words.

"That's not quite how I'd put it," she objected.

Angelo shrugged.

"Sorry," he said. "I'm not really a fan. But hey, I wish them all the best. I could never compete with Joey for Charlie's affections. I mean, she ditched me for her on Valentine's Day."

He didn't think he'd ever forget the moment that Joey had pretty much interrupted intercourse and he'd been left floundering with an erection while Charlie comforted her best mate and threw her boyfriend out.

"Well, you know that Charlie's my best friend so maybe we should leave that subject alone," Watson suggested.

***

Charlie pushed Joey onto the bed, straddling her lap and removing her t-shirt in one swift motion. Covering her in kisses, she reached behind her and unhooked her bra. Joey reached up and wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling her closer in as she lay back on the mattress. Charlie moved her lips down Joey's neck, along her collarbone and to her breasts. Joey ran her nails up and down Charlie's back, fully willing to surrender herself to her girlfriend's every whim. Charlie ran her tongue over Joey's hot skin, savouring her taste. Joey struggled with Charlie's shirt buttons, torn between wanting to lie back and receive all the pleasure on offer and also wanting Charlie to be shed of her clothes, letting nothing come between them. Charlie rested on her right elbow and used her free left hand to toy with Joey while she moved her mouth back to her lips. She paused for a moment to gaze into her eyes.

"You are so perfect," she whispered. "I feel like I fall more deeply in love with you every minute."

Joey smiled tenderly.

"And you say you can't put things eloquently," she teased.

She took the moment to undo the last of Charlie's buttons and remove her shirt. She seized the clasp of Charlie's bra and joyfully released her breasts, immediately turning her over and beginning to tease her with her tongue. Charlie moaned in pleasure and Joey's hand cheekily slipped beneath her jeans. This was going to be a wonderful night.

***

"Well that was an awkward night," Xavier remarked as soon as he and Ruby got into the car.

Romeo and Annie were reluctantly being driven home by Geoff, as he and Annie were going to the same place.

"Yeah," Ruby sighed.

"Please say you and I will never ever get like that," he begged.

She smiled and kissed him quickly before she started the engine.

"I certainly hope we won't," she said.

***

As evening turned into night, Aden and Belle lay side by side in bed. Belle gazed up at the ceiling and listened to her boyfriend breathe beside her. The more she thought about moving in with him, the less sure she was that they were doing the right thing. They had been dating on and off since they were teenagers and she loved him so much but it felt too soon somehow. They'd been through so much together, so many things that had one seemed insurmountable. Moving in together, compared to drugs, violence and abuse, seemed so small and yet it seemed so grand. She liked the comfort and safety of living with Irene, the only mother she had ever truly known. She felt protected by the fact that she could leave Aden's flat any time she wanted to and they weren't trapped with each other. To move in together felt so final, so intense. She wasn't sure she could bear it.

***

Leah and Vinnie enjoyed a lazy morning together. They'd made up the night before and it had spilled over into the morning and both were glad of it. Making excuses to their work places, they were glad that VJ had an inset day at school and was therefore content with watching cartoons downstairs.

***

Joey and Charlie finished dinner that evening and bid each other goodbye. They'd enjoyed a nice day together with James and now both were preparing to work through the night. Charlie was on an overnight shift and Joey was taking her crew out for night fishing. Well, she was taking Aden and Geoff out, anyway. The others had declined the extra work. Sarah was going for her second weekend away with Watson and Romeo wanted a night in with Annie. After Aden had told him that he was moving out and in with Belle, he'd decided to ask Annie to move in with him. She didn't believe in sex before marriage so their relationship had not yet been consummated but he hoped that after they'd practised living together non-sexually, he would be able to decide if he was ready to marry her. The more he thought about it, the more he thought he was.

"See you in the morning," Joey said as she dropped Charlie at the police station.

"Yeah, have fun with the fishes," Charlie replied, kissing her and climbing out of the car.

***

Belle sat in the corner of the Jukebox, attempting to reconcile the world with a glass or two of wine. Her hand paused on her way to her glass when she saw Angelo Rossetta walk into the room. After their brief affair during a break with Aden, the two of them had dated. Then she'd left him to get back with her one true love. He stopped when he saw her and smiled, wandering over and sitting down without permission.

"What are you doing back?" she asked.

"Hi, Angelo, good to see you again!" he replied sarcastically.

"Sorry. I um... I just... I wasn't expecting to see you again," she admitted.

"Seems to be a common reaction," he told her. "Listen, I know things didn't end so well but would you like to wipe the slate clean? We're both older and wiser now. I'd like to be friends. Move on."

He felt like he was having to say this to far too many people since he'd been back. It was true that he had changed. He felt much more like the man he used to be, before he and Charlie had got together. She'd turned him angry and bitter but he had taken a lot of time to heal and now he was back on form. And he was ready to throw everything he had into his job and start again.

"That sounds good to me," she said.

"Another drink?" he offered.

"Yeah, that'd be great. Thanks."

He picked up her glass and approached Xavier who was serving behind the bar.

***

Ruby hugged Nicole close and offered her another tissue. The littlest Buckton had booked a taxi to bring Nicole round as she'd heard her crying. She was babysittng James for the night but her friend needed her. As soon as Nicole had arrived, she had then tearfully explained that she and Geoff had broken up after they got home from the cinema.

"Maybe it's for the best," Ruby said gently. "I mean, you were fighting and everything..."

Nicole nodded but then cried harder.

"That's not the problem, Ruby," she said desperately.

She clutched her a little tighter.

"What is it?" Ruby asked.

"I'm pregnant."

***

Annie and Romeo had been on the sofa kissing for hours. Neither of them wanted it to end. Both were overjoyed at the prospect of living together. After establishing ground rules about sex, Annie had agreed that she would move in as soon as Aden moved out and neither of them could wait.

***

Charlie and Jack sat in the office together playing hangman. Both of them had paperwork to do but neither of them could be bothered. It was too late and they were too tired. And too easily distracted.

"How's baby?" Charlie asked as she puzzled over which consonant to choose next.

"She's as beautiful as ever," Jack replied fondly.

He felt like he would always be grateful to Aden for talking some sense into him and therefore helping him get his family back. Things were going perfectly again and he didn't think he'd ever been so happy before in his life.

"And Martha? I've barely seen her recently. Everything's been so hectic."

"Yeah, she's good. She loves being a Mum. I've never seen someone take to it with so much joy in their heart."

Charlie smiled.

"How's things with Joey?" he asked.

"Oh, you know... heavenly," she replied with a swoon.

He chuckled.

"And your baby?"

"Perfect!"

They were interrupted by the phone ringing. Charlie frowned over his hangman puzzle until he put the phone down and stood up.

"Assault," he said. "Down by the beach."

She jumped up and they raced to a patrol car.

***

Joey gazed up at the moon and remembered why she actually enjoyed night work, even if it was only on the nights when Charlie wouldn't be around. She'd hate them if she knew her partner was snuggled up in bed waiting for her.

"What are you grinning so inanely at?" Aden asked, as if he didn't know.

"I was just thinking about..."

"Charlie!" Aden and Geoff said in unison.

She frowned.

"Am I that predictable?" she wondered.

"Yep," Aden said.

"Says you anyway!" she laughed. "You get the same look when you think about Belle."

Aden frowned but couldn't deny it. He'd been looking through the rental pages of the local newspaper every chance he got. He watched Geoff sigh and get his head down to work.

"Is everything alright?" he asked.

"Nic and I split up last night," he admitted.

Both Aden and Joey offered their condolences.

"I guess it's for the best," he sighed, although it didn't make anything any easier.

***

After a couple of drinks too many, Angelo had politely offered to walk Belle home. It felt nice to catch up with her and fill each other in on what they'd been up to since he'd left town. He was saddened to hear about her drug problems and frowned at the thought of her getting caught up with Hugo Austin. He'd never liked the guy, never trusted him. But he was glad that she'd turned her life around. However, for the last hour, she'd been pouring her heart out over fears that she and Aden were making the wrong decision by moving in together. At her doorstep, he said goodnight.

"I hope you get everything sorted out," he said. "Whatever you decide, I hope it's for the best."

"Thanks, Angelo," Belle replied. "It was good catching up with you."

"And you," he told her. "I've really enjoyed myself."

She surprised them both by kissing him.


	71. Chapter 71

_Sorry it's a little late. Am struggling with extreme insomnia at the moment which is leaving me largely useless in the mornings. I feel like a zombie! Oh, and now there is an irritatingly typical processing error. But I hope you enjoy the chapter whenever I've managed to put it up! Love IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Seventy-One**

**August 2012**

"I'm sorry," Belle said.

She twisted her fingers in her lap and looked down at her hands, not quite able to take Aden's disappointment. She didn't want to hurt him or make him unhappy but she just didn't feel ready to live with him. He sighed.

"Okay," he said.

She was relieved not to have ended up in a position where she had to tell him about her kiss with Angelo. Now she just had to make sure the cop wouldn't open his big mouth, so to speak. She didn't want to split up with Aden. She loved him. But she didn't think they could cope with the pressure of living together again.

"It doesn't mean I don't love you," she said, reaching out to him.

They looked into each other's eyes. Both were pensive.

"I know. I just... This doesn't mean never, does it?" he asked. "We will move in together one day?"

"One day," she promised. "I'm just not ready yet. I couldn't bear for anything to go wrong again."

They looked up when Romeo waltzed through the door.

"Hey, guys," he greeted. "Getting all ready to move into a little love nest?"

He didn't notice their expressions. He was too overjoyed that Annie had agreed to move in with him.

"Uh, listen, Romeo..."

"And there's no hurry or anything but Annie's moving in here as soon as you get your stuff out!"

"What?"

"Yep! I took a leaf out of your book and decided to make the commitment and she's moving in as soon as I can get rid of you!" Romeo said cheerfully.

Before Aden and Belle could object, he headed into the bathroom for a shower.

***

Having said goodbye to Belle, feeling even lower now that Romeo and Annie had declared that they were ready to live together when they hadn't been together anywhere near as long as Aden and Belle had, Aden headed over to see Joey. She answered his knock with James clinging to her legs and laughing his head off. Aden looked confused.

"Apparently, tripping me up while I do the laundry is hilarious," she explained.

Aden chuckled.

"Isn't it, little man?" Joey said, scooping the tot up into her arms.

He pressed her nose and had a fit of giggles that turned him pink. Joey laughed too and welcomed her best friend inside.

"Looks like you've got all domesticated here," Aden said, sinking into a kitchen chair.

"Pretty much."

She set James down at the table and put a plate of cut up apple in front of him for entertainment and nutrition purposes.

"What's up?" she asked, making coffee for the two of them.

"Nothing," he lied. "Where's Charlie today?"

"She and Rubes have gone shopping," Joey explained. "A girlie day of fun or something."

She smiled and studied the blonde boy.

"Seriously, what's up?"

"Belle told me she didn't want to live with me," he replied unhappily.

"Oh, Ade..." Joey said compassionately.

She knew how much he'd been looking forward to him and his girlfriend taking the next step.

"And now Romeo's asked Annie to move in and she wants to live with him so I'm rejected and homeless!"

"Well, you know you can always move into the spare room if you need to," Joey told him.

She sat between him and James and the adults began tentatively sipping their drinks.

"Thanks," he said. "I just... How can Romeo and Annie be ready to live together and not me and Belle? They don't even sleep together!"

"Okay, that was too much information," she told him. "But maybe it's _because _they're so young and innocent. They don't know the perils and pitfalls of romance yet."

Aden sighed.

"I just... I thought living together would be amazing," he said.

Joey nodded and covered his hand with hers.

"You'll get there," she said. "Everything just takes time. Look at me and Charlie."

"You're using the most loved up couple in the whole town as an example?" he remarked.

"Well, we might be just that," she admitted. "But it all took time, Aden. I've been in love with Charlie for as long as I remember but it was only six years ago that I finally got her. _And _we split up for part of that time. It took a lot of patience to get where we are now."

She cast an affectionate look at James who was happily banging his plastic spoon around on his plate. He was getting older but it was still the small things that amused him most.

***

**December 2012**

"Hello?" Joey said cheerfully when the landline rang. "Oh, hi, how are you?"

It was their social worker. Joey listened and promptly sank down on the couch, her face showing sheer grief. From the floor where she was playing with James, Charlie studied her partner worriedly.

"When?" Joey asked quietly, fighting tears. "Next week. Okay. Well, um... bye."

She hung up and stared sadly in front of her. Charlie stood and hurried over.

"Joey, what's wrong?"

"James's mother is getting out of rehab," Joey explained. "She wants him back."

Charlie fell into her partner's arms and they held each other tightly. James studied them and stood up. He ambled over and hugged their legs. Smiling sadly, Charlie picked him up and sat him on Joey's legs, not sure what to tell him or themselves. They'd always known the day would come but neither of them had allowed themselves to think about it. They'd become attached and now the thought of losing him was heartbreaking. They wanted him to be part of their family forever.

***

"Guys, would the two of you please clear this mess up?" Roman complained, thoroughly irritated as he picked his way through a very untidy living room.

He'd made the stupid decision to let Nicole have some friends round and while their lodger, Aden, had promised to keep an eye on everyone and ensure things remained in order, he had obviously failed. Roman felt far too young to be grumpy but he couldn't help it. He liked things to be neat and in order, especially as his lack of dating was grating on him. He arrived in the kitchen where Nicole was eating enough to feed an army. At five months pregnant, she was already the size a house.

"Shouldn't you be pacing yourself anyway?" her father asked.

She looked offended.

"I'm pregnant!" she snapped. "This is the one time in a woman's life where she can eat whatever the hell she likes! And if you dare take that away from me..."

"I meant about the party," he said.

"Oh," she replied quietly. "It wasn't a big party. It was just a few people getting together for snacks."

"Was _he _there?" Roman asked.

There had been a time when he had liked Geoff Campbell. He thought he was a nice young man with Nicole's best interests at heart. Then he had got her pregnant. Maybe Roman wasn't one to talk but if he'd have had half a chance, he would have stepped in to be with Martha again. Geoff had done no such thing.

"Yes," Nicole said. "Things are going well, Dad. We might make this work."

Roman was still unhappy. He busied himself with making coffee, hoping that his daughter wouldn't end up as a single mother.

***

The following day, it was obvious to everybody that Charlie was out of sorts.

"What's up, babe?" Watson asked, plonking herself down in front of her friend's desk.

"Is that an official term for a Sergeant?" Charlie smirked, amused for the first time since the previous day.

Watson grinned and then turned serious.

"Seriously, what's wrong?"

"James's Mum's out of rehab and wants him back," she replied sadly.

"Oh, darling, I'm so sorry," Watson said, covering Charlie's hand with her own.

Charlie offered a small smile but then sighed heavily.

"How's Joey doing?"

"She's devastated. She'd taken the whole week off work so she can be with him as much as possible. And I'm going to catch up with Dad and see if I can do the same."

"That sounds like a good idea. When's he leaving?"

"Christmas Eve."

***

Aden, Sarah, Romeo and Geoff were out on the water. Joey had called Aden to say she wouldn't be making an appearance until after Christmas as James was going back to his Mum's and she wanted to spend as much time with him as she possibly could before he went. Aden felt sad for his friend. She had taken to motherhood so easily and she, Charlie, James and Ruby were a very happy family. His phone beeped and he smiled when he saw Belle's name flash up on the screen. They were going out to the cinema and he was really looking forward to it. It had taken some time to accept that Belle didn't want to live with him but he was getting there. He knew he would move in with her tomorrow if he got the chance but she remained firm that she wasn't ready. He was aware that he kept hinting but she wasn't taken him up on anything yet. Glancing at Romeo, he sighed. He was happy for his friend but he was also a little jealous. Romeo and Annie were deliriously happy together and their living arrangements appeared to be working perfectly. Even Sarah and Watson, the eternal bachelorettes were getting serious. Only Geoff was proving to be a failure. Nicole was pregnant and she and Geoff were only just talking properly again.

***

Charlie pulled into the drive on her bike and climbed off it. She headed into the house attempting to be cheerful. Her father had said she could take annual leave until after the New Year and for that, she was very grateful.

"Char-ree!" James squealed when walked through the door.

He and Joey had been watching cartoons together. James hurried up to her and she picked him up to give him a cuddle. Joey turned and smiled, pleased when her girlfriend and their foster son came to sit with her. Charlie kissed Joey's lips.

"What are you doing back so early?" Joey asked.

"I'm off until New Year," Charlie said.

Joey beamed at her and kissed her again. James settled on Charlie's lap and continued to watch his TV show. The couple were working up to telling him that he was going to live with his Mummy again but they hadn't quite managed it yet. They wanted to hold onto their happiness for a little longer.

***

Angelo and Jack were patrolling together and had stopped outside Crumble for a coffee break. Sitting in the car with the windows down, they sipped their drinks and looked out at the beach. Angelo smiled when he saw Belle and Irene wandering into Crumble together. They had kissed three times over the last six months and he hoped that something more serious might happen. She regretted it every time and kept insisting that she loved Aden and wanted to be with him but Angelo wasn't so sure. Until things had gone wrong before, they'd had a happy relationship and if he couldn't have Charlie, the woman he'd loved at first sight, he hoped he might get to be with Belle. Life had certainly changed in the town during his absence. He wasn't surprised that Charlie and Joey were together, although he was surprised that they had settled down as foster parents. And Ruby was an adult now. He remembered many an evening babysitting her with his girlfriend and it was ever so strange that she was babysitting James. Leah and Vinnie were married with a kid and so were Jack and Martha, although from what he could gather, they'd had various amounts of trouble during their life together. Elsie was dead, which made him sad and Belle had been to rehab and back. Life certainly hadn't stopped without him.

***

The morning of Christmas Eve rolled around and Joey woke up with a heavy heart. Joey blinked her eyes open and came face to face with James. The toddler had appeared in their room in the middle of the room, asking to sleep with them. They'd agreed, knowing it was their last night together and he'd been sweet, if a little fidgety.

"You're 'wake JoJo!" he announced.

She chuckled and ruffled his hair.

"Just about," she agreed.

He turned and studied Charlie's face. Her eyes remained tightly closed. He reached out a stubby little finger to poke her. She opened her eyes and roared before he managed, making him squeal with a mix of fright and laughter.

"I'm awake too," she said.

He wriggled down between them, content to stay warm under the duvet. He knew he couldn't stay with JoJo and Char-ree forever and he felt sad. He didn't want to go.

***

With Christmas Eve being a Sunday, Ruby, Nicole, Belle and Annie were taking advantage of a shopping day to get all of the extra bits they hadn't managed to buy yet. They'd decided to stop for lunch part way through the day and all four were looking to a girlie gossip.

"So, are you girls looking forward to going to Uni?" Belle asked Ruby and Annie.

The girls were due to start at the end of the following month. They'd chosen the same place to study and they were nervous but excited.

"We are," Ruby said. "Boyfriends... not so much!"

"Why?" Nicole asked.

"I think Xavier's worried that we're going to break up or something because our lives are moving in different direction," Ruby said. "But just because I'll be living away, it doesn't mean I'm not coming back. I mean, I'll pop home for weekends and during the holidays and stuff. It'll be fine."

"And I'll be back for weekends too," Annie said. "Romeo and I live together. We're not to going to break up just because we're doing different things with our lives. It's not like we're moving to the other side of the world. We're two hours along the coast."

They had both decided to live on campus and had got rooms in the same dorm, which made them happy.

"How's Charlie coping with the idea of her little sister moving out?" Nicole asked, knowing how close Charlie and Ruby were.

"Oh, don't even ask!" Ruby said. "Although she's mostly heartbroken over James right now."

"Oh yeah," Belle said sadly. "When's he leaving?"

"Today," Ruby said. "I'm really going to miss him. He's so cute."

***

"Dude, I can't believe you're actually doing this," Geoff said, shaking his head as Xavier showed him the engagement ring he'd bought for Ruby.

He had asked her out to dinner that evening and was planning on proposing. He was nervous but determined that he wanted to be with her for the rest of his life. It felt like the right thing to do.

"I've been considering asking Annie," Romeo admitted.

Xavier looked up sharply.

"I won't yet!" he promised. "I wouldn't want to cramp your style."

"Good," Xavier replied.

He turned back to Geoff.

"How are things with Nicole?" he asked.

"Yeah, we're okay," he said. "I mean, we're not back together or anything but we're talking and getting along better. I don't want her to ever feel she's raising the baby alone. I want to be completely involved. I want to be a Dad."

***

Charlie and Joey had packed James and his belongings up, including all the toys and clothes they had bought him over the last few months. There was a knock on the door. Charlie sighed and hauled herself to her feet. Joey stroked James's hair as she heard her girlfriend politely welcoming the social worker inside.

"Hi," Joey said, when they re-entered the living room.

"Hi, Joey," Susan replied. "Hey there, James."

The little boy waved and smiled but remained beside Joey.

"Okay, well I guess we ought to make this quick," Susan said.

Joey nodded and put her arm around her foster son. Charlie took her place beside them.

***

Vinnie sat on the beach feeling stressed. He ran his hands through his hair and winced as he wondered what on earth he was going to do and how he was going to explain. He gazed out at the water, considering jumping in to never return, just for a fraction of a second and then shaking the thought away.

***

"Okay, then, James, are you ready to go?" Susan asked.

James shook his head and grabbed hold of Charlie's hand. She sighed and felt her heart break a little more.

"But you're going to go and see your Mummy," she told him.

He shook his head again. Susan looked at his foster parents. Joey sighed and sank onto the floor in front of him.

"Baby boy, you need to go with the nice lady," she told him, attempting to keep her voice neutral. "Your Mummy's been away for a little while because she's been poorly. But she's better now and she wants you to come and live with her again and be a family."

"But you're mine," he replied sadly.

He liked it here. He didn't want to leave.

"We are," Joey promised. "We always will be."

"And you'll see Charlie and Joey again," Susan said. "Your mummy said it was okay."

Joey smiled at her gratefully and so did Charlie.

"So, are you ready?" Joey asked.

James audibly sighed and nodded. Joey hugged him and he squeezed her back.

"I love you, baby," Joey said gently.

"Love you," James replied.

He turned and cuddled Charlie and they shared the same affection.

"Okay, it's time to go now, sweetheart," Susan said.

Charlie and Joey followed them out to car with all his things and they loaded up. James hugged them both one more time before he let Susan open the door. Suddenly he stopped and changed his mind.

"No," he said. "Let me stay."

"I'm sorry, honey," Susan said kindly.

She picked him up in order to seat him in his booster seat. He promptly burst into tears and looked longing back at Charlie and Joey, screaming their names. Joey burst into tears and clutched Charlie's hand.

"Char-ree!" James yelled desperately. "JoJo! Char-ree! JoJo!"

He didn't understand why they weren't rescuing him. Susan put him in the car, strapped him in and shut the door. They could still hear his cries through the glass.

"I'm sorry," she said before getting behind the wheel.

Joey broke free from Charlie and rushed up to the glass, placing her hand on it. Charlie stepped up beside her and did the same. Still devastated and crying their names, he touched their hands with the tiny one of his that would reach, taking it in turns to reach out to him.

"We love you," Charlie told him.

He continued to weep as Susan drove him away. They stood and stared until the red car was out of sight. Joey then fell against Charlie and wept as hard as James had.

"I don't want to be a foster Mum again," she said into Charlie's neck. "I can't do it again, Charlie. I can't. I thought I could but I can't say goodbye."

Charlie held her close, tears in her own eyes, whispering that everything would be okay.

***

Nicole arrived home from shopping feeling utterly exhausted. It had been a long day and she was more than ready for a nap. Saying a brief hello to her father, she dragged herself up the stairs and headed for her bedroom.

***

Ruby hugged Charlie and Joey goodbye when Xavier arrived to take her to dinner. Her siblings had been distraught ever since James had left and his absence from the house could be keenly felt by everyone. She didn't think any of them would be particularly up for celebrating Christmas Day tomorrow.

"I'll be back in the morning," she said. "I'm staying at Xave's tonight."

"Okay," Charlie replied. "See you tomorrow."

Ruby waved and headed out and into her boyfriend's car. She looked him over. He looked more dressed up than she'd expected. It made her feel good to see what an effort he'd made.

"How are they?" the blonde boy asked, pulling out of the drive.

She sighed heavily.

"Devastated," was the only way she could think to describe them.

***

Aden was waiting at Belle's house for his girlfriend to get home. He and Geoff had amused themselves with playing on the Wii and it had been entertaining. But now he was looking forward to curling up with his girlfriend and then waking up with her on Christmas Day. He was staying overnight and the plan was for them, Geoff and Irene to all have breakfast together in the morning.

***

"So, we're doing Christmas together properly this year, hey?" Watson said.

She'd arrived home from her shift and invited Sarah over.

"Yep," her girlfriend replied.

"What do you want to do?"

Sarah smirked at her. They kissed passionately, wrapping their arms tightly around each other and falling back on the couch.

***

Charlie and Joey had skipped dinner and were curled up together on the sofa. The television was on but neither of them was watching it. They hadn't talked much, just held each other, kissing and crying.

"I wonder if he's okay," Charlie mused, sighing heavily.

She gazed up at the ceiling and pulled Joey a little closer.

"I hope he didn't forget anything," Joey said.

She couldn't help but worry about him. And she hadn't known how much she would love him when he first arrived. He'd become such an essential part of their family. It was like they had always known him and always loved him. She was missing him already, even more than she'd expected to.

"Do you think his Mum will really let us see him sometimes?" Joey asked.

"I hope so," said Charlie. "We can give Susan a call in the New Year and find out about it."

Joey sighed again and wiped her eyes. She couldn't stop imagining their little boy, crying and calling their names. She felt like she had let him down.

"Do you really want to come off the fostering register?" Charlie asked.

Joey shrugged. She didn't know.

"Let's not doing anything yet then," Charlie said. "We can think about it later."

"Yeah," Joey agreed, her voice still tinged with grief.

She moved to kiss Charlie's lips. They wrapped their arms around each other, letting their affection develop.

"I love you, Joey," Charlie said.

"I love you too."

***

"Xave... this is..."

Ruby was speechless. She gazed down at the ring her boyfriend had handed over and attempted to process what he had asked. He wanted to marry her. It was making her head spin.

"What do you think?" Xavier asked.

"Well, um... I just..."

She gazed into her eyes.

"No," she said.

***

Angelo pulled up beside Belle who was walking towards home. He wound the window down and smiled.

"Care for a lift?"

She stopped and gazed at him, turning the offer over in her mind. Several past kisses flashed through her brain and she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about them.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," she decided and started walking again, calling 'thanks' over her shoulder.

He continued to drive alongside her.

***

Vinnie crept through the front door. He froze when he saw the look on his wife's face.

"What the hell kind of time do you call this?" Leah demanded.

"Sorry," he said. "I got waylaid. I lost track of time."

She remained unimpressed and wasn't prepared to give in that easily. He moved closer and hugged her.

"What's going on with you, Vinnie?" she asked, accepting his embrace. "You haven't been yourself for months."

"Nothing," he lied. "Everything's perfectly fine."

She relented and kissed him.

"Are you sure?" she asked.

"I have the perfect wife, my beautiful son," he said with a smile. "What on earth could be wrong in the world?"

They kissed again.

***

Xavier's face fell and his hands dropped into his lap.

"No?" he said weakly.

Ruby gazed at him.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I just... I love you but I'm not ready..."

He sighed and fought the urge to snap at her. He felt like a fool and immediately began to panic that she wasn't in the same emotional place as he was.

"It's just... I'm starting Uni and everything and I just... I want next year to be about that. You know?"

"You don't want to be with me anymore?" he asked.

"No! No, of course I want to be with you. I love you. I just... I'm not ready to get married. Maybe after I've finished studying or..."

"Well, we could be engaged for three years!" he said, his eyes lighting up.

He sighed again when she shook her head. Awkwardly, she handed the ring back. He shoved it into his pocket and snapped at the waitress for the bill.

***

Belle and Aden lay side by side beneath the blankets. As soon as she'd got in, she'd taken a shower and then she'd taken him to bed. She hoped he didn't know that she was overcompensating for her guilt. She hadn't accepted Angelo's lift and she'd avoided what appeared to be the inevitable whenever she spent time with him. She was determined that nothing would ever happen between them again. But she'd wanted to get in the car. She'd wanted to be with him. And she hated herself for it. It didn't make sense in her head. Aden was the perfect guy. She had loved him for so long. When she'd been with Angelo the first time around, he'd been nothing more than a distraction because Aden was blowing hot and cold with her. She hadn't loved him. She didn't love him now. There was just an undeniable attraction.

***

Joey and Charlie had been kissing for a while, both desperate to be happy after their day of sorrow. Shifting positions, Charlie straddled Joey's lap, never letting their lips part. Joey glanced down. Charlie's legs were bare and she was sporting a short, denim skirt. A rush of memories hit her. She pulled back slightly, still running her fingers up and down Charlie's spine.

"Do you remember that New Year?" she asked. "We were sitting just like this, in this room, on your Mum and Dad's couch. Do you remember?"

Charlie grinned. She definitely remembered. They'd started off innocently enough, claiming that it was just nice to kiss someone, anyone at the beginning of a New Year. Then it had all got very passionate.

"I didn't know what to do with my hands that night," Joey said. "They were all over the place. You had such a short dress on and it was riding up. I remember stroking your thighs and then quickly moving my hands to your back in case I got too carried away and touched you somewhere I shouldn't have."

She placed her hands on Charlie's bare thighs and kissed her.

"I really, really wanted to touch you somewhere I shouldn't have," she said.

Charlie grinned wickedly.

"I really wanted you to," she admitted.

She looked down at Joey's capable hands and placed her own on top of them. She brought them gently up under her skirt. Joey looked hungrily at her. It almost felt as if it were the first time they'd touched. She continued her ascent of her own accord and accepted Charlie's kiss. She felt her moan against her mouth. Joey found the slip of material that acted as a barrier and stroked her thumb over it. Charlie moaned louder and then gasped as Joey pushed the material away. She stroked her gently. Charlie's lips descended onto Joey's neck, sucking her skin without apology. Joey continued to pleasure her, building up a rhythm.

"If I'd have had the courage back then," Joey breathed. "I would have done everything I desired to do that night."

Charlie kissed her lips.

"I would have done this."

She raised Charlie by her hips and shrugged herself further down the couch, allowing her to explore with her mouth as well as her hands. Charlie held onto the back of the sofa, giving into everything her partner offered. She cried out as she came against Joey's mouth. Joey guided her back into her lap and they held onto each other for all they were worth.

***

Ruby and Xavier lay side by side in the dark, not talking. Ruby had asked him if he wanted her to go home but he'd said no and now both of them were regretting it. Everything felt awkward. They doubted they were in for a happy Christmas.

***

It was the middle of the night. Nicole had been tossing and turning through difficult dreams. She woke up screaming in agony.

"Dad!" she yelled at the top of her voice.

Roman was in her room in moments asking what was wrong. She lifted the covers and they saw that she was covered in blood from the waist down.


	72. Chapter 72

_A chapter of pure mush! It's quite well times after the dark chapter of The Waiting Game, I think. I hope you enjoy it. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Seventy-Two**

**January 2013**

Joey gazed at Charlie across the seats in the front of their little blue car. They had been driving for a couple of hours and Charlie, a passenger for a change, had dropped off to sleep in her seat. Pulling up at traffic lights, Joey smiled and reached an affectionate hand out to stroke her girlfriend's face. Charlie smiled in her sleep and sighed happily, snuggling a little more comfortably into her seat. Tomorrow would bring Charlie's thirtieth birthday and Joey had booked a hotel for the weekend. With five stars, it boasted luxury bedrooms, a sauna, spa, pool and gym as well as restaurants and bars galore. Both were looking forward to alone time, where they could just be lovers and friends and soul mates, instead of sisters, parents, cops and employers to the other people in their lives. They were longing just to be with each other without the world getting in the way. Pulling back her hand, Joey returned to the steering wheel and continued on their way at the green light. Ten minutes later, Joey had just about located the car park and pulled into it.

"Wakey, wakey," she said gently, stroking Charlie's cheek again.

Charlie smiled and slowly began to stir. Realising where they were, she immediately apologised for falling asleep and not keeping her partner company on the journey.

"Don't worry about it," Joey said. "You've been working flat out for the last few weeks. I think you're entitled to the odd nap."

They smiled at each other, undid their seatbelts and moved in for a soft kiss.

"Ready?" the younger girl asked.

"Absolutely."

Just as Joey moved out of the car, Charlie reached for her hand to stop her.

"This weekend is going to be perfect," she said.

Joey nodded in firm agreement and they climbed out in order to grab their bags from the boot. Lugging them into the foyer, they approached reception. Joey gave her details over to the pretty receptionist, who did her best not to react at the idea of two women sharing a double bed.

"Here's your key card," she said, handing it over. "Would you like help getting your bags to your room?"

"No, we're good," Joey replied politely.

She and Charlie picked up their small suitcases and headed to the lift in order to get to the fourth floor. When they reached their destination, feeling a little dizzy from the ride, the wandered through corridors, reading numbers and finally reaching the one that would belong to them for the weekend.

"Home sweet home," Joey said cheerfully, letting themselves in.

It was a large room with a king sized bed and a wide, flat screen television welcoming Miss Collins to the hotel. Their little kitchen area contained a sink and a fridge with a separate mini-bar. The couple dumped their bags on the floor by the bed. Joey quickly wrapped her arms around Charlie's waist and pulled her onto the bed with her.

"Bouncy!" she grinned, pulling her girlfriend in for a kiss.

Charlie melted into Joey's touch, closing her eyes and holding her close. They kissed for a long time, as if they hadn't been allowed to do so in months.

***

An hour and a half later, Charlie and Joey had unpacked and were looking through the hotel brochure at what was on offer while they stretched out on the bed together.

"This place looks nice," Joey said, pointing at an Italian style restaurant on the ground floor.

Charlie agreed.

"I'm going to take a shower first," she said. "I feel all dirty now I've slept in my clothes."

"Do you need any assistance?" Joey grinned wickedly.

Charlie immediately nodded and hauled Joey to her feet and into the bathroom, which was located near the main door. Charlie opened the shower cubicle door, resisting the urge to fling herself and Joey into the Jacuzzi, an aspect of the bathroom that Joey had kept as a special surprise. The power shower was good enough for now. Hitting the button, a strong spray spilled out. Turning back to Joey, who was already getting undressed, she smiled, folding her arms and observing her. Joey paused in her underwear and looked a little worried.

"What?" she asked meekly.

Charlie continued to smile.

"What?" Joey repeated.

"You are the most beautiful person I have ever known," Charlie said.

She pulled her in for a hug, never wanting to break contact or let her go. Joey smiled and then giggled when Charlie expertly unhooked her bra with one hand.

"How did you get so good at that?" Joey exclaimed, not for the first time.

She moved back and let the garment drop to the floor, earning her a very naughty look from her girlfriend as steam began to fill the room.

"I'm talented!" Charlie said, beginning to undress.

"Yes, you are," Joey said quietly, thinking of all the delightful things she hoped they'd get up to over the weekend.

She stepped out of her remaining item of clothing and followed an undressed Charlie into the shower where the water was now running nice and warmly. Moulding their bodies together, they stood under the spray and kissed. Water ran down their faces, bodies and hair. Charlie held Joey by her hips, keeping her close, feeling like they could stay that way forever if it weren't for such water wastage. Reaching down for the shower gel they'd tucked into the corner during their unpacking, Charlie blobbed some on her hand with the intention of helping Joey wash. The businesswoman smiled and raised her arms, willing to let Charlie get up to anything she wanted. She groaned quietly at Charlie's touch as her hands roved all over her body.

***

After a slightly longer shower than either of them had originally intended, Charlie and Joey emerged from the steamy bathroom wrapped in crisp, white, hotel towels. Collapsing onto the bed, they lay in each other's arm, kissing lovingly and wondering if they would ever get to the restaurant at all. Neither really minded if they didn't. Drawing away from Charlie's lips, Joey moved to straddle her hips. Charlie gave herself completely to her as Joey undid both their towels and began to tease Charlie's body with her fingertips and tongue. Getting dressed and going downstairs was becoming a less and less attractive prospect by the second. There were much more pressing matters at hand.

***

Charlie hauled herself off the bed and wrapped herself into her robe in order to answer the door. Instead of going into the restaurant, they had indulged in room service, therefore negating the need to dress or stop touching each other. She smiled pleasantly at the man who wheeled in a trolley containing two main meals, a bowl of strawberries, a tub of cream and a bottle of champagne. He was unable to keep from smiling a little at the prospect of two women having a romantic night in together but accepted his tip and left without another word. Dragging themselves to the table, they sat opposite each other. Joey had ordered a tuna steak and Charlie had opted for a lasagne. Joey took hold of the champagne and popped the cork loudly. A little spilled onto the floor before she managed to pour out two glasses.

"Happy almost birthday, Charlie," she said, proposing a toast before they tucked into their meals.

***

After they had eaten, Joey held Charlie's hand across the small table and smiled.

"I think we should take the strawberries into the Jacuzzi," she said. "And more champagne!"

Charlie grinned back at her and readily agreed. Joey kissed her hand and then headed into the bathroom, taking a small carrier bag with her. Once inside, she ran the water into the large, circular tub and adorned the edge of it with tea light candles she'd sneaked into her suitcase. She returned to the bedroom where Charlie was stacking their used plates up ready to be taken away by room service at some point. Joey took the strawberries, cream and champagne into the bathroom and promptly stripped off. Charlie couldn't help but grin at her when she saw her again and obeyed when Joey demanded she follow suit. Once the water was run, Joey reached over and turned the pump on, just as Charlie entered the candlelit room and looked and sounded delightfully surprised. Joey turned and smiled, gazing at her girlfriend's body, wondering yet again if this was real and all her dreams really had come true. She took Charlie's hand and stepped into the warm water. Charlie followed and they sank into the deep, bubbling tub so that their shoulders were under the water. Meeting in the middle, they kissed and wrapped their arms around each other before getting comfortable in the corner, never breaking contact with each other's wet bodies. They kissed again, seeking each other out, running their hands all over each other both above and below the surface of the water before finally settling to eat their strawberries and drink their champagne, allowing themselves to get carried away with feeding each other on more than one occasion.

***

It was well into the early hours of the morning before Charlie and Joey finally fell asleep, snuggled up into each other's arms. They woke up at their leisure the following morning, Charlie's actual birthday and Joey made a purposeful effort to wish her girlfriend the best happy birthday she could think of. Flopping back onto the pillows breathlessly, Charlie chuckled and closed her eyes. Joey moved back up the bed and covered Charlie's body with her own, idling kissing her neck and collar bone.

"Happy birthday," she said.

Charlie smiled and wrapped her arms around her.

"Oh, it is!" she said.

***

After lunch, Charlie and Joey were strolling hand in hand through a large park they'd come across in a bid to get some fresh air. They'd gone for a swim at the hotel that morning, headed back to their room to get dressed and then gone for lunch. Now, they were happily enjoying the sunshine.

"What's that?" Joey wondered, looking up ahead at a small gathering of people.

Hand in hand, they approached and thought they had stumbled upon a wedding.

"Look," Joey said, pointing to a sign that read 'Weddings and Blessings between you and your loved one, here today'.

The leader of the gathering was wearing a clergy collar and looked particularly cheerful as he facilitated the exchanging of vows between a heterosexual couple.

"Do you think he'd...?" Joey wondered without thinking it through.

Charlie raised her eyebrows in surprise. Joey coloured.

"Do you want to?" Charlie asked.

Joey took a deep breath and smiled.

"Yes," she said. "I would. And this feels like the perfect day for it."

They waited patiently for the other couple to move away and then tentatively approached the pastor. He smiled warmly at them, which was encouraging.

"Hi," Joey said. "Would you um... for us?"

She wasn't quite sure what to ask for. His smile widened.

"I'd love to," he said. "Come on."

Charlie and Joey stood nervously side by side in front of him as he asked their names. They told him and kept holding hands.

"Charlie Buckton and Joey Collins, I thank God for your relationship and that your lives brought you here today. While this union is not legally binding, I firmly believe that under God, you are blessed by being together. I pray that from this day forth, for the rest of your lives, you remain happy and in love. I pray that you live your lives to the fullest, sharing love and laughter always. May you support each other through the hard times and delight together in the good times. It is my honour to share this with you both. Is there anything either of you would like to say to each other now?"

Charlie chewed her lip and gazed into Joey's eyes.

"Um... I love you so much," she ventured. "I've known you since before you were even born. I used to talk to you when you were growing inside your mother's womb."

The pastor smiled. They really had been together for a long time.

"And I've loved you for my whole life," Charlie continued. "I will love you for the rest of my life. I know we've had a complicated relationship. There was a time when I didn't think I'd ever have the courage to stand up and tell you that I loved you. But I do. And that life feels a world away from me now. I could never imagine a life without you in it, Joey. You mean more to me than anything and I want to spend the rest of my days making you as happy as it's possible to be."

Joey beamed at her and awkwardly cleared her throat.

"Charlie, you mean everything to me," she said. "For as long as I remember, I've adored you. When we were kids, I thought you were the most beautiful girl I'd ever seen. I felt so lucky to be your friend, so honoured that you would ever want to talk to me. We were just teenagers the first time we kissed and I know it took so many years for us to finally admit how we felt but I've been in love with you since that time. In fact, I think I was in love with you even before that. I felt the luckiest person alive when I finally plucked up the courage to tell you how I felt and you said you felt the same. I could never stop thanking your mother for bringing us together when we were proving incapable of doing it for ourselves. I, uh..."

She let go of Charlie's hand and dug into her pocket, pulling out a small black velvet box. She smiled a little nervously at her girlfriend.

"I bought you this for your birthday," she said. "And it seems like the perfect time to give it to you."

She took an eternity ring out of the box and delicately placed it on Charlie's finger. Neither could stop smiling at each other.

"With this ring," Joey said sincerely. "I pledge to love you for eternity."

"May God bless you both," the pastor said.

They kissed gently and clutched each other's hands before thanking the pastor. Walking away to continue their happy day, Charlie put her arm around Joey.

"Ruby's going to kill us for doing that without her," she said.

Joey giggled and declared that she didn't care.

"This is the most beautiful ring I have ever seen," Charlie told her.

She stopped and faced Joey, still grinning.

"It's so lovely," she said. "Thank you."

Joey smiled back.

"I'm glad you like it," she replied.

They moved together and kissed for a long time, completely oblivious to the world around them.


	73. Chapter 73

_Charlie and Joey have new foster kids... enjoy! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Seventy-Three**

**April 2013**

Nicole sat on the sofa staring at but not watching the television. Aden sat beside her, studying her face and wishing there was something he or anyone could do to make her happy. On Christmas Eve, she'd woken up in agony. Roman had driven her to the hospital but in the early hours of Christmas Day, she'd been told her baby had died. Roman had phoned Geoff who had come racing to her aid but it was too late. Now, four months later, the blonde was unemployed and utterly depressed. She and Geoff had pretty much fallen out for good and while her friends had rallied around, it didn't seem to be enough. Aden and Belle had taken it upon themselves to spend time with her and get her out of the house whenever they could. Ruby visited every weekend when she was back from University and Xavier popped in after work during the week. Still she remained empty and lost, her heart completely broken.

***

"Right, I think that's everything," Joey said.

She and Charlie had spent their entire Saturday sorting out the house and making it perfect for their new arrivals. It had been a hard decision, after having to say goodbye to James, to take on another child again but now they were expecting twins, David and Daria. They were fifteen years old and had been in and out of care since they were five. According to the social worker, they were a handful, especially the girl, but secretly, they were looking forward to them coming. It would be a challenge and they were excited about taking them on.

"Yep," Charlie agreed.

She pulled Joey in for a kiss and they broke apart only when there was a knock on the door. Charlie went a little pale, earning her another kiss from Joey before the pair of them headed to the front door to welcome their new family members in.

***

Ruby felt awkward. As usual, she had returned from University on Friday night and as usual, things were tense between her and Xavier. It felt like they were worlds apart these days. Long gone was the time when she had enlisted him in holding a surprise party for Charlie and Joey to celebrate sneaking off and getting married. And she doubted he would put up with how much she'd ranted about being left out of the ceremony, despite how spontaneous it had been. Xavier had his job and she, Annie and Jai all had their lives at University now. It felt nice to be friendly with Jai again. He'd got himself a girlfriend and had stopped being angry at long last with Annie for dating Romeo. Ruby had much more in common with her friends who were studying and she felt like she spent most weekends rambling on about every exciting thing in her life. And Xavier seemed to struggle to be happy for her. If she was being completely honest, things hadn't been the same since she'd turned his proposal down. He didn't seem to believe that she loved him anymore and that made her sad and irritated in equal measure. He didn't seem to understand that she needed him and wanted him but wasn't ready for that kind of commitment yet.

***

"So, you're dykes then?" Daria asked, looking Charlie and Joey over.

The social worker had left and the four of them were meant to be starting out as a family together. Apparently the first stage was for one half of the pair to interrogate their new guardians.

"We don't especially like that term but yes," Charlie told her. "If you must."

"Cool," Daria said, nodding her approval. "So, like, does that mean you're cool with sex and stuff? You're not going to yell when I have guys round here?"

Joey cleared her throat nervously.

"You can have boyfriends round for dinner," Charlie told her firmly. "Supervised."

Daria shrugged, clearly disappointed. She sighed loudly.

"How long have you been together?" she asked.

"Since 2006," Joey said. "But we've known each other our whole lives."

"Did you date other people before each other then?"

"Yes," Joey replied honestly.

"Why did it take you so long to fall in love if you've always known each other so long? I mean, you must be thirty-odd by now."

"I'm thirty," Charlie said. "Just turned."

"And I'm twenty-seven," Joey said, trying to hide a pout.

"So, why so long?" Daria asked.

"Daria, stop interrogating them!" David said.

"I'm just trying to find out who they've shacked us up with now!" his twin snapped.

They were the same height and both had beautiful dark hair. David's was cut to the top of his ears and Daria's hung around her shoulders. They shared a set of piercing blue eyes not dissimilar to Charlie's.

"So, what do you do for a living?" Daria asked.

Her questioning was proving relentless.

"I run a fishing business," Joey told her.

"And I'm a police officer."

"So we're really not allowed to get in trouble then!" Daria commented.

She turned to Joey.

"Do you ever feel intimidated by someone so successful?"

"Joey's pretty damn successful," Charlie said before Joey could answer.

She didn't want anyone undermining Joey's life's work.

"Does she always answer for you?" Daria asked with the hint of a smirk.

"No," Joey said, unfazed. "Not unless she feels the need to protect me from insulting questions."

She held Daria's gaze. The teenager quickly found a coaster to play with.

"What's for dinner?" she asked.

***

Angelo drove without headlights as he trailed his suspect. He had hoped that he'd manage to follow him back to his boss but on the last few nights he'd followed him, including tonight, he'd had no such luck. Sighing, he finished his coffee and decided to call it a night.

"Next time," he said to himself, confident that he would eventually get his man and therefore the promotion he'd been chasing.

***

Night had fallen and Vinnie was on his way home. He'd told Leah that he had gone to visit his mother but in truth, he'd headed out to a casino in a bid to win big. Unfortunately, he had failed abysmally and now he knew he would be struggling to live and conceal his loss from his wife. He was just about to open the car when he was thrust against the door. He cried out in pain and froze when he heard a familiar voice in his ear.

"Did you have fun?" the man asked.

He turned Vinnie roughly around, not letting go of him or allowing him to squirm free.

"No," Vinnie managed.

"Have you got my cash?"

"No," Vinnie said, looking down.

The man forced him to look up again.

"You've got three days," he warned. "Or else... well, put it this way. I know where your wife works and where your kid goes to nursery."

Vinnie began to protest wildly but only got thrown back against the car again. The man retreated back into the dark.

***

"Is Nic any better today?" Belle asked as she and Aden curled up in bed together.

He shook his head and sighed. The couple felt completely helpless over what to do about their friend. Ever since Aden had moved in with her and Roman, he and Belle had become very close to her and felt it was their duty to try and make things better. But so far, they weren't having much luck.

"Apparently she's going shopping with Ruby tomorrow so maybe that'll help," he said.

"Hopefully," Belle replied.

Aden turned on his side and touched her nose with his.

"But anyway," he said with a smile. "I'm sure we can be doing something in bed more exciting than talking about Nicole."

She grinned and kissed him.

***

As soon as all the lights were out in the house, Daria crept from her bedroom into her brother's. She was meant to have the room to herself all week and then on either Friday or Saturday or both, she was due to be sharing with Charlie's sister, some girl called Ruby who was studying at University but still came home to her family, friends and boyfriend on the weekend. She entered the small box room without asking. David's light was on and he was reading in bed. She plopped herself on the end of it.

"What do you think of them?" she asked.

He put his book down and nodded.

"They seem okay," he said. "Nice."

"I wonder how long it'll take me to break them!" she said with a devilish smile.

"Why don't you try and behave for once?" he asked. "I mean, if we like them and we're good then we might actually get to stay somewhere longer than a few weeks."

"That'd be boring!" Daria declared. "Nope. I'm definitely going to have some fun with these two."

***

Charlie and Joey were curled up in bed together but neither could quite bring themselves to fall asleep. They were too busy discussing their new charges and worrying about the challenge that Daria seemed intent on setting.

"David seems sweet though," Joey conceded. "Much less confrontational."

"Yeah," Charlie agreed. "Maybe he can help us tame her!"

Joey inched a little closer and kissed her girlfriend, certain that they could achieve endless things as long as they were together.

***

Angelo was up early the next morning, ready to face a new day and a new challenge. Stopping at Crumble on route to the police station for a breakfast roll and a coffee, he was intrigued to find Vinnie and Leah looked particularly stressed.

"Hi guys," he greeted. "Are you okay?"

Vinnie nodded quickly but Leah shook her head.

"He got mugged last night," she told the police officer. "But he won't do anything about it. You're a cop. Maybe you could talk some sense into him."

Angelo turned his attention to Vinnie who was becoming paler by the second.

"What happened?" Angelo asked.

"I just got jumped on the way back from my Mum's," Vinnie said quickly. "I didn't see the guy. I can't offer any kind of evidence so there's no point making a statement."

"Well, we'll always do our best to catch the person," Angelo said. "I mean, even the smallest detail..."

"I don't want to," Vinnie insisted.

Leah handed Angelo his food and drink.

"Okay," the cop said, handing over his cash. "Well, if you change your mind, you know where I am."

"Thanks. But I won't."

***

Ruby arrived back from shopping with Nicole just in time to share a nice lunch with Charlie, Joey, Daria and David. She introduced herself politely and explained that she was the person that Daria would have to share her room with sometimes. Daria had spent most of the meal interrogating the three adults and David had been fairly quiet.

"What are those scars on your arms?" Daria asked tactlessly, certain that she knew exactly what caused that kind of thing.

Joey blanched and nearly spilled her drink.

"I work on a fishing trawler," she managed to reply. "It's hard labour. You get hurt sometimes."

Daria looked utterly unconvinced but received a swift kick under the table from her brother so remained quiet for a few moments.

"Do you get a lot of scars in your line of work, Charlie?" she asked.

***

Angelo took his lunch break on the beach. It was calming to look out at the sea and listen to the tide pull in and out. He smiled into the sunlight when he spotted Belle walking across the sand.

"Hi there," he called out.

She stopped and visibly hesitated over whether she ought to go and say hi. They didn't have a whole lot to do with each other these days and she struggled to be alone with him. Her devotion to Aden was clear but Angelo saw her falter as she attempted to fight her attraction to him.

"I don't bite," he said with a grin.

She made her way over to him and sat down.

"Unless you ask me nicely," he added.

She chuckled and gazed into his face, wondering why she couldn't stop being attracted to him. All she wanted was to focus on Aden, to love him, be faithful to him and want him and him only. But there was something about Angelo that drove her to distraction and she was fighting a losing battle every day trying to control it.

***

"Okay, young lady, I am totally taking advantage of your good mood," Aden declared.

He pulled Nicole to her feet, ignoring her protestations and dragged her promptly out of the house. She'd had a nice time shopping with Ruby and he wanted to extend her cheer to the afternoon. Belle had gone to work at Crumble and he hoped they might catch her as she finished her shift. Then perhaps the three of them could go for a drink and spend the afternoon together.

***

"We're going to go exploring," Daria declared.

"If that's okay," David added.

"Sure," Joey said a little uncertainly.

Dinner was over and the five-some were struggling to make small talk.

"Great," Daria said, getting to her feet. "We'll be back whenever."

"Be back by seven," Charlie said, attempting to sound as strict as possible.

"We will," David promised.

"Maybe!" Daria added as they left.

Charlie and Joey exchanged worried glances. Ruby just smiled.

"She's just testing the boundaries," she said.

"I miss James!" Joey said, sighing dramatically and falling against Charlie who put her arms around her.

"Well, it was always going to be harder with teenagers," Charlie said.

"Yeah," Joey agreed. "That girl asks a hell of a lot of questions."

Nobody mentioned the question about the scars on Joey's arms. Ruby had been too young to really comprehend the situation Joey had been in back when she and Charlie had temporarily broken up but time had filled in the gaps. It wasn't something she'd talked about with either her or Charlie and she wasn't sure she wanted to. It felt like Joey's private business and unlike Daria, Ruby didn't want to intrude. She wondered if Charlie and Joey ever talked about it now or whether it was something they chose to ignore. On very rare occasions, Ruby would see a new mark on Joey's arm or leg but it hardly seemed to happen anymore and for that, the whole family was grateful.

***

"We really shouldn't be doing this," Belle managed between kisses.

She knew she shouldn't have given in and come to sit with Angelo. It could only have ever led to them misbehaving. She attempted to picture Aden, to guilt herself into stopping but nothing seemed to be working. Angelo was exciting. He sent thrills through her with just a look. It was too much temptation to resist.

***

"Are you okay?" Charlie asked.

They'd said goodbye to Ruby who had let to pick Annie and Jai up and take them back to their halls of residence for the week. Charlie was quite obviously referring to the inappropriate question from Daria. Joey nodded a little uncertainly and snuggled into Charlie's arms.

"I'm just grateful there's only a couple on my arms," she said. "Remind me not to wear shorts again for a while."

She jabbed a finger at one of her thighs. Charlie captured her hand, unimpressed with the force of contact from her partner. She kissed her cheek.

"She'd have a field day with how disgusting my legs are," Joey continued, sighing heavily.

"Your legs are not disgusting," Charlie told her firmly. "There is not one, single, disgusting thing about you, Joey Collins. Not one thing."

Joey blushed and titled her face towards Charlie's. They kissed, wrapping their arms around each other tightly.

***

Aden stopped still when he saw Belle and Angelo kissing. He swallowed and broke away from Nicole as he watched his girlfriend getting extremely carried away with her ex-boyfriend.

"Aden?" Nicole said softly, wondering what he was going to do.

He began to back away, completely unable to deal with the situation. He stopped when Belle and Angelo pulled back from each other, quite obviously gasping for air. This wasn't a brief kiss and it certainly didn't look like the first time it had happened. Belle paled the moment she caught sight of him.

"Aden!" she gasped, leaping to her feet.

He broke into a run. She started and failed to run after him and stopped, looking helplessly at Nicole who offered her a look of sheer disgust and turned away.


	74. Chapter 74

_Okay, so things are getting a little dark but as promised, Charlie and Joey will remain in tact! Love, IJKS xx_

**Chapter Seventy-Four**

**April 2013**

Nicole followed Aden home. He had stormed ahead, not willing to wait up for her as he fought tears. The memory of Belle and Angelo together was now permanently etched in his mind. Throwing himself down on the sofa, he squeezed his eyes shut. Nicole entered the house and closed the door, perching beside him and eyeing him worriedly.

"Aden..."

"I don't want to talk about it," he snapped.

She sighed and twisted her hands in her lap. Her slightly more positive day was over.

***

"Belle, wait!" Angelo called as he chased her up the beach.

She continued walking, although she had no idea where she was actually going. He finally caught up to her and grabbed her arm, pulling her round.

"Getting mad at me isn't going to help," he told her.

She looked close to tears.

"I can't believe how much I've hurt him," she said.

Suddenly her attraction to Angelo was over. All she wanted was Aden. But she knew it was too late.

***

Daria and David exchanged glances, deciding that this town might not be such a dull place to live after all. They'd witnessed an altercation between four highly strung people and Daria couldn't help but feel amused.

"Maybe we won't be so bored here after all," she said.

"Maybe," David agreed.

She nudged him forward in order to continue exploring.

***

Charlie and Joey were clock watching. David and Daria were nearing their curfew and their foster parents knew they would have to be fairly strict with them to start with. With one minute left to go, they chuckled as Daria and David burst through the door.

"We're back," Daria announced, entering the living room. "With a few seconds to spare."

"Good," Charlie said brightly, smiling at both of them.

Daria sank onto the opposite sofa and David sat beside her.

"So, are you going to do the embarrassing enrolling us in school thing tomorrow?"

"I am," Joey confirmed. "We're leaving at eight thirty. And we got you uniforms already. Let's hope they fit."

***

"I just can't believe she'd cheat on me," Aden said.

Evening had become night and he'd knocked back more beers than he really felt comfortable with. He was grateful that Roman was out and that Nicole had chosen to stay home and keep him company. He didn't relish the prospect of being alone. Belle had called several times but he'd refused to pick up although each time she tried to get through, his resolve wavered a little bit.

"Maybe it was just one of those spur of the moment things," Nicole said. "She probably regretted it as soon as it happened."

"Only because she got caught."

Nicole sighed.

"That wasn't the first time, Nicole. It couldn't have been. They were too familiar with each other. I mean, I know they used to date before but..."

He sank back and closed his eyes.

"Every time I think we're getting somewhere, it all gets messed up again," he said sadly.

***

Leah and Vinnie felt frustrated with each other. Leah didn't understand why Vinnie wouldn't go to the police and she was starting to think someone was after them. Between the mugging and their account being broken into, she was starting to feel a little paranoid. And he felt exasperated that he couldn't explain anything to her truthfully. Having locked himself in the bathroom, Vinnie washed his face and stared at himself in the mirror, wondering if he ought to just confess all. Drying his face on a towel, he shook his head. He was in too deep. Leah would leave him if she knew the amount of trouble he'd got them into. Honesty was not the best policy.

***

Charlie and Joey had spent the evening watching a DVD with Daria and David. It had been a pleasant evening and the teenage girl hadn't been quite as provocative as normal. The couple were still attempting to puzzle them both out but so far they seemed nice enough. The social worker had told them that they had been in care since they were small and grown distrustful of adults. Daria was particularly troublesome and seemed to cause chaos everywhere she went but David was quieter and generally just came for the ride. She'd said that she thought they would be particularly good parents to David and if they could reign Daria in as well then they would consider the placement a miracle. Now, tucked up in bed, Charlie and Joey held onto each other, kissing and talking about their day. Charlie had a long shift at work and Joey was going to take the kids to school and join her own work force for the afternoon shift.

***

Xavier and Romeo sat in the Jukebox together both feeling glum now that their girlfriends had gone back to University for the week. It seemed to get harder to say goodbye each time they left.

"What do you think they get up to over there?" Xavier asked.

He couldn't help but imagine wild parties, drinking and boys.

"Studying?" Romeo said.

He didn't entertain such thoughts. And besides, Annie was the eternal good girl. She wouldn't misbehave, especially not behind his back.

"And the rest," Xavier sighed.

She swigged his vodka and coke.

"I really don't know if Ruby and I are going to survive till her graduation," he admitted.

***

Daria crept across the hall and into her brother's room. Bursting in on him, she threw herself onto the bed and grinned.

"They are totally having sex!" she exclaimed.

He put his book down.

"So? They _are _a couple," he said.

She shuddered.

"It's just weird! Parents having sex lives..."

She shuddered again.

"I'm not sure I'll be able to resist teasing them about it tomorrow!"

"Dar... I really like them," David admitted. "Can't we just be nice and give them a chance."

"If they want respect from me," Daria told her brother. "Then they have to earn it. That's the way it's always been."

***

The following morning, Aden woke up with a sore head. He turned and his eyes widened when he realised he wasn't alone. Memories from the night before flooded his brain. He'd been sad, so had Nicole and somehow or other, they had decided to take comfort in each other. He squeezed his eyes shut with regret and then hauled himself out of bed as quietly as he could, eager to get to a job he was already running late for.

***

Charlie and Joey were up and cheerful the next morning, making breakfast for themselves and the new additions to their household. David was quiet but happily tucked into his meal while Daria complained about the school uniform she was being forced to wear.

"Right, I've got to get going," Charlie said.

She kissed Joey goodbye and waved at the teenagers.

"Hey, Charlie, can I take your bike for a spin one day?" Daria asked.

"When you've got a license," Charlie replied.

Daria frowned, looking even crankier than before.

"But I could take you for a spin one day if you like," Charlie added.

David's eyes lit up. Daria continued to glare.

"That sounds awesome!" David said.

Daria kicked him under the table.

"Ow!" he yelled. "It _does _sound awesome. And it's better than nothing."

Joey smiled to herself. Charlie bid them all goodbye and sped off to work.

"Right," Joey said, getting to her feet. "You've got five minutes and then we're leaving, okay?"

***

Nicole stayed in Aden's bed with her eyes shut, pretending to be asleep as he worked his way around the room getting ready for work. His body language told her that last night was a mistake and it made her feel more depressed than ever.

***

Romeo and Geoff sat on the trawler, impatiently waiting for their colleagues to show up. Joey wasn't due in until the afternoon but Sarah and Aden were officially late.

"Sorry!" Sarah said as she sped up to them and jumped on board. "I was having sex!"

Romeo snorted over her lack of shame. Geoff looked distinctly unimpressed. He felt like nothing could lift his mood these days. His baby son or daughter would have arrived in the world by now if everything had gone right. And he and Nicole had been getting closer, united over future parentage. But now their baby was dead and their relationship, even their friendship, was completely over. Sarah looked around.

"No Aden?" she asked.

"Late," Romeo informed her.

"Oh," she sighed, dropping down on the bench. "I needn't have hurried. We could have gone again before I left!"

"We don't all need to hear about your sex life," Geoff snapped.

Sarah just shrugged and stretched back to absorb the sunshine to wait for the boat manager to arrive.

***

"Okay, are you guys all set?" Joey asked.

It felt strange to be back in the corridor of the high school she'd gone to, again, especially to enrol her 'kids' there.  
"Yes," Daria said. "Can you please leave us to it so we don't get bullied?"

Joey chuckled.

"I highly doubt anyone could bully you," she told.

Daria gave a look mixed between annoyance and pride. Joey waved and headed back to the car.

"Okay, so maybe she's not so terrible," Daria told her brother.

Despite herself, she was starting to warm to her new guardians.

***

Charlie had only been at her desk for twenty minutes when Inspector Doyle poked his head round her door and asked to have a word.

"Sure," she said, stopping typing.

"In my office?" he requested.

She nodded, stood and followed him, surprised to find a sullen looking Angelo sitting in a chair. She came to sit beside him and Doyle moved round to his side of the desk.

"Okay, Charlie, I know you're a Sergeant now and you're not really meant to have a partner anymore but I need to partner you with Angelo for the next however long."

"Why?" she asked, not too keen on the idea.

If she had to be partnered up with something she would much rather it be with Watson or Jack. Angelo was okay and they had buried the hatchet but she preferred not to spend more time with him than she had to.

"Sir, you don't have to..." Angelo protested.

"The whole reason Constable Rosetta was station here was because he's got a secret mission."

Charlie's eyebrows nearly shot off her face.

"A secret mission?" she asked in surprise.

"He's got to bring a criminal organisational gang down," Doyle said. "Except he's running into problems. So we need you help him."

"I don't need help," Angelo said quickly.

"Yes you do and you'll accept it," Doyle replied.

Angelo sighed. Of all the people he could have done without being 'saved' by his ex-girlfriend.

"I suggest you go and patrol together and Angelo can fill you in on all the details."

***

Daria and David sat next to each other in their first lesson of the day. It was Maths and Daria was bored already but he someone geeky brother was absorbed. Daria looked around the room, observing the attractive boys and disregarding the uglies. She wondered what this town would bring her and her twin and how long they would last. Part of thought it might be nice to settle down for a bit. Keeping moving and ending up in family after family was pretty tiring and Charlie and Joey did seem like okay people. Charlie's motorbike was cool, although if she was ever to have a ride, she wanted to be the one in charge, not one of her temporary mothers.

***

Belle was waiting at the end of the dock when the trawler came back in for lunch. She watched the crew working on board and remained patiently on land for Aden to notice her. After what had happened yesterday, she'd barely slept. Suddenly she felt completely ready to commit to and even move in with Aden. She wanted to pledge her love to him and start again. The only problem was that she didn't think he'd ever forgive her.

***

"So, let me get this straight," Charlie said when Angelo parked a little way up the coast. "You were drafted in to bring down a loan shark organisation but you stuffed it up so now they've asked me to bail you out?"

She failed to hide the amusement in her voice, especially when he glared angrily at her.

"I didn't stuff anything up," he said. "And you're not bailing me out. You're just assisting me, okay?"

"Okay!" Charlie chuckled.

"It's not funny, Charlie. It's a serious mission."

"Okay," Charlie repeated. "So, tell me all about it."

Angelo sighed.

"There's a gang that's been operating for almost a year now," he said. "They loan money to people, desperate people, and charge extortionate rates. Then when they can't pay back quick enough... well, have you noticed just how many assaults are turning up now? People have been put in comas. They've been beaten within an inch of their lives. But they won't talk."

"Why not?"

"Because they don't realise we can protect them. They think the gang will get to them first. Which, to be fair, they might."

"And what are we meant to do about it?" Charlie asked.

"There's no point going after any of the minions," Angelo said. "There's one person in charge of the whole operation and it's him we need to track down."

"Who is it?"

"Well, that's the problem. We've got no idea."

"None at all?" Charlie asked incredulously.

"He's pretty much perfect at staying out of the way. He operates behind closed doors. He's terrorizing people but always gets other people to do his dirty work. I've been trying, since I got here, to seek him out but I've had no luck. The big bosses are getting impatient and decided to turn to you."

"I don't see how I'd have more luck than you," Charlie said.

"Nor do I," he replied quickly.

***

Aden and Belle sat opposite each other in Crumble, not talking.

"Aden, about yesterday," she finally ventured. "I'm so sorry. I..."

He looked at her with cold eyes.

"How long has it been going on?" he asked.

"It wasn't an affair," she said quickly. "I just... we've kissed a few times and... and that's all."

"That's all?" he exclaimed. "What, don't you think it matters?"

"No. No. Of course it matters. I know it matter. And I'm sorry. I didn't mean..."

"To get caught?" he accused.

Belle swallowed, feeling ashamed.

"I'm sorry," she said.

She reached for his hand across the table but he pulled quickly away. She sighed.

"How can I make things right?"

***

The weekend rolled around quickly. Thanks to her new mission, which she had broken the rules by sharing with Joey, Charlie had been working round the clock. She felt guilty to have got so caught up with her job during Daria and David's first week but it was necessary. She'd been working hard with Angelo and hoped that they would get somewhere quickly on their case. Over the last few nights, they had been following suspected minions around but it didn't seem to be getting them anywhere. Now, sitting in Crumble with Joey, David, Daria and Ruby, Charlie felt appreciative of her down time.

"So, how was your first week at school?" Ruby asked the twins.

"It was okay," Daria shrugged. "Nothing special."

"How about for you, David?" Joey asked.

He looked surprised. Daria usually spoke for him and it was generally assumed that they shared the same opinion. To be with people who wanted him to speak up and share his own personal thoughts felt like a new experience.

"Yeah, it was good," he answered. "I liked it."

"Geek," his sister teased.

"There's nothing wrong with getting on well at school," Joey told her.

Charlie stared out through the window, furrowing her brow as she watched Vinnie arguing with a man down by the beach.

"I'll be back in a sec," she said, leaving Crumble without explanation.

Threading her way over to Vinnie and his unknown companion, she pulled out the police badge that she always carried with her, whatever she was doing.

"Hey," she said.

The stranger looked at her and immediately broke into a run. She bolted after him but he was already in his car and speeding off before she could catch up to him. Turning back to Vinnie, who had turned pale, she eyed him curiously.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"Nothing," he lied.

"Vinnie, if you're in some kind of trouble, you really need to let me know."

"I'm not!" he said.

She watched him storm away and pulled out her phone to call Angelo.

"Constable Rosetta," he answered.

"I think someone we know is in trouble with our loan shark," she told him.

***

That evening, Ruby went round to see Xavier. He'd cooked her dinner and she was touched by the gesture but neither was expecting it to solve anything between them.

"How are your classes going?" he asked, busying himself with stirring pots while she sat at the table sipping a Malibu and coke.

"Yeah, pretty good," she said. "I've got a load of course work and stuff to do and then next term, I start doing actual teaching practice."

He smiled and began to serve up.

"Are you nervous?"

"A little," she admitted. "But it's exciting too."

He placed the food down in front of her and took his seat.

"I'm proud of you," he said. "For going after what you want."

She smiled and held his hand over the table.

"Thanks," she said.

***

Charlie kissed Joey goodbye a little more passionately than normal.

"Be safe, okay," her partner said worriedly.

She stroked her face.

"Please?"

"I will," Charlie said. "I promise."

"I love you," Joey said softly, kissing her again.

"I love you too. And I'll be home as soon as I can."

***

Vinnie hung up the phone feeling desperate. He could kill Charlie for interrupting him earlier. It had only got him into more trouble and now he'd been told it was pay up or else. Making his way into the kitchen, he wrapped his arms around Leah and held her tight. She turned around in his arms and held onto his shoulders as he kissed her.

"What's all this in aid of?" she asked curiously.

He simply kissed her again, whispering that he loved her.

"I love you too," she replied

He smiled.

"I have to nip out," he said. "But I'll be home as soon as I can."

"Where are you going?" she asked. "Dinner's in five minutes."

"I'll heat it up when I get home," he said. "There's just something I have to do."

"Vinnie..." she protested as he made his way to the door.

"I'll be back soon," he promised. "I love you."

Leah worriedly watched him go.

***

"We're up," Charlie said when she saw Vinnie leaving the house he lived in with his wife and son.

Keeping the headlights off, Angelo started the engine at the same time as Vinnie did and the two police officers carefully followed him down the street at as big a distance as they could get away with.

"Are you sure he's in trouble with them?" Angelo asked, although he knew he was right.

Really, he was cursing himself for not realising it sooner. Between the account clearance a few months before and more recent mugging, Vinnie was quite obviously in some kind of mess. He just hoped that tonight, it could all be resolved. He wondered whether his promotion would still go ahead now that Charlie was involved and seemed to be making all the right breaks.

***

Aden headed round to Joey's house to watch a DVD. He and Belle still hadn't been reunited and at home, things were terribly awkward with Nicole.

"Hello!" Daria said, unashamedly checking him out when she answered the door. "Please say you're here for me!"

"I'm here for Joey," he said with a blush.

"Does Charlie know?" she remarked.

She stepped aside and let him in before disappearing up to David's room.

"How's it going?" Joey asked cheerfully as they settled on the sofa.

"Really, really badly," Aden admitted.

"I thought as much," Joey replied. "Tell Auntie Joey all about it."

***

Charlie and Angelo pulled up round the corner and watched Vinnie take out his frustrations on a cash machine that obviously wasn't giving him the amount of cash he wanted. He stormed back into his car and sped off. Dutifully and silently, they followed, hoping that he would save himself by leading them exactly where they needed to go.

***

"So, you want to get back with Belle," Joey said. "What's stopping you?"

He sighed and leant back against the cushions.

"I slept with Nicole," he admitted.

Joey spat her drink out all over the sofa.

"What?" she screeched. "When?"

"That day. The day we saw Belle and Angelo," Aden explained.

Joey dabbed at the stain with a random tissue, worrying about just how badly Charlie was going to kill her.

"Before or after...?" she asked.

"After!" he said quickly. "It was because we saw them. And... how am I supposed to handle this? Do I tell Belle or...?"

"It was dishonesty that got you both into this," Joey said. "So maybe you should. But... well, obviously the question is whether she'll forgive that or not."

He nodded, wishing he knew the answer to that particular predicament.

***

Vinnie parked by the beach a little way out of town. Charlie and Angelo crept in after him and watched him step out of the car and wait to be approached by two men. They immediately hit him in the face. He protested wildly and offered up the cash he'd obtained from the machine. Charlie moved to get out of the car but Angelo laid a hand on her arm.

"Wait," he said. "We need more than this."

"Are you crazy?" Charlie exclaimed. "He's going to get the shit kicked out of him! We can pull them in for that at least."

"Charlie, they'll just run off and he'll end up in more trouble."

"Fine," she said, reaching for the radio. "Then we need back up."

***

Aden headed round to Belle's house with a heavy heart. Joey had given him permission to ditch her and go to sort things out. He still had no idea how it was going to go and if he was going to tell the truth or not. Knocking on the door, he was a little startled when Belle opened up and he saw Geoff and Nicole sitting on the couch together. The former couple never talked. Why was she there?

"Hi," he said.

Nicole gazed at him uncertainly, as did Belle. He felt fraught with panic.

"Has she told you?" he asked.

The question was out of his mouth before he could control it. Nicole blanched and Belle looked utterly confused.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," he lied.

Nicole shifted in her seat and Geoff eyed everyone curiously but with the same sadness he always seemed to offer the world these days.

"I uh... I wanted to ask you out for a drink," Aden told Belle. "Maybe we could talk things through."

Nicole saw red and stood up.

"He wanted to know if I'd told you that he slept with me last week," she said bitterly before storming past him and out of the house.

***

Charlie and Angelo looked frantically through the windscreen of their car. Watson and Jack were taking a hell of a long time to arrive. Vinnie was being held against his will. His money had been taken and they now all appeared to be waiting for someone or something. A black car pulled into the car park. Charlie sat forward, eager to get out and make her presence known if necessary. A tall man with scraggly hair stepped out of the car and approached.

"That's him," Angelo said.

"What?"

"That's got to be the guy in charge of all this," he said.

"How do you...?"

"What kind of lackey wears a suit?" he asked.

Blue lights flashed behind them. Charlie and Angelo burst out of the car and approached just as the huddle caught on and dispersed. The suited man grabbed Vinnie by the collar and dragged him towards his car.

"Stop!" Charlie yelled, gun raised at one of the men who'd previously attacked Vinnie.

He put his hands up. Watson and Jack raced towards them. Angelo chased after the suited man, whose getaway was being thwarted by a struggling Vinnie.

"Police!" Angelo shouted. "Stop!"

The man kept running. Angelo fired his gun. Vinnie got in the way.


	75. Chapter 75

**Chapter Seventy-Five**

**April 2013**

Charlie raced forward towards Vinnie's body as it slumped to the ground. The man who'd been dragging him made to leave. She swung a leg out and tripped him, sending him crashing to the gravelled floor. He cried out. Jack hurried towards him, jabbing a knee into his back and pulling his arms impolitely around him. Angelo dropped his gun. It clattered loudly to the floor and he sank down with it, feeling like there was no air to breathe. Watson hurried past him and towards Charlie who was desperately calling Vinnie's name. Watson pulled her jacket off and pressed it hard onto the wound. Charlie held it there with shaking hands as Watson radioed for an ambulance. Just past them, Jack turned the man over and was stunned to recognise him. It was his cousin, Hugo.

***

Minutes passed in slow motion as Charlie waited impatiently for news on Vinnie. The ambulance had arrived quickly. Charlie had been grateful but worried as she stepped back and let the paramedics, one of whom happened to be Carol, work on their friend. She'd ridden with him in the ambulance. Watson had taken a very shaken Angelo back to the station and Jack had driven Hugo back and slung him in an interview room. The other two men had vanished amid the commotion. Sinking into a chair, Charlie buried her face in her hands and took several deep breaths. How could it all have gone so wrong so quickly? Pulling out her phone, she shakily dialled Leah's number.

"Vinnie?"

Her voice's friend was worried. Obviously she'd had no idea what her husband had been out doing.

"It's Charlie," she said.

"Have you seen Vinnie?" Leah asked. "He said he was going out and that he wouldn't be long but that was over an hour ago."

Charlie took a deep breath.

"Leah, something happened," she said.

"What?" Leah asked worriedly. "Is Vinnie okay?"

"You need to come to the hospital."

Leah went quiet.

"I'm sure if you dropped VJ round to ours, Joey would look after him."

"Okay."

Leah's voice was quiet. She hung up without another word. Charlie continued to wait.

***

"Leah!" Joey said, surprised to see her and then immediately feeling concerned by how pale ad tearful she looked.

"Can you look after VJ?" the restaurant owner asked. "I have to go to the hospital."

"Sure," Joey said, welcoming the child inside. "What...?"

But Leah had already gone.

"What's wrong with Daddy?" VJ asked, looking up at her.

"Um... I'm... I'm sure everything's fine," Joey said.

She bundled him into the living room and wondered what she ought to do with him.

***

Aden sat awkwardly in Belle's bedroom. Neither of them had spoken for a long time. Aden felt sick with fear of losing his girlfriend and he was worried about Nicole. She seemed so sad and angry when she stormed out.

"So, you slept with Nicole?" Belle finally said.

He swallowed and nodded quietly.

"When?"

"The night that... well, that night."

"Revenge?"

"Comfort."

They both sighed. Neither was sure who was entitled to be the angriest.

***

Charlie stood up the moment she saw Leah arrive in the emergency department.

"Charlie, what happened?" Leah burst out.

She crashed into her friend's arms and she allowed herself to be guided into a chair.

"What happened?" she asked again.

Charlie held her hands tightly.

"He was... he was shot," she said.

There was no need to go into exact details right now. At the moment, they just had to ensure that he was alright.

"What?" Leah said, barely audibly. "How? Why? Is he...?"

"Leah? Charlie?"

They both turned to see Rachel standing ahead of them. She looked pale and on edge. Both ran up to her.

"I am so sorry..."

"No!" Leah cried desperately.

Charlie used her full strength to hold her up.

"Vinnie's injury was too severe. He..."

Tears escaped the Doctor's eyes and she hated herself for being unprofessional.

"No," Leah begged.

Charlie guided her back into the row of chairs and Rachel followed them, sitting on Leah's other side. Charlie put her arms around her friend close and fought her own tears. She kissed the top of her head and held her for all she was worth.

***

Angelo arrived back in the staff room, having thrown up for the second time. Alone, he allowed his tears to fall. This morning, all that had really concerned him was whether Charlie was going to step on his toes when it came to his promised promotion. Now, a man was in hospital fighting for his life and it was all Angelo's fault. He rubbed his eyes. They were stinging. He looked up when there was a knock on the door. Jack approached with a coffee.

"Is there any news?" Angelo asked.

Jack shook his head and sighed.

"Angelo, what happened?" he asked.

***

Watson and her colleague were feeling frustrated. Hugo was sitting opposite them looking sullen. His arms were folded across his chest at he glared at the women in uniform. His only words were 'no comment', over and over again.

***

Joey tucked VJ up on the sofa. He'd fallen asleep fairly quickly and now she was in the kitchen nursing a coffee and wondering what on earth had happened. She'd called Charlie several times but her phone just kept ringing. It frightened her. She was worried that she'd been involved in whatever had happened to Vinnie. Unhappily, she rang again.

"Hi," Charlie said quickly.

"Charlie! Thank God you're okay! What's happened?"

She heard her partner sigh.

"Vinnie died," she said.

"What?" Joey squeaked.

She pictured her friend's handsome face. She could still remember when he'd first started dating Leah. The pair had been smitten since day one. How could he be dead?

"What happened?" she asked.

"We were on a stakeout," Charlie explained. "It looks like he was involved with a loan shark. He got... he got shot."

"By the loan shark?"

"Not exactly."

At the hospital, Charlie sank back into the chair. Rachel had taken Leah into Vinnie's room to say goodbye to her.

"It was Angelo," Charlie admitted, aware of how much trouble she could get into for telling her girlfriend before they even dealt with it at the station.

She dreaded to think what lay in her ex-boyfriend's future.

"Angelo?" Joey repeated, evidently shocked.

"It was an accident. He... missed."

"Well, who the hell was he trying to kill?" Joey asked, emotion overtaking her.

"Hugo."

Joey fell into stunned silence. This whole mess would take a lot of explaining. Charlie looked up when she saw a very tearful Leah come back into the corridor.

"I have to go," Charlie said. "I'll be home as soon as I can but..."

"I know," Joey said. "Take as long as you need."

Charlie hung up and approached Leah who could barely stand unassisted.

***

Nicole burst through the front door and stormed up to her bedroom without pausing. Worried, Roman got to his feet and followed her. She slammed the door before he reached the top of the stairs. He opened it again without knocking and leant in the doorway, wondering what was wrong with his daughter.

***

It was midnight before Charlie, Watson and Jack were able to leave the station. Charlie had brought Leah back with her in order to sit down and explain everything. She hadn't named Angelo as the shooter but had revealed that it had been an officer. Jack had offered to take Leah back to his house, collecting VJ along the way in order for her not to have to sleep alone in her house. They had a spare room and knew Martha would be more than happy to welcome her friend into their home. Watson had slung Hugo into a cell in order to deal with him the next day and called Sarah and asked if she could go round and spend the night with her. She really didn't want to be alone tonight. Charlie approached Angelo in the staff room. He was a wreck and looked up at her with frightened eyes.

"He's dead, isn't he?" he asked.

Charlie nodded. He closed his eyes, shaking. Instinctively, she reached out to hold him.

"I didn't mean to do it," he wept.

"I know," Charlie said.

"What's going to happen to me?"

She sighed.

"You did it by accident in the line of duty," she said. "I think we all need to go home and get a good night's sleep if we can. Then we'll come back tomorrow and figure out what to do. It's not me who needs to make the decision about what to do, Angelo. We'll get your command officer in and Dad will need to be involved. We'll..."

She sighed again.

"We'll..."

He leant against her, feeling safe in her arms. She had no idea what they would do.

***

"Would you cheer up?" Ruby finally snapped.

She and Xavier had been struggling through their evening together but it seemed like everything one of them said, irritated the other. Ruby had attempted to solve the problem by getting romantic but he'd pulled away, completely disinterested.

"I'm not moody," he snapped, he words completely betraying the truth.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because I've spent the whole evening listening to you ramble on about how awesome your damn life is. And why's is awesome, Ruby? Because you're at Uni and away from me."

"Being away from you is the only bad part about it," Ruby argued.

She looked at him and attempted and failed to hold his hands.

"I don't want to be apart from you," she said sincerely. "I love you."

"Yeah, you love me so much that you don't want to marry me!" he snapped.

She took a deep breathe and stood up, irritated that, as she'd suspected, the argument was rooted in all those months ago when she had turned down his marriage proposal.

"Xavier, I cannot keep having this fight with you," she said.

"Tough," he replied sullenly.

"No, not tough," she replied, making a grab for her overnight bag. "I don't have to put up with how childish you are!"

She charged towards the door.

"Where are you going?" Xavier yelled.

"Home. You and me... we're over."

She stormed out, slamming the door behind her.

***

Aden hugged Belle tightly. They'd talked for a long time, both explaining their side of things. Belle had admitted to feeling terrified of the pressure on their relationship with Aden wanting them to move faster than she was comfortable with. That's how she'd ended up kissing Angelo. She'd promised that it had never gone further than that, although the kisses had been starting to become a habit. Aden had found it hard to take but he'd found it even harder to explain his night with Nicole. All he could say was that he was hurting and he hadn't thought he and Belle had a future. Nicole had been struggling with her own pain and it had just happened, although they had known by the morning light that it was a mistake.

"Will you be okay?" Aden asked on the doorstep.

Geoff had already gone to bed, for which he was grateful. He really didn't think he could handle dealing with Nicole's ex-boyfriend as well. Belle nodded.

"Let's just get a good night's sleep and talk about it in the morning."

***

Leah fell into bed. VJ tucked himself up beside his mother, not daring to ask where his father was. He listened to her as she tried to cry herself to sleep as quietly as possible. In their room, Jack held Martha tightly, feeling shaken and distraught by the whole sorry story. They fell asleep in each other's arms.

***

Charlie dropped Angelo off at his apartment. He seemed incapable of anything so she parked and took him up the stairs, letting him in with his key and seating him on the sofa.

"I'll call you tomorrow, okay?" she promised.

He reached out to hug her. She accepted and then pulled quickly away when he attempted to kiss her.

"What the hell are you doing?" she snapped.

He looked on the verge of completely falling apart.

"I just needed some comfort," he said weakly.

"Not from me," she said firmly. "Not like that."

She watched him sink back onto the sofa with his face resting in his palms. She slipped out of the door and hurried home to Joey.

***

"What the hell?" Daria exclaimed when her door burst open and the light was switched on.

Ruby stood there looked furious. Daria attempted to think of a quick lie to get herself out of trouble and then remembered that she hadn't done anything wrong.

"What's your problem?" she snapped.

"Nothing!" Ruby said. "I'm just sleeping here tonight. Is that okay? Because you know, it was my room long before it was yours!"

"Like I give a shit," Daria snapped back. "I just care about being woken up in the middle of the night!"

Ruby angrily hit the light switch again and plunged them in darkness.

"Happy?" she hissed, getting changed quickly and climbing into bed.

***

"Charlie!" Joey exclaimed when her very tired looking girlfriend finally arrived home.

Charlie fell into Joey's arms and held on tight.

"What on earth happened tonight?" Joey asked. "First all this with Vinnie, then Ruby stormed in absolutely furious..."

"Is she okay?" Charlie asked worriedly.

"I have no idea. She just charged into her room. She didn't want to talk about it."

Charlie sighed heavily and clung onto Joey. She kissed her tenderly and wrapped her arms around her shoulder. Tears threatened to spill.

"Please take me to bed," she requested.

Joey nodded and guided her to their room, flipping lights off as she went, preparing to hear of the tragedy that had befallen their town and hopefully comfort Charlie as best she could.

***

"What...?" Aden said when he approached his house.

Roman glared at him and continued dumping his stuff on the door step.

"What are you doing?"

Roman purposely dropped his television on the concrete. Aden lurched forward.

"Roman!" he shouted.

"If you so much as look at my daughter again, let alone touch her, I will kill you," the ex soldier warned, slamming the door in his tenant's face.


	76. Chapter 76

**Chapter Seventy-Six**

**June 2013**

Leah stared blankly ahead of her. Her eyes refused to see and she blocked out the sound of Martha and Rachel tidying her lounge and tending to VJ. It had been two months and her pain over losing Vinnie refused to ease. Now she felt like she was living some kind of half life. There was no light in her world anymore and she could take joy from nothing. She refused to leave the house and her friends and family had rallied around to get VJ to and from school each day. She supposed she was lucky to have them but she could barely bring herself to be grateful right now.

***

Angelo lay on the couch in his apartment. In a few months time, he would have to face an important day. He was to attend a hearing that would outline exactly what would happen to him. At worst, he would be formally charged with manslaughter. At best, he'd lose his job. He'd been hanging around his apartment for two months, living the life of an empty hermit. It was hard to venture outside. Most residents of the town hated him and believed he should be sent to rot in jail. Just thinking about it made him weep. He opened another beer and began to gulp it down.

***

Ruby arrived back from University for the weekend, having shared the journey as usual, with Annie and Jai. She dropped Jai back with his family and then she and Annie went round to see Irene, Belle and Geoff. Then the plan was for Annie to go home to Romeo and Ruby would return to Charlie, Joey, Daria and David. It was hard to have so much freedom in the week and then have to share her room with a teenager on weekends but she supposed she ought to get used to it. Things were certainly different now that she and Xavier weren't together. She didn't come back home as much as she once had and it was hard to see him around town. So far, she hadn't seen him with another girl and while she had gone out for a few nights in the beginning and kissed several different guys, she certainly didn't want to get into another relationship. She now had more time to devote to her studies and her friends and then she hoped that after University was over, she'd come back and move into a place of her own, possibly with friends or something and start her career as a teacher. That was, of course, assuming she would be able to get a job locally.

***

Charlie couldn't help but laugh as she rode her bike around the block with David on the back, clinging to her for dear life. He seemed to be having a good time and he'd confided that he thought Daria would have got over her sulk by the time they returned and would want the ride Charlie had offered. His twin had been annoyed that she couldn't ride the bike herself but they were learning quickly that her tantrums didn't really last very long.

***

Aden finished getting ready and headed out to Crumble to meet Belle from work. It had been a difficult couple of months as they tried to repair their broken relationship but so far, things seemed to be going well. He'd moved back in with Romeo, who was grateful for help with the rent, and things remained impossible between him, Nicole and Roman. But with Angelo in disgrace now, selfishly it made Aden feel better. Very few people wanted to talk to him and he was generally hiding away in his apartment. But one thing was for certain, he had no inclination to go out and steal anyone's girlfriends. He couldn't help but wonder how Belle felt about the whole thing between Angelo and Vinnie though. She'd remained rather quiet about the whole thing. Most of their friends had been keen to express an opinion but Belle hadn't yet spoken up.

***

Joey smiled when Charlie and David arrived back. David leapt clumsily off the bike and took his helmet in, hurrying in through the door.

"You _have _to have a go on that thing!" he told his twin.

It was nice to see him coming out of himself a little more every day. When Charlie and Joey asked him about school now, he actually came up with an answer and didn't always let Daria speak for him. Charlie arrived in the house, shaking her hair out of her helmet. Joey offered her a loving look, which she returned. Daria pulled a face.

"Well I would if _someone _would give me a chance," she snapped, glaring at her foster mother.

"Like I said," Charlie told her. "You're more than welcome to jump on the back and go for a spin."

David plopped into a chair between Joey and Daria and sneaked a crisp from the packet Joey was munching on. She smirked at him and he took another.

"Go on, Dar," he said to his twin. "It's so much fun."

Daria sighed and pulled herself to her feet.

"Come on then," she said, pretending she was doing it for Charlie's benefit. "If it'll make you happy."

She picked up the helmet and jacket that David had been using and put them on. Charlie gently squeezed Joey's shoulder and gave David a thumbs up as she followed Daria out.

***

"Why don't we go for a walk?" Martha suggested.

Leah shook her head.

"It'd be good for VJ to get out and have some fun," Martha urged. "And it'd be good for you too."

"How is going for a walk going to solve anything?" Leah snapped. "My husband will still be dead!"

Martha shrank back and bit her lip. She tried not to let her feelings get hurt. She couldn't even begin to imagine how she would feel if it had somehow been Jack that had been shot and killed. How would she and Leanne cope? She doubted they would fair any better than Leah and VJ were.

"Leah, we know nothing is going to stop the pain you're in," Rachel said gently. "But why don't you give it a try?"

"And risk seeing that murdering bastard around town?" Leah asked.

Rachel shook her head and assured her that people rarely saw Angelo these days. He had firmly hidden himself away.

***

Annie flung herself into Romeo's arms as soon as she stepped through the door. He kissed her, lifting her up and swinging her around in a jubilant circle.

"I've missed you," he said, the same as he always did.

She smiled and kissed him again.

"And we have the place to ourselves," he announced with a grin.

Helping her out of her jacket and putting her bags in their room, he settled down on the sofa and looked forward to catching up properly.

***

"Hey, there's a beach party tonight," Geoff told Ruby. "I forgot to mention it when Annie was still here. But I was thinking of going. Do you want to come?"

Ruby smiled, thinking fondly of their high school days when she, Geoff, Annie, Jai and Xavier had sneaked out to many a party. It usually ended up with one or more of them getting into trouble with their guardians.

"Yeah, that sounds awesome," she enthused.

"Meet you there at eight?"

Ruby nodded.

"How are things with Nic?" she asked.

It was an awkward but necessary subject. He sighed.

"They're... nothing," he said sadly. "We don't see each other. We're not enemies or anything. We just don't have anything to say to each other anymore."

"Sounds familiar," Ruby sighed, thinking of Xavier.

***

"Did you have fun?" Charlie enquired when she and Daria headed back to the house.

The fifteen year old looked up at her and reluctantly nodded.

"I had fun," she confirmed. "And I can't wait to get my licence and ride for real."

They arrived back to find Joey knee deep in making smoothies. David was watching from the table. Charlie eyed her curiously.

"I had the urge," Joey said.

Charlie stepped up behind her, wrapping her arms around her waist. She kissed her neck.

"I love your little random moments," she said.

Joey smiled.

"And I love you in leather," she smirked.

Charlie laughed. Daria began to sing loudly and covered her ears at the expression of affection. This only served to make Charlie laugh harder.

"Dave, you're entitled to shoot me if I hit thirty and I'm still behaving like that!" Daria said, sitting down beside her brother.

"I'm twenty-seven!" Joey squeaked.

"Whatever," Daria teased.

"I'm going to take these off," Charlie announced, referring to her leather trousers and heading out towards the stairs.

"Do you have to?" Joey grinned.

Daria made retching noises. David tucked into another packet of crisps.

***

The evening arrived and Leah tucked herself into bed as soon as she'd put VJ down. She'd relented and gone out for a walk with Martha and Rachel. If she was going to be honest, she would admit that it had been nice but she still felt too empty to say anything remotely positive. Two months ago, she'd been happy. But now it turned out that her whole life had been a lie. Her beloved husband had got himself into terrible debt and terrible trouble and he'd never told her a thing about it. She asked herself over and over again why he hadn't mentioned anything. She would have helped him. They could have solved it together. But now Vinnie was dead and Angelo had killed him. Apparently he'd been aiming for Hugo, the mastermind behind the whole loan shark organisation. He'd survived unscathed but was due in court the following week and everyone hoped he'd face a long stretch. So many people blamed him for Belle's former drug problem and to know that he'd sneaked back to town, hidden and unseen and been breaking people's banks, hearts and bodies made them feel sick. She felt bitter about it, certain that being imprisoned wasn't enough. And as for Angelo... prison was all she could hope for. Martha and Rachel had been particularly good to her and so had Charlie and Joey. The day after it had all happened, they'd come round and Charlie had told her that with his last breath, lying there on the gravel in her arms, Vinnie had asked her to tell Leah and VJ that he loved them and that he was sorry for letting them down. It both comforted and pained her in equal measure.

***

Daria and David had left to go round to a friend's house and Ruby had hurried in and hurried out again saying she was going to a party with Geoff and the others. While they had told Daria and David that they needed to be home by eleven, which had irritated the former rather a lot, Charlie and Joey were looking forward to a night in together.

"Now, what shall we do with our evening?" Joey wondered with a naughty smile on her face.

She drew Charlie into her arms, settling her hands on her waist and brushing her lips with her own. Charlie smiled into the kiss.

"Well, I'm feeling kind of dirty," Charlie revealed.

Joey looked elated.

"So I was thinking a candlelit soak in the tub and then let's see where the mood takes us."

Joey smiled and kissed her.

"You start the bubbles and I'll get some wine," she said, kissing her one more time and then dashing into the kitchen.

***

The music was pumping from large speakers on the beach and a large crowd of teenagers and young people had turned out. Ruby threaded her way across the sand and was relieved when she spotted Geoff, Annie, Romeo, Jai, Aden and Belle up ahead.

"Hey, guys," she greeted.

She sat down with them and delved into the drinks bag they'd bought with her. Privately, she was relieved that Xavier didn't seem to be around. She still loved him and didn't want there to be any bad feeling between them. But unfortunately, he still held resentment and they couldn't be friends until he'd managed to let it go.

***

Angelo sat home alone feeling drunk and miserable. He felt like he hadn't got a friend left in the world. Watson, Jack and Charlie had been cautiously understanding. Perhaps he shouldn't have fired his gun in the first place, but it had never been intended for Vinnie and it had never been intended to kill anyone. His motive had purely been to disable who he now knew to be Hugo to stop him getting away. But it had all gone horribly wrong. As police officers, Watson, Jack and Charlie had offered compassion towards him but in secret. It would never have done to be seen sympathising even a little bit with a man who had killed their friend.

***

Daria and David had found a crowd of older kids on the beach and were enjoying sneaky beers and dancing the night away. It was a good party, although they were aware of the time passing too quickly. Charlie and Joey had given them what Daria deemed an unreasonable curfew but neither of them wanted to break it. That would mean they were more likely to be caught and therefore stopped from attending parties and such in the future.

***

"I vote we stay here forever," Joey said.

She was leaning back in the tub, submerged in hot water with Charlie resting against her. She reached for her wine and took a refreshing sip. Charlie leant her head back against her chest and Joey kissed the top of her head.

"Then we'll get all wrinkly," Charlie pointed out. "And we'll look as ancient as Daria seems to think we are!"

They both chuckled. Charlie craned her neck so that she could kiss her girlfriend. Their kiss immediately deepened and to avoid an awkward angle, Charlie shifted so that the front of her body was pressed against the front of Joey's. Joey ran her hands up and down her back, settling on her bottom and making her laugh. Charlie shifted ever so slightly and began to tease Joey's breasts with her lips and tongue. She smiled as Joey moaned and closed her eyes.

"Wrinkles be damned!" Joey declared. "We're staying here exactly like this forever!"

Charlie laughed and continued to tease.

***

Romeo sat on the sand feeling a little low. Annie had spent most of the evening talking to Jai about something study related and he was feeling left out. She got to talk to Jai all the time in the week. She and Romeo had limited weekend time together. It wasn't fair. And it also wasn't lost on him that Jai was Annie's ex-girlfriend. Spotting Xavier chatting to a group a little further away, Romeo got to his feet and approached him. Annie didn't even notice. Across from them, Ruby and Geoff exchanged glances. That wasn't like them at all and both silently worried about trouble in paradise. Annie and Jai were certainly getting along a lot better these days. Sometimes it seemed like they had never broken up and Ruby wondered if, as it had done with her and Xavier, doing such different things with their lives was taking it's toll on Annie and Romeo's relationship.

***

Joey eased Charlie onto their bed and undid her towel. She smiled at her lovingly, taking in her body.

"You are so beautiful," she said, as if in awe.

She watched Charlie blush and reach out to her. Moving closer, Joey let Charlie drape her arms around her shoulders. She let her own towel drop and lay her body atop Charlie's looking forward to the delightful night ahead of them.

***

"We need to go out and look for love," Ruby decided.

"We do?" Geoff asked.

She nodded affirmatively. She stopped for a moment and gazed at him in the moonlight, jolted to find herself thinking of him as handsome. It wasn't a thought she'd ever considered before. But then, for as long as she could remember, she had always been infatuated with Xavier. Aside from a brief dalliance when she was at boarding school, there had never been anyone for her but her ex-boyfriend. He'd been her sun, moon and stars and she'd imagined them turning out like Charlie and Joey. She felt sad to know that it wasn't true. But now, looking at Geoff, she was surprised to feel her heart do a little flip. He was studying her face too and appearing to feel the same rush of excitement. Before either knew what was happening, they were kissing.

***

Joey crashed back onto the bed in a fit of pleasure induced exhaustion. Charlie moved in to cuddle her, kissing her tenderly, feeling pleased that even after all this time together, neither of them ever failed to bring about a wonderful orgasm for each other. Stretching, Joey caught sight of the clock. It was half past ten. The kids were due back in half an hour. She sighed and stroked Charlie's face.

"I guess we should get changed and wait up like grumpy, old parents," she said.

Charlie nodded. She kissed her again and pulled herself and Joey to their feet. Gazing at each other for several moments, they came together again, standing in the middle of the room and moulding their bodies into one.

***

Xavier had made a hasty exit and Romeo had approached Annie in a bid to take her home. He felt uncomfortable about her interaction with Jai and tried and failed not to let it show on his face. Jai contented himself with chatting to Aden and Belle instead while Ruby and Geoff awkwardly excused themselves and went for a walk down the beach, hand in hand. Both felt a little shy. Their kiss had been unexpected but wonderful.

"Hey!" Ruby said, stopping suddenly.

Geoff paled, worried that she'd suddenly realised what had happened and was inexplicably furious. He relaxed again when he saw her pointing at the unmistakable figures of Daria and David dancing and drinking on the sand. Frowning, she charged up to them. Geoff watched her go. The twins blanched and immediately stopped dancing.

"Charlie and Joey are going to be so pissed at you," Ruby told them.

She enlisted Geoff's help in dragging the teenagers home.


	77. Chapter 77

**Chapter Seventy-Seven**

**August 2013**

Joey frowned when Leah suddenly disappeared from behind the counter in the middle of serving someone. Rising from her seat, Joey headed into the kitchen and smiled politely at a confused looking Roman. She made her way into the store cupboard and knocked gently on the door before entering. Leah looked up at her with a tear-stained face. Joey's heart went out to her as she gathered her into her arms. Leah gave in and wept into Joey's shoulder.

***

Charlie had been on a night shift and was glad to be leaving that morning. The only thing she was disappointed about was that Joey would be going to work, having ditched the habit of doing night shifts at the same time so that neither had to sleep alone. With Daria and David keeping them both on their toes, they knew that babysitters wouldn't solve anything and leaving them to their own devices of an evening was not an option. They had been a lot stricter since Ruby had dragged them home from a party where they'd been drinking. Heading into the locker room, Charlie was eager to get her stuff and go home. She was just about ready to collapse into bed for several hours. She paused when she saw Angelo hunched over on a bench. He was quite obviously crying.

"Angelo?" she said awkwardly.

He turned to face her, clearing his throat and rubbing his eyes quickly. He was officially suspended from duty pending an investigation but in his hurry to depart, he'd left a couple of things in his locker and had returned to get them. Faced with the gravity of the situation, he'd broken down.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, feeling like it was the dumbest question in the history of the world.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied.

Charlie came to sit beside him.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

It felt strange to be empathetic towards a man who had killed one of her friends, who had killed the husband of a girl she'd known since she was a child. But she'd been there. She'd seen it. And it had been an accident. He hadn't meant to kill Vinnie. She couldn't help but sympathise with him while it appeared his life was ruined.

"I just... I get these moments where..."

He trailed off and continued rubbing his eyes.

"I just can't get it out of my head," he said. "I don't think I ever should. I should spend my life paying for what I did."

Charlie sighed. She couldn't argue with him. But she didn't want to make him feel worse than he already did. She put a tentative arm around his broad shoulders, aware of what he had done last time she'd attempted to comfort him. Joey was still annoyed about it.

"Let's leave that for the hearing to decide," she said.

He sighed and rested his face in his palms.

"I just don't know how to live with what I've done."

***

"I just miss him so much," Leah sobbed.

She and Joey were seated on the floor together in the store room, oblivious to anyone that might require their attention.

"I know," Joey said softly. "I can't even imagine how I'd feel if..."

She trailed off, unable to entertain the thought of losing Charlie.

"I hope you never experience this," Leah told her.

Joey put an arm around her.

"I wish you weren't experiencing it now," she said.

***

"I don't even know how it happened," Angelo said. "I was aiming for Hugo – not to kill him, just to detain him. I don't even understand how Vinnie got in the way. He's just... it was as if it was from nowhere."

Charlie nodded. The whole thing had happened so fast. As much as she wanted to assign blame, she just couldn't find it in herself to be unkind to Angelo. It really had been an accident.

"You need to say that at the hearing," she said. "You just need to explain and..."

He turned to look at her.

"I can explain all I like, Charlie. Vinnie will still be dead. And I'll still be the one that killed him."

Charlie sighed heavily.

"Do you remember when life was simple?" Angelo asked.

"Honestly? No," Charlie replied.

He chuckled. So did Charlie.

"I do," he said. "Well, it was simple for me anyway."

She waited for him to continue.

"Back at training, the world was my oyster," he said. "I was going to be a cop; I was going to shoot up the ranks as quickly as possible. I was going to make my family proud. I was happy, handsome and ready for anything. I never struggled, you know? Everything was pretty much handed to me on a plate."

He turned and smiled at her.

"I fell in love with you the moment I met you," he said.

Charlie shifted uncomfortable and rested her hands in her lap.

"I really thought that you and I would graduate and start working and playing together," he said. "I was sure that we'd get married. I thought we'd have even had a kid by now. But all the time you were with me, you were in love with her."

Still he didn't find it terribly easy to say Joey's name.

"Angelo, I..." she started, rising out of her seat in order to get ready to go home.

She didn't want to talk about their break up. It had been horrible enough the first time around, even though she knew she'd done the right thing.

"Did you ever feel anything for me, Charlie?" Angelo asked.

She paused at her locker and turned to face him.

"I loved you as a friend," she said.

"Why did you go out with me then?"

It was a conversation they'd avoided so far.

"Because you kept asking."

He laughed a little bitterly.

"And because I was running away from myself."

"You used me."

The accusation was gentle but meaningful.

"I didn't mean to," she said. "I thought I could love you. I thought I could make it work."

"Then why did you ditch me for her every chance you got?"

"Because I loved her so much that I couldn't even breathe," Charlie explained. "I always have. I always will."

She changed into her leather trousers and pulled her jacket out of her locker.

"Did you ever cheat on me?" Angelo asked.

Charlie kept her movements relaxed as she put her work trousers into her bag and zipped it up.

"No," she said.

"Really?"

"I swear. I'm a lot of things, Angelo but I'm not a cheat."

He nodded. She closed her locker and turned back to him.

"I hope everything goes well at the hearing," she said. "And I swear I'll tell the judge the truth about what happened. I know it was an accident, okay?"

He sighed and watched her leave.

***

That evening, Charlie was making dinner when Joey arrived home. They kissed each other hello and Joey skipped off for a shower, all the while making yummy noises at the prospect of eating. Charlie smiled to herself, thinking about how lucky she was, as she continued to cook. Fifteen minutes later, Charlie, Joey, Daria and David were all seated around the table.

"So, how was your day?" Charlie asked her partner.

"It was okay," Joey said. "It started off pretty sadly when I found Leah crying in the storeroom of Crumble."

Charlie frowned.

"She's really struggling, isn't she?"

Joey nodded.

"Angelo's a wreck too," Charlie said. "I found him sobbing in the locker room this morning."

"Good," Joey remarked.

Charlie frowned with her fork paused halfway to her mouth. Daria and David looked on with interest.

"Joey, it was an accident," Charlie said.

"That doesn't help Leah or VJ," Joey pointed out.

"I know but... Angelo's suffering too. He hates himself for what he did. It was just a mistake. Have some compassion."

"No," Joey replied.

Charlie sighed heavily and continued eating.

"Are you saying you feel sorry for him?" Joey asked.

"It was an accident in the line of duty," Charlie said. "Yes, I do feel sorry for him."

Joey shook her head in disbelief.

"Are the perfect couple about to have a fight?" Daria asked with a wicked grin.

David promptly told his twin to shut up.

"We're not fighting," Joey told Daria. "We're just having a difference of opinion."

"Are you pissed because Angelo used to have sex with Charlie before you did?" Daria asked.

Joey glared at her.

"Do you want to finish your dinner in your room?" she snapped.

"Ooh, did I hit a nerve?"

"Daria!" David said.

"Upstairs," Joey told her firmly. "And don't take your food with you."

Daria shot dagger at her.

"Fine," she said. "I don't like hanging out with you anyway."

She stomped upstairs. Still annoyed, Joey continued her meal in silence and then headed out into the back garden for some fresh air, promising to do the dishes later.

***

Xavier and Nicole were playing pool at the Jukebox.

"Do you hear much from Ruby?" Xavier asked.

He couldn't quite help himself. He missed his ex-girlfriend terribly and liked to know how she was doing. All the while, he wondered why he tortured himself with trying to find out details of her new life with Geoff. The pair had been dating for a couple of months and it was killing him. Nicole wasn't terribly impressed at the new developments either. She felt like she was the only one left alone now that Aden and Belle were back to being happy together, Geoff and Ruby were dating and Romeo and Annie were still going strong.

"Not so much," she said. "I think she's picked up on the fact that I don't like her and Geoff together."

Xavier nodded and took his shot without enthusiasm.

"I don't like it either," he said.

She smirked at him.

"I'd never be able to guess!"

He managed to laugh and she took her shot, potting two balls and doing a celebratory jig.

"I just don't understand why having a long distance relationship with me wouldn't work but having one with him does," he sighed. "What's so special about him?"

"I don't think you want me to answer that," Nicole sighed.

***

Charlie stepped outside and came to sit with Joey on the porch swing. They looked at each other, both wondering where to start with apologies. Neither of them knew where it had come from. Instead of talking, they hugged each other.

"You know, you're pretty damn hot when you're being strict," Charlie giggled.

Joey looked at her and blushed. They kissed tenderly in the evening air.

"Sorry for being all snappy," Joey said. "I just... if you'd have seen Leah today..."

"I know," Charlie said. "And I feel terrible for her. I can barely think about it without putting myself in her place. If I ever have to lose you, I'd..."

She looked like she was going to cry at the mere thought.

"I think I'd spontaneously die myself if I lost you, Joey," she said honestly, holding onto her hands. "I couldn't live without you. I know that."

Joey squeezed her fingers.

"But I can't help putting myself in Angelo's place either. It could easily have been me that fired that shot. We were both desperate to bring Hugo down. I could have..."

"But you didn't," Joey pointed out.

"No, I didn't," Charlie agreed. "But I feel sorry for him. He hates himself for what he's done. And it really was an accident."

Joey nodded.

"I guess I have my own little vendetta against him," she admitted. "But this is bigger than that. And I can hardly criticise you for having a big heart, can I? It's what I love about you."

Charlie smiled. She leant forward and kissed her.

"Would you like to get strict again upstairs?" she smirked.

Joey blushed and laughed before taking Charlie by the hand and leading her inside. The dishes were long forgotten.

***

Leah lay in bed with VJ curled up by her side. Her son had struggled with sleeping alone ever since he'd learnt about the death of his father. He was afraid that if he didn't stay close, he would lose his mother too and he was not willing to let her go. Every time Leah realised it, her heart broke all over again.

***

Angelo lay awake on the couch, staring at but not watching the television. He had no idea what show was on and he didn't care. He felt sick and empty and he couldn't bear it. The hearing was tomorrow and he almost couldn't wait to be told that his life was over and they would be prosecuting him for murder or manslaughter or something similar. He deserved it. He never should have come back to this town.

***

Charlie was up early the following morning. She and Joey dropped the twins off at school and then headed to the court house where Angelo would learn his fate. Charlie, Watson and Jack were all going to be witnesses. It wasn't a legal procedure. It wasn't a trial like Robbo had gone through for his attack on Joey. But it was formal and it was important. Joey kissed Charlie goodbye and went to sit with Leah, who had shown up with permission to find out exactly what was going to be done about her husband's death. Charlie had to wait in the waiting room as she wasn't allowed to hear anyone else's statement before she gave hers. She was worried about Leah being there. She didn't want to fall out with her if she stood up for Angelo. It felt like an impossible situation.

***

"So, that was a good night," Geoff said as he drove himself and Romeo home.

They had gone to the University in order to see Ruby and Annie. Things were still pretty new for Geoff and he was eager to see his girlfriend every moment he could. She still came home for weekends but it wasn't quite enough for either of them.

"Yeah," Romeo agreed, although he wasn't quite as enthusiastic.

"Is everything okay, Romeo?" Geoff asked. "You didn't seem yourself yesterday."

Romeo shrugged and looked out of the window.

"What's wrong?"

"I think Annie's going off me," Romeo admitted.

"No way," Geoff said confidently. "I know my little sister. And I know she loves you."

"Like she loved Jai?" Romeo asked.

"What? What are you talking about? Annie and Jai haven't dated for years. You and Annie live together!"

"Only on the weekends," Romeo pointed out.

"Yeah and when she graduates, she'll be back for good," Geoff said. "She and Ruby both."

He couldn't help but smile to himself at the thought. For once, everything seemed to be working out.

***

"Is there anything you'd like to add?" Detective Mason asked.

He had been chosen to head up the enquiry into the death of Vince Patterson.

"I'd just like to apologise," Angelo said, looking directly at Leah.

She glared right back at him.

"It was an accident. I hate myself. I'll never forgive myself for what I did. I am so sorry."

"I'll never forgive you either," Leah muttered under her breath.

Only Joey and Martha heard her.

"Thank you, Constable Rosetta," Detective Mason said. "Next I believe we'll hear from Constable Georgina Watson."

***

"Dar, why did you say that stuff to Joey last night?" David asked as they headed to lunch together.

His sister just shrugged.

"Why?" he persisted.

"I thought it was funny," she told him.

He looked utterly confused. Suddenly he stopped and stood directly in front of her, making her pause her step.

"Daria, I really like Charlie and Joey, okay?" he said. "I want to stay with them."

"Don't go soft on me, Dave," she said dismissively, moving to walk around him.

"I'm not!" he insisted. "I'm just sick of moving around so much. We've finally got good parents so why don't you just give them a break and be nice?"

"They're not our parents," Daria said darkly. "And they never will be. And you know exactly why I don't want to stay with anyone for too long."

David tensed.

"I just... I think they're different."

"You always think everyone's different," Daria pointed out, turning to walk away.

Unhappily, David followed her.

***

Charlie was shaking by the time she'd finished giving evidence. Leah's eyes had burned into her the whole time that she'd explained that Vinnie's death was a terrible accident. Joey exited the room as soon as she could, grateful to get away from Leah who looked like she hated all of them now, and hurried to meet Charlie in the corridor. They hugged.

"She hates me, doesn't she?" Charlie worried.

Joey nodded unhappily.

"Do you?"

The question took Charlie by surprise. She stroked her face and then pulled her a little closer.

"Of course I don't," she said. "Don't be silly."

***

Annie sat in the lecture hall beside Jai. They smiled at each other as they opened their notebooks.

"Did you have a good night last night?" Jai asked.

Annie shrugged. It had been nice to spend time with Romeo but the more time that passed, the less sure she was that this relationship was what she wanted. She felt guilty for it as Romeo quite obviously adored her and he kept talking about the future after she graduated. But it felt like they had very little in common anymore and the distance between them was a problem. However, she wasn't sure it would be solved when they were living together again. And the more time she spent with Jai now, the less she understood why she had ended things with him in the first place.

***

Angelo broke down as Detective Manning informed him and the rest of the room that no criminal charges would be made against him. Vinnie's death was a tragic accident in the line of a police investigation. Angelo was free to return to work, although the promise of the promotion was definitely gone, not that he was terribly interested in it anymore. Leah wept in her chair and hurried out of the room. Martha hurried after her. Joey and Charlie sat awkwardly side by side, wondering if Vinnie's death was going to tear all their friendships apart. They were comforted only by the fact that they knew they could rely on each other.

***

That evening, Daria escaped to her room as soon as she could, although she had enjoyed the takeaway pizza that Charlie and Joey had treated them to.

"I'm going to take a bath," Charlie said, getting to her feet. "And then I'm pretty much going to crash. It was a long day."

Joey nodded and kissed her goodnight.

"Is she okay?" David asked.

"She will be," Joey said with a smile, hoping she was right. "This whole thing has hit her pretty hard."

David nodded.

"Is Daria okay?" Joey asked.

"She's... Daria," he said with a shrug.

"And how are you?"

He looked surprised, although Joey and Charlie enquired about him personally every day. Still, he was used to living in his sister's shadow.

"I'm alright," he said.

She smiled. He was never one for many words.

"I'm sorry that Daria gives you a hard time sometimes," he said.

"It's not your fault."

"I just... I hope you won't hold it against us," he continued. "I really love living here."

"We really love having you," Joey replied.

He smiled, feeling a little more relaxed.

"Why does she have all that attitude?" Joey dared to ask.

"It's to protect herself," David explained, a little worried about revealing too much.

"From what?"

"Our parents... our real parents, they were... well, they weren't very nice," he admitted. "I used to get seven bells beaten out of me and Daria... she did everything she could to protect me. And then when we went it to care, things only got worse."

He sighed heavily.

"I've never been strong like her," he said. "I've always been the weak one. She's built this image of not caring, she'd refused to let people in because she needs to protect us."

Joey was flooded with compassion.

"I hope that we'll get to stay with you," he said. "I hope she doesn't push you away. I hope this can be our home."

He looked at her with big, expressive eyes.

"This is your home," Joey promised. "And we definitely don't want either of you to go anywhere."


	78. Chapter 78

_Just in case anyone doesn't notice the dates in the chapters of this story, it's two years after the last chapter. I hope you like it. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Seventy-Eight**

**August 2015**

Inspector Charlie Buckton kissed Joey goodbye, said goodbye to David and Daria and headed out to work. She had a long shift ahead of her but at least now, she had a nine to five on most days. She enjoyed the routine and relished the fact that usually, unless there was something really heavy on at work, she could come home and have a nice dinner and evening with her family. Over the last couple of years, David and Daria had settled in nicely and while Daria did continue to test their boundaries, the foursome, plus Ruby were very fond of each other. Charlie hoped that her Mum would be proud of how she was living her life now. Ruby was gearing up for her last few months at University and she and Geoff were looking for a place to move into together before Christmas and while Charlie had always liked Ruby and Xavier together, her little sister did seem very happy with Geoff and so she was happy for her. Pulling into the car park on her bike, Charlie killed the engine and climbed off. She took her helmet off as she walked into the station and smiled at Senior Sergeant Georgie Watson.

"Hey, how's it going?" Charlie asked, leaning against the counter.

"Pretty good," Watson replied. "Sarah and I are having a party this weekend. Up for it?"

"Of course!" Charlie readily agreed.

Just as she had when they were in police training, Watson still knew how to throw one hell of a party.

"Count me in," Sergeant Jack Holden grinned, approaching the girls.

"Who said you're invited?" Watson teased.

"I'm always invited!" he replied.

Charlie chuckled to herself as she headed into the staff room to change into her uniform.

"Hey," she said when she saw Leading Constable Angelo Rosetta standing at his locker.

He was topless and clearly getting changed from a night shift.

"Hi," he replied.

"Good night?" Charlie asked, opening her own locker and putting her helmet inside before pulling her trousers out.

She rode to work in the top half of her uniform and leathers and always changed into proper work trousers when she arrived.

"Pretty quiet but interesting enough," Angelo said. "I'm looking forward to going to sleep!"

Charlie chuckled, knowing the feeling far too well. He pulled his t-shirt on and grabbed his bag.

"Catch you later, Charlie," he said.

She said goodbye and watched him leave before she began to get changed. Things had been very difficult for Angelo in the wake of Vinnie's death and she knew that he still carried the burden of death with him. Leah continued to struggle to serve him at Crumble and her life had struggled to move on after losing her husband although she continued to do her best for VJ. She'd never been so glad than after Vinnie's death, to have named their son after him. It kept him alive somehow.

***

Joey indulged the kids by dropping them off at school on the way to work. She now ran two trawlers and was building up a strong and happy business. She worked with Sarah and a guy called Liam Murphy, who Joey had agreed to give a chance to after a long history of drug abuse and alcoholism. He was a former rock star and had caused quite the stir when he'd arrived in town, in good ways and bad. But when Joey had found him distressed on the beach one afternoon, she'd taken pity on him and decided to help him out with a job. He'd struggled at first but really, he was a good worker and she was fond of him. Aden managed the second trawler with Geoff and a more recent recruit, Tony Holden. He'd left his job at the school with some difficulties and Joey had welcomed him into the team. She had been a crew member down for a while after Romeo had decided to leave town and go travelling. At the beginning of the year, Annie had broken up with him and promptly reunited with Jai. Hurt and betrayed and feeling like a fool for loving her and waiting for her and considering proposing to her, Romeo had had a one night stand with Nicole and then decided to leave town. Joey missed her former unofficial foster son, although he dutifully kept in touch each week and seemed to be having a good time.

"Alright, let's get this show on the road," Joey said, jumping on board.

Sarah and Liam jumped to attention in order to start work for the day.

***

David sat in a daydream at school. He struggled to pay attention to their new English teacher, Miles Copeland as he talked about some Shakespeare play. There was so much going on in his head these days and he hardly knew what to do about it. Daria had been no help, although to be fair, he hadn't tried very hard to talk to her about it. He'd considered sharing with Charlie or Joey but he never felt like there was a good moment. It all felt too scary to say out loud. At the other desk, Daria was doodling. She had no real interest in school work and she just thought Mr Shakespeare needed to update his language. The most she had ever enjoyed in that department was the Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio version of _Romeo and Juliet_. Really it was before her time but she'd seen Leonardo in a more recent movie and decided to backtrack through his career.

***

Charlie sat at her desk and opened her post, having made herself her third cup of coffee of the day. Joey was always telling her that she needed to cut down on her caffeine intake but so far, she hadn't listened. She pulled a face when she read the name of Hugo Austin on the subject line of the letter she'd received from the court. He was applying for an appeal and it would go to court the following month.

"Don't even think about it," she said under her breath.

There were two people in the world that Charlie believed should serve their full sentences and more and they were Hugo and Robbo. The man who had tried to rape her beautiful Joey still had eleven years to go and while it felt like a long time away she couldn't help but feel concerned sometimes. For now, Joey felt together and safe. All that would change eventually and they could only hope that the monster had learnt his lesson and was prepared to stay away from his sister's ex-girlfriend. Hugo had eight years left in jail and that was plenty soon enough without making it any earlier.

***

"Cool, yeah, we'll be there," Joey said to Sarah.

It was the end of the working day and everyone was eager to get home. Sarah was planning a romantic meal for Watson and Liam had begun teaching the odd guitar lesson on the side in a bid to stay connected to music in some way. The threesome met up with Aden, Geoff and Tony on the way back up the wharf.

"Got plans for tonight?" Joey asked, linking arms with her best friend.

"More wedding planning!" Aden complained.

He was starting to wonder if, had he realised how much effort went into getting married, he would have bothered asking Belle. All he really wanted was to have a small thing, perhaps in the open air, commit himself to his fiancée and let that be the end of it. But Belle wanted a big white wedding and so did Irene and the clan.

"You should just do what Charlie and I did," Joey said.

"I want to!" he replied. "Your wedding sounded perfect."

"Although, we might be doing all over again at some point if this new Civil Partnership thing gets pushed through," Joey said. "Then I have very little faith that Rubes would let us get away with something small."

Geoff looked up at the sound of his girlfriend's name. He was planning on spending most of the night on the phone to her. While he visited regularly and she came home almost every weekend, he was keen for her to graduate and come home. They had been busily looking at apartments to rent, although Irene had said that if they wanted, they could live together at her place. Moving into Charlie and Joey's wasn't an option with the twins there now and it now looked like they were set to stay until they were adults.

"Are you going to put your names on the list then?" Aden asked.

"Maybe. We're not entirely sure. We haven't exactly talked about it and Charlie has an objection to gay people only being allowed Civil Partnerships and not being allowed to call it marriage but... maybe."

She thought being legally 'married' to Charlie would be lovely. Right now, they had wills that left everything to each other and they had named each other as their next of kin but to be legally bound to each other would be interesting.

***

Daria grinned wickedly the moment Charlie and Joey left the house on Friday night in order to go to Watson and Sarah's party.

"Come on, Dave," she said. "We're going out."

Dave sat back on the couch and immediately protested.

"Oh, don't be such a baby!" his twin told him. "It'll be fun!"

"I don't want to go out, Dar," he said. "I just want to hang out here."

"You are so boring," she said, turning and heading out of the house by herself.

***

Geoff was glad when he finally pulled up outside the house that Ruby, Annie and Jai were sharing. It had been a long drive after a long week at work and he couldn't wait to see his beloved girlfriend again. Days were starting to feel like months. She was smiling when she pulled open the door and pulled him into her arms, kissing his lips and then letting him into the hallway.

"Geoff's here!" she called out to his sister.

***

"This is a great party!" Joey declared, throwing her arms drunkenly around Charlie, who giggled.

She turned to Watson.

"What is it about you getting my woman drunk every single time we all have an evening together?" Charlie asked.

Watson feigned innocence, although she didn't think she'd ever forget the first time she'd met Joey who was underage and tipsy within minutes. Charlie shook her head and cuddled Joey who immediately dragged her into the middle of the room to start dancing.

***

"Hey," Daria said, plonking herself down at Angelo's table at the Jukebox even though she hadn't been invited.

"Hi," he replied.

"Would you like to buy me a vodka?" she asked.

He laughed.

"You're seriously asking a cop to let you drink underage?" he asked incredulously.

She shrugged.

"Worth a try, I guess," she said.

He laughed again. Charlie and Joey's foster child was certainly audacious.

"How about an orange juice?" she suggested.

He nodded and handed over some cash for her to take to Xavier who was working behind the bar.

"Charming," she said in response to his lack of getting up.

He sipped his beer while he waited for her to return.

***

Charlie and Joey locked the bathroom door, the same one they had once broken during a play fight when they had shared this flat with Watson and Carol. Falling into each others arms, they kissed and fought with each other's clothes. Joey pressed Charlie up against the wall, suddenly feeling like a naughty teenager as they slipped away from the party for a quickie. She slipped her hand up Charlie's dress and reached her destination quickly. Charlie leant back against the tiled wall, more than happy to let Joey have a wicked way with her.

***

"So, what kind of girls do you go for?" Daria asked.

The question took Angelo by surprise.

"Excuse me?"

She leant further forward in her chair in order to flash some cleavage. She had been very unsure of him at first. She and David had arrived in town not long before he'd shot a guy. But over the past couple of years, he was becoming nicer and more handsome by the day as far as she was concerned.

"What kind of girls do you go for?" she repeated, batting her eyelashes.

He chuckled.

"Legal ones!"

"I'm legal!" she insisted.

"You're a school girl," he pointed out.

"I'm seventeen," she told him.

He shook his head.

"And did you know I used to date one of your mothers?"

She frowned.

"They're my guardians," she said. "Not my parents. I don't have any parents."

***

Charlie and Joey had a leisurely morning the next day. The party at Watson and Sarah's had been wildly entertaining and they were now exhausted. Joey was also a little hung over. She'd been the source of much entertainment after several glasses of wine. Charlie, as ever, found her utterly adorable. As morning became lunch time, they hauled themselves out of bed to find Daria with her head surprisingly buried in homework. David was watching television, looking and feeling agitated. He studied Charlie and Joey as they sat down on the other sofa, holding hands.

"Are you okay?" Charlie asked.

Joey rested her head against Charlie's shoulder, also worried but a little too cloudy headed to vocalise it. Daria studied the three of them from across the room.

"I'm fine," he lied.

"Are you sure?"

He nodded. Joey yawned and rubbed her temples.

"I'll get you a cup of tea," Charlie offered, extracting herself from Joey's grasp and smiling at her very sweet thank you as she headed into the kitchen.

"I'll help," David decided, following her.

Joey flopped back onto the couch and closed her eyes.

"Good night?" Daria asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, it was pretty cool," Joey told her.

She shifted so she could see her foster daughter.

"What did you get up to?"

"Not much," the teenager replied.

Her feelings had been hurt and her ego deflated at Angelo's rejection although she was prepared to console herself with it being an age thing instead of her not being attractive. After the police officer had made his exit, she'd headed over to the bar and kept Xavier company for a while. He was a nice guy. She didn't really understand why Ruby had dumped him. She didn't think that Geoff was even half as nice as Xavier was. He spoke to her like an adult and he always made her laugh. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered if she'd made a mistake by going after Angelo. Perhaps she should have set her sights on Xavier all along. In the kitchen, David was hovering behind Charlie with his hands in his pockets.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Charlie asked, eyeing him curiously.

He shook his head. She stopped making tea and turned to give him her full attention.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Could we maybe go for a drive or something?"

***

"What do you think they're talking about?" Daria asked Joey.

They girls were making lunch in the kitchen and Charlie had taken David out for a drive.

"I have no idea," Joey said honestly, as she chopped salad.

She yelped when she accidently cut her finger.

"Are you okay?" Daria asked worriedly.

Joey couldn't help but feel touched by how much the teenager seemed to care. She accepted the piece of kitchen towel that Daria offered and held her hand above her heart, holding tight to stop the bleeding.

"Sit down," Daria said gently, pulling out a chair for Joey who accepted it gratefully.

She propped one leg across her thigh. Daria studied her for a moment and noticed, not for the first time, the scars that were on Joey's skin. It was a particularly hot day and the twenty-nine year-old was wearing shorts and a sleeveless top. She blanched when Joey caught her staring and uncross her legs.

"Sorry," Daria said.

Joey unwrapped her finger, pleased that the cut was only small and she'd managed to stem the bleeding. She stood and dumped the kitchen paper in the bin. Daria opened a drawer and fished out a plaster, telling Joey to hold her hand out while she affixed it.

"Thanks," Joey said, returning to chopping her salad a little more carefully this time round.

***

Charlie continued driving around as David struggled to talk to her. There was obviously something significant in his mind.

"How did you know you were in love with Joey?" he finally asked.

She turned to look at him and pulled over into a space on the side of the road. If she was going to be pouring her heart out, she needed to not be concentrating on the road.

"I think part of me always knew," she said. "We've been best friends since the day she was born. I loved her... even before she was in the world. I used to sit and talk to her Mum's pregnant belly, telling her all about the fun we were going to have when she finally arrived."

David smiled, thinking that that was very sweet.

"Did it bother you that she was a girl?" he asked.

Charlie chuckled and ran her hands through her hair.

"Oh, it bothered me. A lot," she informed him.

He waited for her to continue.

"Joey and I kissed for the first time when we were teenagers," Charlie explained. "It had been a long time coming but when our families took us on holiday on a boat for a week, we got even closer than usual and kissed. I freaked out so badly that I ended up dating her brother."

"I didn't know Joey had a brother," David said.

"He's off travelling," Charlie said. "He and Joey and their parents lived in the house next door to where we live now. My family and I live in our house."

"Really?" David said, wondering why they'd never talked about any of that before.

Still, he had never really been one for conversation. Daria was always the mouthpiece of their operation and parents weren't something she was terribly interested in. Charlie nodded.

"We bought the place when my Dad decided to sell up and move in with Morag," she explained.

"So, you started dating Joey's brother?"

"Yeah," she admitted. "It's not something I'm proud of, I must admit. I just couldn't cope with the realisation that I was gay and in love with my best friend. We tried to fight how we felt but we just ended up kissing all the time. She dated Aden for a while..."

"Aden?"

He knew they were best friends but he could hardly picture him and Joey as a couple. Although, to be fair, he couldn't picture Charlie and Joey with anyone but each other. He'd never seen a more suited couple.

"Yeah, for a little while," Charlie said. "Then she came out and dated a girl called Zoe."

She pulled a face.

"I didn't like her," she admitted.

He chuckled.

"I dated a couple of guys – Roman and Angelo," she continued. "But it never felt right. They could never be Joey. Actually, the whole reason Angelo and I split up was because he knew he couldn't compete with my feelings for Joey. I think the way we felt about each other was blatantly obvious to everyone but each other. It was my Mum who finally knocked our heads together and made us stop making out every so often and actually admit that we wanted to be in a relationship."

"Your Mum?" Aden asked incredulously. "She was that supportive?"

Charlie nodded and smiled at the memory.

"She was really supportive," Charlie said. "Joey's Mum was too, although she died way before Joey and I got together for real."

He was only just getting his head around the idea of a mother – or two – that loved him. It was an alien concept that he struggled with every day but Charlie and Joey had demonstrated nothing but love and care to him and Daria since they had first walked through their door.

"What about your Dads?" he asked.

"Dad's okay about it," she told him. "He struggled a bit at first. And I have no earthly idea how Joey's Dad would have felt about it. I don't think he had any idea about either of us."

David nodded and looked out of the window.

"So, why all the interest in Joey and I?"

"I don't know," he lied.

She forced him to look at her.

"I just... how can you so easily make that decision to know that you're gay?" he asked.

***

Joey and Daria sat down to lunch quietly together. Daria sipped her juice and wondered how she could start the conversation with Joey that she wanted to have. Finally, she decided to just blurt the question out.

"Joey, how _did _you get those scars?" she asked.

A salad leaf went down the wrong way and Joey coughed hard. She gulped her water down and Daria felt guilty. Joey finally looked at her. She sipped more of her water and then carefully set it down on the table.

"Did you hurt yourself?" Daria asked as gently as possible.

Finally, Joey nodded. She took a deep breath.

"I was going through a pretty hard time and... I started hurting myself to get through it."

"What happened?"

Joey chewed her lip.

"Charlie and I were broken up and I couldn't cope."

"Why did you break up?"

Her questions were curious and gentle, if difficult. She appeared to have dropped the attitude.

"It's complicated. She thought I'd... she thought I'd betrayer her and we were both too pig headed to talk it through," Joey ventured.

She didn't really want to go into details. It was a long and painful time ago.

"Did she know you were cutting?"

Joey shook her head.

"The moment she found out, she forced me to get help," she said. "She saved me."

"And you got back together," Daria concluded.

"It took a while. But yeah, we got there. We were careful to learn to be friends again first. We were estranged for a little while, which was hard when we were living under the same roof."

Daria exhaled, too easily able to imagine a difficult living situation.

"I mean, it wasn't all about Charlie," Joey ventured. "My parents were both dead, my brother hated me, I'd been fairly badly attacked a few years before and I never really dealt with it..."

Daria nodded, feeling terribly sad for her. She sat up straighter, a little alarmed by the revelations.

"How did you recover?" she asked.

Joey sighed.

"In a way, I'm still recovering," she admitted. "I think it's kind of like people who have problems with alcohol or drugs or something. You're always recovering. You're always facing every day trying to heal from it."

"Does that mean you still do it?"

"Sometimes," Joey admitted. "Not a lot. I mean, I used to do it every day. And now I haven't done it for a year and a half. It'll always be my first coping mechanism but I do everything I can to override it and do something more constructive when I'm stressed. And mostly, I succeed."

Daria observed her thoughtfully.

"You're brave," she said.

Joey was startled at the compliment. She thanked her.

"I hope I can be like you one day."

***

"David, are you struggling with your sexuality?" Charlie asked.

David looked panicked and set to protest before sighing loudly and admitting that he was. The social worker's words about Charlie and Joey being particularly suitable parents to David suddenly sprung to mind and she wondered if she had known back when she'd placed them with them.

"I've never been attracted to girls," he ventured. "I've tried but... it just doesn't happen."

"Have you been attracted to boys?" she asked.

He nodded and gripped the edge of his seat too tightly. Charlie reached out and took his hand in hers. He immediately felt comforted.

"I don't know what to do," he said. "I mean, I think I like guys but the idea of..."

"Of...?"

"Of intercourse," he said quickly and quietly. "I don't... I don't like that idea. It scares me. I don't want to do that but... but... if I like men then how can I...?"

Charlie reached over and hugged him as he became more distressed.

"David, there are other ways to have sex than intercourse," she said calmly. "I mean, that's not the be all and end all when it comes to sexual relationships. And when you... when you meet the right person, you'll know what feels right for you, whether that be intercourse or not."

"Do you think there are other gay guys who feel the same as me?" David wondered.

It wasn't something she'd spent a lot of time thinking about but she was sure there must be and she told him so.

***

Joey reached out to hold Daria's hands once the teenager had pulled her sleeves back down. She'd shown Joey a multitude of scars at the tops of her arms and on her shoulders. The teenager was shaking a little. It wasn't something she had even shared with her twin and David pretty much knew everything there was to know about her.

"It started when I was a kid," she ventured. "Things were so bad at home and I couldn't cope. It was the only thing that made me feel better."

"How old were you?" Joey asked.

"Nine," Daria admitted.

Joey's heart broke a little more.

"I cut, obviously," Daria said. "And I punched things."

She showed her fists to Joey who realised for the first time that they were covered in little scars.

"Everyone, including David, think that it was a loss of angry control or something," Daria said. "They think I was acting out but really, I just wanted to feel pain."

Joey nodded sadly.

"And I used to take pills to give myself a tummy ache. I hate being sick. I really hate it. So I used to punish myself."

Joey could identify far too easily with what she was saying.

"Are you still doing all this regularly?" she asked worriedly.

Daria nodded.

"Not as much as before," she added quickly. "I feel... happy here."

Joey smiled.

"I'm glad," she said. "And I'm glad you told me this. If you'll let me, I'd like to help you through it."

Daria nodded. They stood at the same time and hugged each other for the first time since they'd met. They broke apart when Charlie and David entered the house, saying their hellos. Daria immediately stepped back, feeling embarrassed at being caught in an affectionate moment. Charlie and Joey eyed each other a little curiously as they wondered what each twin had needed them for.


	79. Chapter 79

_And here is your last instalment of Interwoven before my dreaded hospital visit. It's short compared to the usual but I hope you like it. Future spoilers..._

_We'll learn more about the twins_

_A character will die and others will be injured_

_And there will be a wedding (not the one that's in this chapter!)_

_Enjoy! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Seventy-Nine**

**August 2015**

That night, tucked up in bed, Charlie and Joey were eager to learn what had happened with the twins that day. It felt like huge progress with a boy who hardly spoke and a girl who was always so cagey.

"Did David say you could share?" Joey asked hopefully.

Charlie nodded.

"He thinks he's gay," she said.

Joey puzzled over it for a moment and then nodded.

"I guess that makes sense," she decided.

"Really?" Charlie asked, sitting up a little against the pillows. "It threw me through a loop!"

Joey chuckled and snuggled in a little closer.

"Well, he's never expressed any interest in girls," Joey ventured. "And he's quite... I don't know."

She didn't want to say effeminate but it was the word that sprung to mind, even if only a little.

"I guess," Charlie said. "Mind you, it took me forever to realise I was gay, let alone anyone else!"

Joey giggled and kissed her.

"I'm assuming that Daria swore you to secrecy?" Charlie asked.

Joey sat up.

"I believe what she said was 'you're going to go and tell Charlie anyway so you may as bloody well'."

Charlie snorted. She could picture the scene perfectly.

"What's been going on with her then?" she asked.

Joey sighed and hung her head.

"She has the same problem as I've had," she ventured quietly.

Charlie studied her face curiously.

"Such as..."

Joey made a cutting gesture against her arms. Charlie's heart sank.

"She's cutting?" she asked.

"And overdosing and punching things..."

She sank back into Charlie's embrace. Charlie held her tightly.

"What did you say?" she asked.

"I just said that I wanted to help," Joey replied. "What could I say really? I want to help."

Charlie nodded.

"If anyone can take care of her through this, it's you."

"And you," Joey pointed out.

"Me?"

Joey looked at her directly.

"Charlie, you were the one who got me through all of that," Joey said. "You were amazing."

Charlie sighed, not feeling convinced. She still harboured a lot of guilt over everything had happened.

"You were," Joey insisted. "You still are."

She leant a little closer and kissed her tenderly.

***

The following morning, Daria appeared to have completely closed up. Her expression was sullen and moody as she sank into the kitchen chair. Charlie was making breakfast and she added another two slices to the toaster for Daria. Joey poured an extra glass of juice. David wasn't up yet or at least he hadn't come downstairs. Charlie and Joey sat down with Daria and began to make polite conversation. Daria studied Charlie.

"What?" Charlie finally asked.

"Do you feel guilty?" she asked.

"For...?"

"Making Joey cut herself."

"Daria!" Joey snapped angrily.

The teenager just shrugged. Charlie went pale. _Yes_, she thought, _I feel terrible_. Joey turned to her partner.

"That is not what I said yesterday," she promised.

"It's okay..." Charlie lied.

"But I didn't say that. I don't think it."

She turned back to Daria, looking and feeling furious.

"How dare you say that to Charlie!"

"I was just asking," Daria replied sourly.

She dumped her breakfast and stormed back out of the room. Charlie excused herself and headed out of the back door in order to get some air. Joey didn't waste a minute in following her. She put her arms around her and insisted that nothing that happened was her fault.

***

David heard a door slam. He knew without looking that Daria was in a bad mood. Hauling himself out of bed and pulling a t-shirt on, he headed into her room. She was curled up on her bed. Sliding onto the mattress beside her, he silently reached out and pulled her into his arms.

"What happened?"

"I said something stupid."

He feigned shock and made her laugh.

"What did you say?"

"I accused Charlie of causing Joey to self harm."

David sighed and held her a little tighter.

"I know it wasn't her fault but..."

She trailed off.

"You needed someone to blame," David concluded.

Daria nodded. Nobody could comfort or understand her like her twin brother did.

"Because that's what happened when you started cutting."

She looked up sharply.

"Excuse me?"

"There was someone to blame for that," he said. "You did it because of what happened."

She drew away from him, puzzled and afraid.

"How do you know I...?"

"I'm your twin. I'm your brother. I'm your best friend," he replied.

She nodded and sank back against him.

"So were you telling Charlie that you're gay yesterday?" she asked.

This time it was his turn to jerk away.

"Excuse me?" he said, completely panicked.

"Were you coming out to her?" she asked slowly, pronouncing every word.

"How do you know?" he wondered.

She pulled him closer and got comfortable on his shoulder.

"I'm your twin. I'm your sister. And I'm your best friend," she replied.

***

Joey was unhappy when Charlie pulled on her helmet and leather jacket and went out for a ride, promising to be back soon. Joey felt like she had failed to protect her from Daria's words and she felt awful. She was sure she hadn't blamed her yesterday but maybe she hadn't said things right or explained properly. And they had been interrupted before they could really finish the discussion. She began to scrape plates and stack dishes in the sink, clinking the china together a little too hard as she struggled with her emotions.

***

An hour later, Daria agreed to venture back downstairs and try to make things right. She and David had shared both their secrets and vowed to help each other. She paused on the stairs when she heard voices in the living room. Stopping, she listened.

***

Charlie had arrived back home after a short while and Joey gratefully received her. They sat on the sofa together holding hands.

"Charlie, you didn't do anything wrong," Joey said gently.

Charlie sighed heavily.

"I hurt you," she pointed out.

"We hurt each other," Joey corrected. "It was a horrible time for both of us. But what I did... how I coped... that was nothing to do with you. It's called _self _injury for a reason, okay? And it wasn't just about the break up. It was a whole host of things that had hurt me and I hadn't dealt with it."

"But I made it worse..."

"Charlie, my parents were dead, my brother hated me, Robbo tried to..."

She swallowed and forced herself to continue.

"Losing you was one of the worst times of my life and yes, it may have been the last straw for me but it wasn't your fault."

Charlie nodded. She didn't think she'd ever forgive herself completely but she was grateful that Joey didn't seem to hold her responsible for anything.

"Losing you was one of the worst things that has ever happened in my life," she said. "It's on a par with losing Mum."

She chewed her lip anxiously.

"I hate myself for hurting you."

"Don't," Joey pleaded. "I don't want you to ever hate yourself, Charlie. I love you. You mean everything to me. We ran into trouble like everyone does from time to time but we came back stronger than ever. We got over it. There's nothing to feel bad about now."

Charlie nodded and looked down at their clasped hands. Charlie broke free and stroked Joey's face. Joey leant forward and kissed her.

"I love you," she said.

"I love you too," Charlie replied, kissing her again.

**September 2015**

Charlie was particularly pleased when she headed out to Crumble to meet Joey, Daria and David for dinner. Hugo's appeal had been turned down and he was to remain in prison for the next eight years. It was definitely good news. The whole station had been relieved and Charlie was hoping to get to tell Leah the good news. She smiled when she saw her family already at the table perusing the menu.

"Hey," she said brightly.

Things had been a little awkward between her and Daria for a while but Charlie felt like they had sorted things out now and peace was now residing over the house.

"Hey, Charlie," Joey greeted.

Charlie bent to kiss her and said hello to the twins as she settled into her seat.

"Can we order?" Daria asked. "I'm starving!"

Joey giggled.

"She's been complaining from the moment she stepped out of school!"

"I didn't eat lunch!" Daria protested.

"And why not?" David challenged, knowing the exact answer.

"I might have had detention," Daria mumbled.

"What did you do?" Joey sighed.

She had never known a girl to get into trouble so much at school. But she was usually harmless enough. Charlie looked up and saw Leah serving behind the counter.

"Is everyone ready to order?" she asked. "I'll take it up there."

The others made their food bids and Charlie headed up to Leah. She placed their orders and then took her to one side. Things had been a little awkward between the two of them for a while after Angelo's hearing but Charlie was glad that it had got back to normal pretty quickly. Leah had reluctantly accepted that Charlie had just done what she perceived to be the right thing.

"Is everything okay?" Leah asked.

"Yeah, it's fine. I just wanted to say that Hugo's appeal has been refused," Charlie said.

Leah didn't know whether she wanted to smile or cry. Instead, she did a mix of both and pulled Charlie into a hug. Charlie hugged her back and watched her hurry back into the kitchen. Leah flung her arms around Roman who hugged her back.

"Hugo's appeal got refused," she said.

He smiled and hugged her again. The two had been tentatively seeing each other for a couple of weeks now. It was very early days and Leah was particularly shy and anxious about being with someone new after Vinnie. So far, it was all a secret. Leah wanted to tell VJ first but she hadn't managed it yet. It all felt too fragile to start shouting it from the rooftops just yet. Charlie returned to the table.

"What did I miss?" she asked.

David was blushing and Daria was smirking.

"Nothing!" David said quickly.

"David's got a boyfriend!" Daria teased.

"Really?" Charlie grinned.

David blushed more.

"No!" he insisted.

"But he does have a date with a boy called Jake," Joey said.

David poked his tongue out at her. Joey just laughed.

"Daria has a date too!" he suddenly announced.

She kicked him hard under the table. He yelped and rubbed his shin.

"Who have you got a date with?" Charlie asked a little cautiously.

"Nobody," Daria lied.

"Xavier!" David announced.

Neither Charlie nor Joey could hide their surprise that they daughter was dating her aunt's ex-boyfriend. That didn't seem to make sense at all but looking at the way she was trying to hide her smile and sheer delight, they decided not to object, at least for now.

***

One week later, the whole town had filed in for Aden and Belle's wedding. It had been a long time coming and they had had so many ups and downs. They were both thrilled to be finally taking that step and, standing beside her best friend, Joey was proud to be Aden's best woman. In the third pew, Charlie sat with Daria and David who had both brought guests – Xavier and Jake. The twins had gone on their dates with the boys and both had gone well. David and Jake were both feeling pretty shy about their relationship and neither was keen to make a big statement about their sexualities but so far, things were going well. They were happy. In the pew behind them, Ruby frowned at Daria and Xavier. She couldn't quite get her head around her twenty-three year old ex-boyfriend dating a teenager who was still in school. Geoff shifted uncomfortably. Ruby had ranted about it all of last night and it was making him feel a little insecure. If she was that irate about Xavier dating someone new after all this time, then what on earth was she doing about to move in with him? Did she still have feelings for him? He was confused and anxious and he had no idea how to talk to her about it.

***

The day after the wedding, where they had all seen Aden and Belle go off on their honeymoon, the Buckton and Collins house was taking it easy. Joey was in the bath and Daria had skipped off for a date with Xavier leaving David to challenge Charlie to a wrestling match on the Wii they'd indulged in for Joey's birthday. Charlie was triumphant and David sank back in defeat, dumping the remote and nunchuck on the sofa next to him.

"Are things okay now?" he asked. "With you and Daria?"

Charlie put her own controllers down and nodded.

"Yeah, we fixed things."

"She didn't mean what she said, you know. She was just..."

He sighed, unsure of how to explain without giving away secrets.

"When she starting self-harming, it was because of something that happened to her. She had someone to blame, someone who deserved it. And I guess she has an assumption that someone must have made Joey hurt herself."

Charlie nodded thoughtfully.

"What happened to her?"

"I can't..."

Both of them sighed.

"It's just... it's the kind of thing that she needs to tell you herself," David said. "It's not my place."

"It's okay," Charlie said. "You don't need to explain."

She smiled at him and then picked up her controllers again.

"Ready for round two?" she challenged.

He nodded and they immediately started the game.


	80. Chapter 80

_Hi everyone. Here is a nice long update of _Interwoven _for you as my last offering before I disappear. I will be back on Sunday or Monday and I should start posting again after that. I will miss you all so much! And thank you to everyone who has wished me well. I am so frightened of this treatment and I have no idea what it is going to mean for my life so all your support is appreciated more than I could ever really tell you. I hope you like the chapter and I will be back with you soon. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Eighty**

**November 2016**

Joey was feeling nervous, although Charlie was being extremely encouraging. The art class that Joey had been attending for years now, was hosting a gallery and some of Joey's work had been selected to be part of it. To this day, Joey was still very shy of her work and didn't show it to many people. Charlie saw everything and Aden had wrestled a few drawings from her at random intervals but generally, she was very private about the whole thing. But this evening, Joey's family and friends, including the twins, would be coming to admire her art.

"You'll be great, Joey," David said confidently.

"How do you even know?" Daria asked. "You haven't seen anything she's drawn!"

"I'm being supportive!" David snapped. "Why don't you try it?"

She merely poked her tongue out, prompting Charlie to make a comment about maturity. The twins were now eighteen years old and just about to finish school. Daria had no idea what she wanted to do next but David had approached Joey and asked if she needed anymore crew members on her trawler. With their workload constantly increasing, Joey had opted to take him and another guy on for at least over the summer and then they could see how it went. She had decided to switch the crew around a little so that David and the new boy, Nick, would be working with Aden and Geoff. That way, David wouldn't feel like he was working with his Mum. Liam and Tony would be moving to the trawler run by her and Sarah.

"You're not really helping," Joey told her family.

She was a little pale. Charlie leant over and kissed her cheek.

"You'll be amazing," she said. "And we will all be there to support you."

She shot a look at Daria who nodded.

"Thanks," Joey said, although she wasn't feeling terribly confident.

She looked at her watch.

"If we don't want to be late, we'd better get going."

Charlie nodded and finished the last of her orange juice. The twins got to their feet and the foursome trooped out of the door together.

***

An hour later, Charlie and the twins were sat in the cafe while Joey and her classmates finished getting the room ready for the evening.

"Is she good?" Daria asked,

Charlie nodded. Maybe she was biased but she was a firm fan of Joey's artwork. And she didn't think she'd ever forget that day when she'd posed as Joey's model for a life drawing. That had been a lot of fun!

"I'm really looking forward to seeing her stuff," David said.

"I'm interested," Daria admitted.

While she got on a lot better with Charlie and Joey, especially Joey, than she had with any of her other guardians, she was not the kind of person to be overly nice to anyone. Well, she was nice to David and Xavier but twin and boyfriend overruled anything else, she was fairly sure. One thing she definitely appreciated Charlie and Joey for was their understanding of self-harm. She was doing it far less now and found she could actually go and talk to her guardians about it. They didn't judge or condemn and it made her feel safe.

***

"Ready to go?" Aden asked.

Belle finished putting her earrings in and said she was. She knew Aden was eager to get to his best friend's art gallery and having got a job at a local magazine, Belle had decided to go as a reporter to showcase local artists. The couple had moved into Roman and Nicole's place a couple of months ago and both were enjoying living together. Roman and Nicole were living with Leah and VJ and so far, that seemed to be going well, although it had taken Leah a long time to get her head around being with anyone but Vinnie. But married life was suiting Aden and Belle and they felt like they had rectified all the things that had gone wrong for them in the past. They were friends with Nicole again, still gave Angelo a rather wide berth and insisted on being open and honest with each other at all times.

"Let's do it," Belle said, grabbing her camera and her handbag.

***

By nine o'clock, most of the town had turned out to see Joey's class's artwork. The students served drinks and nibbles and milled around so that their teacher could direct people to speak to them about their individual pieces.

"Joey, this stuff is pretty awesome," Watson said, slinging an arm around her friend.

Joey smiled. She was starting to relax a little more.

"And did you see the hot life drawing over there?"

She pointed to a corner of the room. Joey nodded.

"I wouldn't mind joining your class if you get to do stuff like that!"

Behind her, Sarah cleared her throat. Watson kissed her cheek in apology.

"What do you think?" Charlie asked the twins.

David immediately became enthusiastic. Daria didn't reply but headed straight towards Joey and surprised her with a hug.

"Your work is amazing," she said.

Joey smiled but couldn't find the words to respond. Such appreciation was unprecedented. Daria walked away as quickly as she had arrived and headed over to Xavier. Charlie and Joey exchanged puzzled glances.

"That was her being affectionate," David explained.

"Works for me," Joey grinned.

***

Charlie and Joey headed home with David and Daria. Wide awake and pointing out that it was a Friday night, the twins convinced Charlie and Joey that it was perfectly acceptable for them to stay up watching DVD's. Charlie and Joey headed up to their room to go to bed. Joey was still brimming with enthusiasm for how well the night had gone and privately, she had no intention to sleep.

***

Roman hauled himself off the couch when there was a knock at the door. Leaving Leah to the television, he opened up and stared at his visitor.

"Gardy!" he managed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Just visiting a mate!" Gardy said, nudging past him. "Some cop gave me your address."

Roman followed him helplessly into the lounge.

"Leah!" Gardy said.

Leah dropped her glass of wine all over the sofa in shock. The man she'd lost her virginity to and been dumped by all those years ago, was standing in her living room.

"You struck gold!" Gardy told Roman and plonked himself into an armchair.

Leah and Roman glanced helplessly at each other.

"What happened to that other chick?" Gardy asked. "Charlie or something?"

"She's a lesbian," Roman told him, sitting beside Leah.

"Is that your power over women?" Gardy exclaimed. "Watch out, Leah!"

He laughed at his own joke.

"Gardy, what the hell are you doing here?" Roman asked.

***

Angelo left the Jukebox after a sober evening with Liam and headed back to his apartment. He'd had a nice evening but he felt particularly low. And the more he thought about it, the more he believed it was time to move on. Nothing good ever happened to him in this town. The first time around, he'd lost Charlie and then Belle. This time around, he'd failed to get with Charlie and lost Belle again and then he'd accidentally killed Vinnie. It had been a couple of years now and while Leah still couldn't quite look him in the eye, the rest of the people he knew seemed to have settled. He'd had a small promotion, which was nothing compared to the way Charlie was charging through the ranks. He was alone and unhappy. The big city life was calling again and he was keen to break free of the invisible chains that seemed to bind him now.

***

Charlie and Joey kissed their way to the bed, having kicked the door shut on the world.

"I was so proud of you tonight," Charlie murmured into Joey's neck.

Joey smiled and wrapped her arms around Charlie.

"I must admit I'm feeling pretty pleased with myself," Joey replied.

Charlie rested her girlfriend on the mattress and began to undo her shirt. She kissed every bit of flesh she managed to expose.

"Good," she said. "Because you, my beautiful Joey, are incredible."

***

"Do you think Joey would consider selling any of her stuff?" Geoff asked Ruby.

They'd gone to the gallery and Geoff had been particularly impressed with his boss's talent.

"Why?" Ruby asked curiously.

They had moved into their apartment almost a year ago and after Ruby had assured her boyfriend that she was only irritated by Xavier and Daria's relationship because it was weird, not because she was still interested in her ex, things had been going perfectly.

"I just thought that picture of the beach was beautiful," Geoff said. "And it'd look great on that wall."

He pointed to a blank space above their fireplace that they'd been meaning to put a painting on since they moved in. Ruby nodded.

"I'll ask her," she said.

"Plus, I think it'd make her pretty happy to think that people liked her stuff that much."

Ruby grinned and kissed his cheek.

"I love how you care so much about people," she said.

He smiled back and put his arm around her.

"Well, she is practically family these days!"

***

Joey gasped in sheer delight as she reached climax. Charlie continued to tease as she recovered and then moved up the bed the curl up into her, draping her leg and arm over Joey's lightly perspiring body. They kissed.

"If that's my reward for doing that gallery, I'll do it again!" Joey grinned.

Charlie snuggled into her neck and kissed her delicately.

"I love you. You know that, right?"

Joey smiled and stroked her hair.

"I know," she said softly. "And I love you too. And I love that you love me."

Charlie gazed up at her.

"I remember being the twins' age and wondering how I'd cope just being your best friend for the rest of our lives," Joey ventured. "Being like our Mums, you know? I hated the idea of you going home to your husband while I probably lived in the house next door!"

Charlie chuckled and held Joey's hand.

"I remember that morning, after Mum was diagnosed and I came to sleep with you because I didn't feel safe by myself," she said. "The night you didn't tell me you'd been beaten up."

They both frowned at the memory.

"And I had no idea how we'd turn out but I hoped that whenever I was lost or scared, like I was that night, that we'd be able to hold each other like that and be there for each other."

Joey nodded. She had been thinking much the same thing.

"You told me I was your safety," she said almost dreamily.

"You were," Charlie said. "You still are. You always will be."

***

Downstairs, Daria looked like she had something on her mind.

"What's up?" David finally asked.

He switched the television off in order to give his sister his full attention. Daria shifted in her seat and licked her lips.

"I was just wondering..." she began.

Then she fell silent.

"Yes?" David nudged.

"You know when you were with Jake...?"

He nodded.

He and Jake had dated for six months but now David was firmly single again and he'd decided that he preferred it that way. Daria and Xavier were still going strong and David was sure her boyfriend was turning Daria into a nicer person.

"Did you... you know?"

David shook his head quickly.

"That was half the reason we split up," he said, looking down and twisting his hands in his lap.

Daria nodded.

"Are you and Xavier...?"

She shook her head, also twisting her hands in her lap.

"He wants to," she explained. "But I just... How can I ever...?"

She sighed heavily and closed her eyes, relieved that at least she had someone to talk to about it. David made her feel like less of a freak, or maybe that they were freaks together. He reached out and touched her hand.

"It's okay," he said gently.

"It's not," she replied quickly. "Xave's older than me. He's had sex before. With Ruby!"

She pulled a face.

"He's not going to wait around for me. He could have anyone he wanted."

"But he wants you," David pointed out. "I'm sure he'll wait."

"Why did you say you and Jake split again?" Daria shot back.

He sighed. She had a point.

"Why don't you talk to him about it?" David suggested.

They both looked horrified at the thought.

"Maybe not," he sighed.

***

"He can't stay here!" Leah insisted when Gardy excused himself to the bathroom.

"It's just for one night," Roman said.

He didn't really want to get on the wrong side of his old best friend.

"I don't like him," Leah hissed.

He looked at her seriously.

"You used to," he said.

She flushed pink and frowned.

"He is not a nice guy," she said firmly. "I don't want him staying in this house, with my son and your daughter."

Roman ran his hands through his hair. It wasn't a situation he was particularly comfortable with either but he didn't know what else to do.

***

Xavier lay in bed alone, unable to sleep. He'd asked Daria to come and spend the night with him but she'd declined and then avoided him for most of the night. They had been dating for over a year now and while he was aware that she was a few years younger than him, she was still eighteen and he would have thought she'd be interested in taking things a little further than kissing by now. Ruby had been reluctant when they were together but even she had been more willing than Daria. And he didn't want to be selfish about it, he didn't want to pressure her, but the whole thing was becoming very frustrating.

***

Charlie kissed Joey and wrapped herself in her dressing gown. Their love making had been somewhat thirsty work so she'd opted to head downstairs and get glasses of water for them both before they finally settled down to sleep. The light was still on downstairs and she paused when she heard the twins talking.

"I just... how am I ever going to have sex with him after what happened?" Daria wondered.

Charlie was immediately worried and she couldn't help but wonder what Xavier had done to her daughter. David sighed loudly.

"You'll get there," the young man said. "We both will. I guess that kind of thing just takes time."

Charlie furrowed her brow, wondering what they were talking about and if they were okay. She turned and crept back up the stairs, water forgotten, in order to discuss what she'd heard with Joey.

***

The following morning, Gardy made himself far too comfortable at the kitchen table. VJ wasn't particularly fazed by their new guest but Nicole took an instant dislike to him and excused herself as early as she could. Leah took VJ out to see Vinnie's mother, like she often did at a weekend, leaving Roman and Gardy to talk.

"Mate, it's good to see you and everything," Roman lied. "But this is Leah's house. You can't just stay here."

"You live here too," Gardy pointed out. "Don't you get a say?"

"Not really," Roman said. "Nic and I moved in. Leah and her late husband own this place."

"She's a widow?" Gardy asked.

Roman nodded.

"I guess people do die young," Gardy commented, offering Roman a knowing look.

The restaurant owner shifted and looked down.

"Gardy, you've got to go," he said.

"Roman, I'm going nowhere," he said confidently. "And I'm going to make as big a nuisance of myself as I possibly can!"

***

Charlie and Joey were sleepy the following morning, having stayed up for most of the night fretting about the twins. Sitting at the breakfast table, they looked at their charges anxiously.

"What?" Daria snapped.

"We were just wondering if there was anything you'd like to talk to us about," Charlie ventured.

"I haven't done anything wrong!" Daria was quick to insist.

"We know," Joey said gently. "We know. But... is there anything bothering either of you?"

The twins exchanged glances, their conversation from the night before flashing through their minds.

"No," Daria said firmly.

There was no way she was talking to Charlie or Joey about anything like that, despite how much she had reluctantly come to love them. David also shook his head and excused himself to go and check the mail.

"Daria," Charlie tried again. "If there's something you need support with, you know you can trust us."

"I don't need any help," Daria insisted. "And you don't need to worry about either of us. We'll be out of your hair in a month."

Charlie and Joey looked alarmed.

"What?" Joey asked meekly. "Where are you going?"

"I don't know," Daria said dismissively. "But we'll have finished school so you have no obligation towards us."

It wasn't something any of them had talked about before.

"We're not kicking you out," Charlie said. "We like having you here."

Daria shrugged, unsure of why she had even brought it up. She certainly didn't want to go anywhere. David reappeared and dumped a letter in front of Joey, hoping the conversation had turned by now.

"David, are you planning on leaving?" Charlie asked worriedly as Joey opened her letter.

"What? When?" David asked, bewildered.

"I just pointed out that they don't have to care about us or for us after school finishes," Daria explained.

David looked worried.

"And now we'd like to point out that stopping caring about you isn't an option and caring for you... well, we don't want you to leave," Charlie said. "Isn't that right, Joey?"

"What?" Joey asked, looking startled.

"What's the letter about?" Daria asked.

"Uh..."

She handed it over to Charlie. It was from the court saying that Robbo had been refused parole and his appeal had been rejected. Relief flooded Charlie and she dropped the letter to hug Joey.

"What is it?" Daria asked, taking the letter before either Charlie or Joey could stop her.

"Who's Robert Cruze?" she asked.

David listened in with interest.

"He's um... he's a bad guy," Joey managed.

"What did he do?"

"He attacked me," Joey said, getting to her feet in order to clear the breakfast things away.

"Attacked you how?" Daria asked, not daring to look at David.

"He just..." Joey shrugged. "Bashed me about and stuff."

Daria finally did look at her brother.

"And he's in jail now?" David asked, taking the letter from Daria.

Joey turned back to the table and snatched it away.

"Yes," she said. "And it's exactly where he belongs so let's say no more about it, okay?"

"How did you know him?" Daria asked.

"That's not saying no more about it," Charlie pointed out, wanting to rescue her partner.

Joey sighed.

"We worked together," she said. "And he was my ex-girlfriend's brother. Can we talk about something else now please?"

Daria sighed heavily and excused herself. David followed quickly. Charlie stood to hug her girlfriend. She kissed the top of her head.

"We still need to talk to them about what you heard," Joey told Charlie.

"I know," Charlie replied. "We will. But we need to make sure you're okay first."

"I am. And the letter is good news. It just..."

"Brought it all back?"

Joey nodded.

"Well then let's do whatever necessary to put it back in the past, okay?"

***

As the afternoon rolled around, Roman had relented and gone to the Jukebox for a couple of beers with Gardy. As much as it unnerved him, it felt quite nice to be back with his old army buddy. It seemed like a lifetime ago that they, along with Mark, had rocked up in this town and won the hearts of the local girls – Charlie, Leah and Rachel. So much had happened since then. Mark was dead and Roman and Gardy had gone their separate ways. Rachel was living with Tony, Charlie was with Joey and Roman had finally ended up with Gardy's conquest, Leah, a woman he had fallen deeply for. He'd being united with his daughter, bought into a business and made a life for himself here. He just hoped that Gardy wouldn't mess anything up.

***

Joey busied herself in the garden, unaware that Daria had stepped out the back door was sitting on the swing bench, watching her work. She couldn't help but puzzle over what had happened that morning. She'd never seen Joey panic like that or become so cagey. Normally she was so open about things but the mention of this Robert guy had shaken her.

***

Inside the house, David approached Charlie in the kitchen.

"Did that guy attack Joey... you know, sexually?" he blurted out.

Charlie looked startled and froze for a moment. She was surprised and unsure what she ought to say.

"What makes you say that?" she asked, both stalling for time and genuinely interested.

David shrugged and sat in a chair.

"Just wondering," he said.

She came down and sat opposite him.

"What would make you assume something like that?" she asked, studying his face as he shifted uncomfortably in his seat and wished he'd never brought it up.

"I was just wondering," he said. "Because she looked all frightened."

"I'll answer your question if you'll answer something for me," Charlie proposed.

He nodded uncertainly and waited for her to continue.

***

Joey turned in surprise when she realised Daria was outside and watching her.

"How long have you been here?" she asked.

Daria just shrugged so Joey came to sit beside her. She took a deep breath of fresh air.

"I used to help Charlie's Mum with this garden," she said. "When it got too hard for her to mow the lawn and stuff, I used to help out and stuff."

"Is that your way of trying to get me to help?"Daria asked with a grin.

Joey chuckled.

"No," she said. "I'm still young and fit enough. And I enjoy it."

"Joey, what did that guy do to you?" Daria asked suddenly.

Joey sighed and studied her face. The teenager looked as if the answer was extremely important to her.

"He assaulted me," she said. "After he caught me and his sister together, he assaulted me. And then he bullied me for a long period of time before finally, he attempted to rape me."

Daria's eyes widened. She reached for Joey's hand, surprising them both.

"Are you sure there isn't anything you want to talk about?" Joey asked.


	81. Chapter 81

**Chapter Eighty-One**

**November 2016**

"That's when I turned bad," Daria said.

Joey kept an arm around her and shook her head.

"You're not bad, Daria," she said softly.

Daria looked at her.

"Difficult?" she suggested.

"Challenging," Joey said after a few moments of silence. "But that doesn't stop you being a wonderful person."

Daria just shrugged. She couldn't believe that she was actually telling anyone about the abuse she'd suffered when she was nine years old. She trembled slightly. Joey hugged her a little tighter.

"We got ourselves into loads of trouble," she explained. "Until his wife had had enough and sent us back to the home. And ever since then... well, we haven't stayed anywhere long enough for it to happen again."

She looked back up at Joey.

"So, there was a method to my madness," she said, wanting to explain herself. "It's not that I want to be horrible or anything. It's just..."

"Easier to push people away," Joey concluded.

Daria nodded and wiped her eyes.

"But you and Charlie were different. You're both women for starters. That definitely made David more inclined to give you a shot. And you never rose to my bait so..."

"We'd never hurt you," Joey promised.

"I know," Daria said. "I know that. I must do if I'm telling you about this."

***

Charlie had moved to sit beside David instead of opposite him. She held his hand as she listened to him explain the day that he'd walked in and found their foster father sexually assaulting his twin sister. Charlie squeezed her eyes shut. She'd heard a tale like this on more than one occasion but the only thing that could rival her kids telling her about it, was the day that Joey had broken down and opened up.

"He panicked," David explained. "And to make sure I didn't convince Dar to tell anyone or press charges or anything, he..."

The teenager exhaled loudly and closed his eyes.

"He raped me too."

Charlie held him a little closer and kissed the top of his head. Her heart felt like it was breaking.

"That's why I was so freaked over being gay," David added, clearing his throat. "Because if I like boys then surely that means I enjoyed...?"

"No," Charlie said quickly and firmly. "It doesn't mean that."

David looked at her.

"You really think so?" he asked.

"David, listen to me... what happened to you, it was wrong. It was horrific. I can't even imagine what you went through. But being gay or straight is irrelevant, I can assure you."

David nodded, feeling comforted. Daria had told him a hundred times since he'd come out but somehow, having knowledge from an experienced adult was more reassuring.

"I wasn't able to sleep with Jake," he said. "That's why he dumped me. He got frustrated. But I... I just don't know how to even think about something like that. And Daria... she's the same. Xavier wants to but she's too scared."

Charlie nodded. She had no idea how to stop being scared after that kind of trauma.

"Daria's going to kill me for telling you," David said before she could think of something to say.

"She won't," Charlie said confidently. "I think she'll be grateful for the chance to talk about it."

***

"Xavier keeps wanting to... you know," Daria told Joey. "But I just don't know if I could."

"I panicked about that after what happened with Robbo," Joey admitted. "And he only nearly... But the person I was with after that, was Charlie and it was a while after the fact and... it just felt right. You shouldn't do it unless it feels right. And also, Charlie knew what had happened. That helped."

Daria looked up sharply.

"I'm not telling Xavier a thing," she said. "It's taken nine years to tell someone like you! And I only told you because I figured you'd been through something similar."

Joey sighed.

"When did you tell David?" she asked.

"I didn't," Daria admitted. "He found out."

She suddenly burst into tears, surprising them both. Tearfully, she explained what had happened to her twin.

***

An hour later, Charlie took David by the hand and led him outside to Joey. She paused when she saw Daria curled up in her arms, crying quietly. Charlie held onto David and they sat down on the swing bench in silence.

***

**December 2016**

Aden banged loudly on the bathroom door and yelled at Gardy to hurry up. When Roman's friend had arrived in town, Leah had put her foot down about him staying with them. Still a homeowner and renting to Aden and Belle, Roman had moved his friend in there. When Aden had objected, Roman had simply told him he could move out if he wanted to. The last few weeks had been horrible. Gardy was loud, obnoxious and messy and not a day went by without making some kind of comment towards Belle. He was grating on Aden's last nerve. When there was no response from the bathroom, he banged louder and more angrily.

"Would you get the hell out?" he yelled.

The door opened and steam engulfed him.

"You might struggle," Gardy said. "I think I used all the hot water."

***

David was still feeling nervous. He'd been working on the trawler for the last two weeks and he was still getting used to it all. He was grateful and disappointed in equal measure that he was working under Aden and not Joey. Part of him was glad that he was able to step out of Joey's shadow and not be the boss's kid, but part of him knew he would have appreciated being looked after by her. Life felt pretty fragile these days and he and Daria were trying to come to terms with revealing their past. They couldn't have asked for more supportive, loving parents than Charlie and Joey. With a bit of persuasion, they had agreed to go to counselling sessions once a week. They'd been disappointed not to be doing them together but they both knew they had to face this on their own as well as with a united front. One problem, however, with working on the trawler with Aden and Geoff was that he also had to work with Nick. They'd been in the same year at school and while they hadn't really known each other then, they didn't like each other now. Every so often, Nick would offer some kind of comment, usually about David being gay, and it was starting to irritate him.

***

Charlie, Watson, Jack and their colleagues were all assembled in the reception of the police station to say goodbye to Angelo. He'd requested a transfer out to another station and it hadn't been met with any objection.

"Thanks for this," Angelo said, lifting up the watch they had clubbed together to buy him.

"Good luck, Angelo," Jack said, shaking his hand.

Watson moved in to hug him and patted him on the back.

"Good luck," she said.

Charlie stepped up and hugged him. He held on a little too tightly.

"I'll miss you," he said, desperate for her to tell him she felt the same.

She didn't. She stepped back and smiled politely.

"I hope everything goes well in your new place," she said.

Everyone turned when Ross appeared from out of his office. Charlie was pleased that her father was making the effort to say goodbye.

***

"Okay, you want to know why I'm here?" Gardy said as he and Roman sat down for a drink.

Roman looked up sharply. He very much wanted to know so that Gardy would get out of his life for good. Nobody liked him and his presence was unsettling to say the least.

"Money," Gardy told him.

"Excuse me?" Roman said.

"Money. You have it. I want it."

"I'm not giving you any money!" Roman insisted.

"That's what I said to the guy hassling me," Gardy explained.

He pulled a photo out of his back pocket.

"Look familiar?" he asked.

Roman was startled. The picture looked like Mark. It wasn't him but the likeness was unmistakable.

"What the...?"

"Eliot," Gardy explained. "Mark's younger brother. He came looking for the truth about what happened."

Roman shifted uncomfortably. He scanned the Jukebox, checking that nobody was around to hear them talking.

"He was very threatening," Gardy said, amused. "But he can't threaten me physically. What he can do is expose us. But I did a little digging into his life and found he's in debt up to his eyes. So I offered him some bail out money in exchange for leaving me alone."

"And what's this got to do with me?" Roman asked, knowing the answer.

"He needs ten grand," Gardy said. "I don't have the full amount and besides, I figured I shouldn't have to cope with the full strain. You were part of it. We both were. You have to pay as well."

Roman sighed. Arguing wasn't an option but he tried anyway.

"I don't have that kind of money," he said.

"Well, you've got a week to find it," Gardy said. "Or I'll make sure that people know that what happened with Mark was nothing to do with me."

***

"For fuck's sake!" Aden yelled when he stubbed his toe on the way off the trawler for lunch.

The rest of his crew exchanged glances.

"Are you okay?" Geoff asked.

"Yeah," Aden sighed. "I'm just that close to moving out."

The foursome met up with Joey, Liam, Sarah and Tony. Joey slung an arm around her best friend.

"Belle driving you crazy?" she smirked.

"Ha, ha," Aden replied sourly. "I swear, I could swing for Gardy."

"I wouldn't!" Sarah said. "He's built like a brick."

"You don't think I could take him?" Aden asked, not sure if he agreed or was offended.

"Not even nearly!" David smirked.

"Better chance than you," Nick commented quietly.

David sighed and moved round to Joey's other side. Nick didn't make comments when the boss was within hearing distance. It made him feel safer.

***

It was the end of the week and Roman had run out of time. As a last resort, he and Gardy headed to the bank to empty his savings account. It was a fund he'd started putting by for Nicole's future and then when he and Leah had got serious, they'd pooled their money together for both the kids. Anxiously, Roman waited for the cashier to hand over the money he needed, knowing that Leah would kill him the moment she found out.

***

Daria dumped a plate of burger and fries in front of her next customer and stomped back to the Crumble kitchen. Leah frowned. She'd mostly taken Daria on because Charlie and Joey had begged her, but she wasn't above firing her for her service style. She was short with all the customers, unless she knew them really well, and Leah didn't think she'd smiled at anyone since her first day. She looked up to see Charlie in front of her.

"Hey," she said.

"Daria's not the happiest soul in the world, is she?" the cop realised.

Leah shook her head.

"Sorry."

"Please don't fire her," Charlie begged.

Leah sighed.

"She's walking the edge," she said. "I can't keep her on if she doesn't buck her ideas up."

Charlie frowned, wondering if he daughter would fare any better behind the bar of the Jukebox – if she could ever convince Martha to give her a shot.

"I'll talk to her," Charlie promised.

"Good luck!" Leah replied. "I've tried several times."

***

Joey arrived home to the phone ringing. Hurrying into the lounge, she picked up.

"Hello?"

"Hi, it's Tina from Social Services here."

Joey worried for a moment and then remembered that the twins couldn't be taken away from them because they were adults now.

"Hi," she said more cheerfully, moving to sit on the edge of the sofa.

"We were wondering if you had room for a little one," Tina said.

"A little...?"

"James Spencer."

Joey's heart soared.

"You looked after him a few years ago."

"Yes... yeah, we did. We..."

She frowned. They only had two bedrooms.

"He asked for you. Are you interested?"

"We're absolutely interested. We'd love to have him. It's just that all our rooms are taken. We'd have to get him to share with David but... if I asked David if that was okay, we could..."

"How about I leave it with you? Call me in a couple of hours with an answer?"

"I will," Joey promised, hoping that the twins would be agreeable to a small shift around.

***

Roman was relieved to see Gardy speed out of town as fast as he'd come. The look of relief on Aden and Belle's faces was also unmistakable.

"Happy?" he asked them.

"Ecstatic," Aden confirmed.

Roman nodded and headed towards his car, wondering how he could possibly fix the money situation before Leah found out what he'd done.

***

"No way!" Daria said firmly. "I am not having the box room."

"Daria, this is a chance to help a child," Joey pleaded. "Like when you came here."

"Yeah, a child you prefer!" Daria snapped.

"That's not true!" Charlie insisted.

Daria sank back in her chair and pulled a face. She was settled now. And she liked having the big room. She didn't want to change now.

"I don't mind sharing with him," David said.

He looked at his twin, silently pointing out that if they didn't agree and Charlie and Joey wanted James badly enough, they could just kick them out. Getting the message, Daria sighed loudly.

"Fine," she said, standing up. "I'll start moving my stuff now."

David got up to follow her. Joey picked up the phone to tell Tina that James was welcome. She held onto Charlie's hand in excitement.

***

**June 2017**

Joey kissed Charlie goodbye and headed to the car with David and James. She dropped the seven year old off to school and then headed down to the docks with David, who was even quieter than normal.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he lied.

Nick was becoming unbearable at work and it was making him miserable. Everything else in his life seemed to be working out now. He was happy at home with Daria, Charlie, Joey and James and he didn't even mind sharing a room with a seven year-old. Daria had broken up with Xavier but she was thriving behind the bar of the Jukebox. He never thought she'd enjoy a job so much but as long as she and Xavier weren't on the same shift, she was having a great time and he was proud of her. He just wished that his own job was going better.

"David..." Joey ventured.

"I'm not sure I'm cut out for trawler work," he blurted out.

She frowned and pulled into a car parking space. Killing the engine, she turned to face him.

"How come?" she asked worriedly. "I thought you were enjoying it. And I get nothing but good reports from Aden. What's going on?"

David sighed. He didn't want to tell her what was happening. He felt like a grass and it only compounded his feelings of being a victim, something he and Daria were both trying hard to shake through their weekly counselling sessions.

"I just... it's not for me. Can we leave it at that?"

"No. What's going on?"

"Nothing, Jo," he insisted. "I just want to try something new."

He got out of the car. She followed unhappily. Approaching Aden, she quietly asked him to keep an eye on David and see if he could find out if anything was going on with him.

***

Roman was in the kitchen of Crumble when Leah stormed in. He stopped chopping vegetables and wiped his hands on the cloth, worried by her angry expression.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"What's wrong?" she screeched. "What's wrong?"

She slammed a sheet of paper into his chest. If he wasn't made of pure muscle, it would have hurt. Anxiously and already knowing what it was, he opened it up and saw the bank statement for their savings account. It clearly showed that five thousand dollars had been withdrawn and that pitiful amounts had been paid bank in the last six months. He swallowed and looked at his girlfriend.

"Where did the money go?" she asked.

"I..." he faltered.

"Roman..."

"I don't know," he lied. "We must have... must been..."

He trailed off when he realised what he was saying and to whom. She'd been through so much with Vinnie's debts, a problem that had cost him his life. How could he lie to her about money now?

"Don't you dare lie to me," Leah warned.

"Leah..." he tried, although he had nothing to follow her name with.

He had no idea what to say.

***

Charlie was having lunch with Watson when she heard shouting coming from the kitchen of Crumble. Everyone turned to look as Leah could be heard berating Roman and sounding like she was losing control. Irene froze. She looked at Charlie and Watson who were already on their feet and making their way round the back in order to intervene.

"How could you steal our money, you bastard?" Leah screeched, thumping her fists on Roman's chest.

"It wasn't like that," the chef pleaded.

"Leah, come on," Charlie said, gently pulling her friend back until she was a safe distance away from her boyfriend.

Her arms were still flailing and her cheeks were red.

"What's going on?" Charlie demanded.

"He cleared out our whole fucking savings account!" Leah yelled.

Roman looked helpless.

"I was in trouble," he said. "I needed..."

"To lie to me about money?" Leah snapped. "To steal from me? From my son? From _your _daughter? After everything I went through with Vinnie..."

She trailed off and began to sob. Charlie held her.

"Maybe we should take you home to calm down," Watson suggested.

Leah nodded and allowed the police officers to lead her away. She stopped suddenly and turned back.

"Your stuff will be waiting for you on the doorstep," she said.

***

At lunch time, Joey took Aden aside and asked him if he had noticed anything wrong with David. The blonde sighed.

"Yeah," he said. "I'm really sorry I didn't notice before but I think Nick's giving him a hard time."

"What?" Joey squeaked, fully ready to charge over and fire Nick on the spot.

Memories of her time working on the very same trawler with Robbo flashed into her mind. There was no way she was going to let her son get bullied in the same way.

"Calm down," Aden warned. "He's not Robbo, okay?"

Joey glared at him, angry with her best friend for the first time in her life. It was fleeting, however and she did what he said. Unhappily, she trudged to lunch, telling the newest recruits that she wanted to talk to them after work. David looked particularly worried.

***

Having settled Leah in at home and spent time talking to her with Watson, Charlie and her colleague headed back to the station. Finishing their shift, Charlie rode home and got changed before taking the walk to James's school to pick him up. He'd settled into their home this time around as easily as he had the first time. They'd been told that again, they could only keep him until his mother was out of her second rehab stint and every day was precious. Waiting for James at the school gates, she smiled when she saw him bound out of the building with his friends. Charlie had offered to pick VJ up too and Leah had gratefully accepted.

"Ready?" she said to both of them.

Both nodded and they began to walk back home.

"Can VJ come over for dinner?" James asked.

"If it's okay with VJ's Mum," Charlie said. "Do you want me to call her?"

Both boys nodded hopefully and Charlie pulled out her phone. As she suspected, her friend was grateful for the offer.

***

Joey, David, Nick and Aden sat on the trawler together.

"What's this about?" Nick asked. "I've got a date."

He shot David a look that could only say 'with a girl'. David looked away.

"I've been hearing reports that you're bullying David," Joey said, getting straight to the point.

Nick immediately launched into verbal abuse against David about telling tales.

"He didn't," Joey said quickly. "Although you have just proved it's true."

"I noticed it this morning," Aden added.

David didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

"So, what's going on?" Joey asked Nick. "What's your problem?"

"We just don't get on," Nick replied. "Personality clash."

"Yeah, because you're a damn homophobe," David snapped.

He surprised himself by speaking up and glanced anxiously at Joey.

"You're seriously working for a lesbian and picking on her son because he's gay?" Joey asked incredulously.

Nick opened his mouth to protest. What he wanted to say was that he didn't mind lesbians but somehow, he didn't think it would go down too well so he remained silent. David couldn't help but feel proud every time Joey or Charlie referred to him and Daria as their kids.

"Apologise and stop your behaviour or you're fired," Joey said.

She was shaking slightly. She wasn't used to being hard with anyone but bullying was far from unacceptable.

"Fine," Nick said bitterly.

He turned to David and offered his hand.

"I'm sorry," he said.

They shook hands. There was no way Nick could afford to get fired, even if it meant shaking hands with David. David nodded.

"Good," Joey said, standing up.

Her crew followed suit and Joey led David to the car. Parked beside her, Aden paused at the door.

"You want me to keep an eye out from now?" he asked.

"Yeah," Joey replied. "Thanks."

Inside the car, David sighed.

"Sorry for all the fuss," he said.

Joey pulled her seatbelt on and turned to him.

"How long has this been going on?" she asked.

"Since we started working together," David admitted.

"Dave, you should have said something, okay?" Joey said unhappily. "There was absolutely no need for you to put up with this for so long. I'm your Mum. Blood and kin and whatever aside, as far as I'm concerned, you're my son. It's my duty to protect you. And on top of that, I'm your boss. I am not prepared to let any of my crew put up with anything like that. You should have told me."

"Sorry," he said again. "And thank you."

"I've been there, David," Joey said. "I've been the work bully victim. I'd never let that happen to anyone that I employ. But you need to communicate with me, alright?"

He nodded.

"Yes, Mum," he said cheekily.

***

Daria finished her shift and was glad to get home. It had been a long day, during which she had been forced to spend a lot of time with her ex-boyfriend and she was eager to get away.

"Daria?"

She paused at the sound of her name and turned back to Xavier.

"I was just wondering if maybe we could go out sometime?"

Daria sighed and shook her head.

"No pressure or anything," he added.

Xavier wasn't entirely sure why Daria had broken up with him, except that she had changed a lot over the last few months. She hadn't really explained why she didn't want to be with him and he had taken it hard. He'd given up trying to talk to her about it a while back and they had forged some kind of friendship. But he missed her and still wanted to try and make things work.

"I can't," she said.

"Please?" he said, feeling pathetic for begging.

She shook her head and left without another word.

***

David had gone out for a walk on the beach. The house had been overtaken by two kids wreaking havoc on the Wii while Charlie and Joey made dinner. He paused when he heard someone call his name. It was Nick. He sighed, wondering what there was left to say.

"Do you think you're big and clever getting your foster Mum to do your dirty work for you?" Nick asked.

He towered over David and clearly worked out. His muscles were built up and he had black, spiky hair and dark eyes.

"I didn't do anything," David insisted.

"I need this job," Nick told him. "And I'm not going to be forced out of it by some queer!"

"Then stop calling me queer!" David snapped. "That's the only thing that's getting you in trouble."

"Trawlers are for men," Nick said, folding his arms across his chest. "They're not for queers and women. Joey's trawler's a joke."

"Then why don't you just fuck off and leave us to it then?"David said angrily.

They came face to face, both suddenly furious.

"I told you! I need the job!"

"Then leave me alone!"

Nick leant forward and kissed him before he had time to think it through. David kissed him back for a moment before pulling away, stunned. Of all the outcomes of their argument, he hadn't been expecting that.

***

That night in bed, Charlie and Joey were busily putting the world to rights. Charlie had told Joey all about Leah and her spat with Roman and Joey had anxiously told Charlie about David and Nick's situation.

"Well, if you and Aden just keep an eye on things," Charlie said.

Joey nodded and sighed dramatically.

"Are you okay?" Charlie checked.

She knew that Joey couldn't help but connect Nick and David to her own past with Robbo.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Joey told her. "Just a little stressed."

Charlie leant a little closer.

"Can I help?" she asked with a grin.


	82. Chapter 82

_Forgive me for skipping a couple of years..._

**Chapter Eighty-Two**

**December 2019**

Charlie, Joey, Ruby, Geoff, David and Daria were just sitting down to dinner when there was a knock at the door. Nobody moved.

"I'll get it shall I?" Joey groaned. "I only spent hours slaving away in the kitchen!"

Still nobody hurried her relieve her so she hauled herself to her feet and opened up.

"Romeo!" she gasped in surprised.

The blonde boy was still a giant and he smiled at her with his usual charm.

"Hey, Joey," she greeted.

"What... what are you doing here? You were travelling!"

"Can I come in?" he asked.

"Sure!" Joey said, remembering her manners.

She stepped aside and let him in and was surprised when a blonde girl followed him.

"This is Mink," he said. "My sister."

Joey extended her hand to say hello but the girl was too busy looking around, sizing the house and its occupants up. Charlie got to her feet to say hello, as did Ruby. It had been a long time since any of them had seen Romeo, although he had sent the odd email now and again.

"Is there any food left?" Mink asked.

"Um... yeah... sure..."

She hurried to the stove, suddenly glad that she'd made curry and lots of it.

"I'm not sure what to do about chairs..." she mused.

"There's a chair in my room," David offered.

He did not, however, offer to g and get it so Charlie took on the task, grabbing another from hers and Joey's room. When she came back, everyone was busy talking. The twins were particularly interested in Mink whose attitude could easily be likened to Daria's. She set the chairs down for the siblings and then hurried to her own chair, eager to eat that food that Joey had indeed been slaving over for the afternoon.

***

Nicole felt nervous curled up in bed beside her new boyfriend, Trey. They had known each other since school and for a while, a relationship looked like it had been on the cards. Then she'd fallen in love with Geoff and her whole life had changed. She'd broken up with him, got pregnant, lost her baby, had a one night stand with Aden and then been tossed aside. Now that Ruby was dating Geoff, it wasn't so easy to spend time with her because she and Geoff had struggled to get along for a long time. She'd returned to her job at the salon eventually but she wasn't particularly happy there. She'd enjoyed living with Leah and VJ but after Leah had so unceremoniously chucked them out, she and her father were now sharing Roman's house with Aden and Belle. She didn't enjoy it as much as she had enjoyed living in a family home with what were essentially two parents but it was nice enough and at least nothing was awkward between her, Aden and Belle anymore. Trey rolled over and smiled at her. She smiled back, still feeling a little unsure. Between Aden and Trey, she had briefly dated Liam, who had once been a rockstar and now worked for Joey on her trawler but it hadn't felt right and she'd ended it after a few months. She had come to the point where she believed that she made bad sexual decisions and so now, after several months of saying no and leaving Trey frustrated, she'd finally given in and now all she could hope was that it wasn't a mistake.

***

"So, tell us all about your adventures!" Ruby urged Romeo.

He smiled, quite enjoying being the centre of attention. It didn't happen a lot around his sister who was being surprisingly quiet and inoffensive this afternoon.

"It was awesome," he said. "I went to Europe, Asia, America... I'm totally broke now of course."

"Of course!" Joey remarked, knowing exactly what was coming next.

"Any chance you need another crew member?" he asked.

"Maybe," she said.

She didn't, if she was being completely honest but he was Romeo, he had been her sort-of son and she didn't want to leave him broke and destitute.

"So, when did you guys meet up?" Charlie asked Romeo and Mink.

"He found me doing a surfing competition and tagged along for the ride," Mink said.

"You surf?" Daria asked.

"Professionally," Mink said with a hint of pride.

"That is so cool!"

"I surf too!" Romeo pointed out.

"So?" Daria replied.

She turned her attention back to Mink.

"What kind of competitions have you won?"

Romeo sighed. The limelight had definitely been stolen. He focussed on his food and let Mink get carried away with showing off.

***

At Crumble, Roman accidentally dropped a carrot on the floor.

"Would you be more careful?" Leah snapped.

Glaring at her, Roman picked the vegetable up and put it in the bin before returning to his original job.

"You're so clumsy," Leah complained.

Irene tried not to sigh too audibly. It had been two and a half years and still the former couple barely spoke. Roman had never explained what had happened to the money, a fact which had frustrated Leah and Nicole both and caused his business partner to threaten him with pressing charges for theft, although Watson had pointed out that the chances of a conviction were slim. Several times, Roman had considered selling his half of the business to her and running off to start afresh. But Nicole was settled in their home and he didn't want to leave her.

"Yeah," he shot back. "I'm just useless, aren't I?"

"You said it!" Leah said.

Roman spun around, more than ready to give Leah a piece of his mind. Knowing what was coming, Leah turned around ready to give it first.

"Guys!" Irene bellowed, making them both jump and lose their flow. "It's just a damn carrot!"

***

"So, anyway," Romeo said once his sister paused for breath in showing off about her surfing successes. "What's been happening here?"

"I'm a qualified teacher," Ruby said proudly. "I work as Summer Bay High. And Geoff and I live together."

Romeo smiled and dared not ask after Xavier.

"I now have two trawlers and Charlie's an Inspector now," Joey said, seeming more proud of Charlie than herself.

Charlie held her hand under the table.

"That's awesome!" Romeo said.

"You're a cop?" Mink asked, suddenly looking like she had a sour taste in her mouth.

"Yeah," Charlie said.

Silently she asked her if she had a problem with it. Mink put her head down and continued eating.

"And we've got the twins," Joey said to Romeo. "We had James back for a little while but he went back to his Mum again a few months ago."

She looked sad. Charlie put an arm around her, knowing how much they both missed him.

***

Nicole sat with Trey in Crumble enjoying lunch. So far, he hadn't abandoned her after their encounter so she thought that was a good sign. And he was still paying her as many compliments as before so that was also good.

"Hey, stranger," said a voice.

Nicole looked up and saw Romeo smiling down at her. She grinned and hugged him. Trey, a former friend, shook his hand.

Having finished lunch with Charlie and Joey and their family, they'd hung around for a little while and then headed off to catch up with Romeo's old friends.

"When did you get back?" Nicole asked.

"This afternoon," Romeo said.

He nudged his sister forward and introduced her. The foursome sat down at the table together.

***

"Joey?" Daria said in a tone that only meant that she wanted something.

The twins were now twenty-one and Charlie and Joey were pleased that neither of them had made a move towards leaving yet and they were now adult enough to pay rent. The couple had made a conscious decision to undercharge them and they were happy to keep them in the house. Charlie wasn't sure how well Joey would cope if they left now that James was gone too.

"What do you want?" Joey asked cautiously.

"A lift to work?" Daria asked hopefully.

Joey groaned and snuggled down on the couch.

"I don't wanna!" she declared.

Daria slid in next to her.

"Please?" she asked with her best puppy dog eyes.

Joey sighed and nodded.

"You know for someone who was so crazy about Charlie's bike when you got here, you sure have delayed learning to drive."

Daria shrugged and began to pull her shoes on.

"Besides," the younger girl said. "You were way old when you learnt to drive. Thirty something, wasn't it?"

"I was not!" Joey insisted. "I was in my mid-twenties."

"Uh huh," Daria said with a smirk. "And how old are you now? Like fifty?"

She headed into the hallway to grab a jacket, laughing to herself as Joey squeaked that she was only thirty four.

"What are you grumping about?" Charlie asked when she entered the room from upstairs.

"She keeps calling me old!" Joey pouted. "I'm in the prime of life!"

Charlie grinned and wrapped her arms around her waist, kissing her lips.

"That you are!" she said.

Joey smiled and kissed her again. They were interrupted by Daria making retching noises.

"Come on, oldie," she chuckled.

"Do you want a lift or not?" Joey warned.

"Love you," Daria said meekly.

"Uh huh," Joey replied, unconvinced.

"If you're giving her to a lift to the Juke, why don't we go for a drink?" Charlie suggested.

Joey beamed.

"Then she can wait on us hand and foot!"

***

Xavier gazed at Daria a little longer than he ought to when she arrived at work with Charlie and Joey in tow.

"Table service please!" Joey said sweetly.

Daria poked her tongue out and stepped behind the bar, saying hello to Xavier as she did so.

"How's it going?" Xavier asked.

"It's going," Daria replied, pouring out two lemonades.

They had shared a few kisses here and there since Daria broke up with him far too long ago but nothing else had happened. Every time they got close, Daria pulled away and became frosty with him again. If they hadn't technically been unrelated, he would have thought Daria and Ruby shared the same genes when it came to boyfriends, although Ruby was still happily in love with Geoff. It made Xavier really unreasonably upset that she could be happy and settled with him and yet she couldn't manage it with Xavier, who was once meant to have been the love of her life. He still missed her and was glad they were at least friends now. Sometimes he wasn't sure who he missed the most – Ruby or Daria. Whatever the case, he was certain he needed to get out and meet someone new. Daria smiled at him and then took the drinks over to Charlie and Joey who thanked her and continued giggling over something that was apparently hilarious. Daria rolled her eyes and continued working. Xavier snapped himself out of his daydream.

***

David smiled when he received a text from Nick asking if he was around. Over the last couple of years, since that last kiss, they had developed an on-off kind of relationship. Nick was far from 'out' and he had no plans to be in the future but David was happy to keep it casual. Like Daria and despite a lot of counselling, David still wasn't comfortable with his own sexuality. It worried him and he had spent extensive hours talking it through with his twin and his parents, trying to find a way forward. He knew that when he did eventually lose his virginity, he wanted it to be with someone he loved. He didn't think Nick was the kind of guy he could love, or that could love him. Aside from finding each other attractive and working in the same place, they had very little in common and David very much doubted a relationship would ever really work.

***

Mink had wandered off to check out the rest of the town. Listening to her brother, Trey and Nicole reminiscing about days she hadn't been present for with people she didn't know, had got boring quickly and she was determined to find something more interesting to do in this sleepy little town. Bidding the threesome goodbye, she wandered out into the early evening light. Spotting a bar not far away, she headed towards it. Bars were fun, or so she'd been told. Entering the room, she scanned the customers. Charlie and Joey were sitting at one table, chatting away. They smiled and waved. She waved back but her smile looked more like a grimace. Spotting Daria and a cute blonde guy behind the bar, Mink pulled up a stool and ordered a drink. Charlie and Joey exchanged slightly nervous glances. Mink and Daria appeared to be rather similar and they hoped neither would influence the other.

***

"So, are you and Nicole together now?" Romeo asked.

Trey grinned and nodded.

"We are very much together," he smirked.

Nicole had excused herself to the bathroom and left the boys alone at the table in Crumble. Romeo was keen to catch up on everything he had missed. Ruby had told him that she and Geoff were living together and had saddened him when she'd said that Annie and Jai were still going strong. But he was keen to get back into the swing of things. This was his home and his adopted family were here. Now his sister was with him, he felt complete and nervous in equal measure.

"Oh really?" Romeo said, catching his meaning.

"And it was seriously hot!" Trey enthused. "I've never known a chick with so much lust!"

Romeo shifted a little uncomfortably. It didn't feel quite right to talk about Nicole like that.

"She wore me out!" Trey continued. "She was horny as hell this afternoon."

"Is that right?" a female voice snapped.

Trey blanched and turned around to face Nicole, who was glaring at him.

"Nic..."

"I knew you were too good to be true," she said loudly.

People began to turn and look.

"How can you talk about me like that?" Nicole demanded.

Trey looked around. People were definitely watching. Romeo felt distinctly uncomfortable.

"Nicole, I wasn't..."

"Bragging about me?" Nicole accused.

"I was complimentary..." Trey said weakly.

"Well, hold onto the memories because you're getting nothing from me again," Nicole told him.

She grabbed her bag and headed towards the exit and turned back to him.

"And you're crap, by the way. I had to fake it just to get you to stop."

A titter rang out among the customers. Roman wasn't sure whether to deck the guy or laugh at him. Romeo took a deep breath and quickly excused himself. Trey was furious.

***

Charlie and Joey arrived home just as David was saying goodbye to Nick. They couldn't help but smirk, making David blush. Nick remained oblivious to the fact that David's parents knew exactly what was going on. David was grateful that they never said anything about it.

"Nice night?" Joey asked sweetly.

David nodded and excused himself, a little embarrassed, to his room. Joey had found the whole thing a little strange at first. Nick had originally been bullying David for being gay and now they were doing... whatever it was they were doing.

"Ready for bed?" Charlie asked with a grin.

"Always!" Joey replied, taking her hand and leading her towards the stairs.

They paused when there was a knock on the door. Puzzled, Charlie headed back into the kitchen to answer it.

"James!" she exclaimed when she saw the nine year old boy on the doorstep.

Joey hurtled into the kitchen. He looked meekly up at them.

"I don't like living with my Mum," the nine year-old explained in as big a voice as he could muster. "I want you two to be my Mums. Please can I stay?"

Charlie ushered him inside and closed the door.

"How did you even get here?" she asked worriedly, guiding him into a chair.

Joey sat down with them and held onto the little boy's hand.

"Bus," he said. "It was hard figuring out which one was the right one."

"I'll bet!" Joey said.

"Can I stay?" he asked imploringly.

"We have to ring your social worker," Charlie said, pulling out her phone. "James, you can't just... walk out on your Mum."

"She doesn't love me," James said certainly. "But you do, don't you?"

"Of course we do," Charlie said, pausing mid-dial. "But we can't just take you away from your Mum."

"You didn't," James pointed out. "I came here myself."

Charlie kissed the top of his head and then left the room to call social services. Joey set about making him a drink and finding out more about what had been happening at home.

***

Trey arrived home furious at being humiliated. Nicole's berating of him had been heard by half their small town and the other half had found out about it quickly. He'd been laughed at on more than one occasion during his walk home. Stepping through the door, he came face to face with his step-dad, John who didn't look happy with him.

"You flooded the kitchen," John said.

"What?" Trey asked.

John grabbed hold of his arm and yanked him into the wet kitchen.

"What happened?"

"The pipe burst when you did the laundry this morning," John told him. "And you did fuck all about it!"

"I didn't know!"

"What kind of idiot wouldn't notice something like that?"

"It must have happened after I left."

"In which case, you would have left all the clothes in the machine all day," John argued. "What kind of waste of space are you? And you're a damn adult now! You shouldn't even be living at home!"

"John..."

"No," John snapped. "I want you the hell out of my house tomorrow morning and so does your mother."


	83. Chapter 83

__

Okay, this chapter may be a little traumatic. Not to mention late! Sorry about that. I've been recuperating at my Mum's house and I came back home today. Early I might add. I'm not recovered yet but... commitments. Sigh. Anyway... I hope you like the chapter. And I will be back with the next chapter of The One tomorrow. Love always, IJKS xxx

**Chapter Eighty-Three**

**December 2019**

Two days later, James and all his stuff had arrived back into the fold of Charlie and Joey's hearts and home. After a meeting between them, the social worker and James's mother, it had been decided that for the foreseeable future, James would live with them. Charlie and Joey were thrilled and after a meeting with the twins where they assured them that they didn't want them to leave, the family decided to convert the small study at the back of the house into a bedroom. The room had once been Ross's office and Charlie and Joey had taken it over as theirs when they'd bought the property. They found space for their work files and folders in their bedroom and the five-some began to move their things around. David had agreed to move into the office, feeling it was more important for a nine year-old to be in the heart of the house. Daria had complained a little about the youngest family member getting the largest room, minus Charlie and Joey's, but not wanting to push her luck, had finally quietened down. Charlie and Joey then spent the rest of the afternoon settling their first foster son into his room with all his toys, books and video games.

"Thank you," James said when they were done.

Joey couldn't help but beam at him, thinking he was the loveliest boy in the world. He reached out and hugged her. Joey pulled Charlie into the embrace and then they set about choosing what to eat for dinner.

* * *

Trey was in a foul mood. His mother had convinced John that he could stay but for the last couple of days, his step-dad, along with all Trey's friends and people he didn't even know, had offered non-stop jibes over what Nicole had said so publically in Crumble. John had been particularly merciless and it was driving Trey over the edge. He was slowly but surely developing a violent temper and, sitting in front of John, he knew just how to let it go.

* * *

The following day, Daria and Xavier finished work at the Jukebox and headed into Crumble for lunch. Their friendship was tentative and both were aware that Xavier wanted more. Part of Daria thought that she wanted more too but it all felt so difficult that she wasn't sure how to proceed. She still saw the counsellor that Charlie and Joey had sent her and David to and she had been encouraging of her taking that step and moving on with her life. Daria wanted to get close to someone, specifically Xavier, but she just didn't feel quite ready. She worried about how long Xavier would be prepared to wait and had almost told him the full truth about her past on several occasions but she'd always bottled out. But lunch seemed like a good first step.

* * *

Charlie was feeling stressed when she and Watson drove back to the station. They'd been called to a car crash where a passenger had been killed. The scene was bloody and heartbreaking and now they had a lot of work ahead of them. It meant that Charlie was unlikely to get out for lunch, which was disappointing as she had arranged to meet up with Joey. Watson stopped at a red light and smirked.

"Missing Joey?" she teased.

Charlie frowned. Watson knew her far too well.

"I'll have to cancel lunch," she explained.

"Because you never see her at all, do you?" Watson laughed.

The lights changed and she moved forward.

"Shut up," Charlie said playfully.

"When are you two going to do the deed, anyway?"

Charlie looked startled and confused. Watson grinned.

"Get a Civil Partnership?" she elaborated.

"Oh! Well..." she shrugged. "I don't know. We've talked about it but there was all the big rush when the law changed and we didn't want to get caught up in the crowd. And now... I guess we haven't really talked about it since."

Watson shook her head.

"What about you and Sarah?"

Watson squeaked loudly.

"I am not the marrying kind!" she declared.

"You two have been together forever!" Charlie remarked.

"Says you! What is it, fifty years or something now?"

"Shut up!" Charlie repeated.

She reached to her throat. A ring on a chain hung around her neck. It had been given to Elsie by Clara as a symbol of friendship, love and commitment. Elsie had left it to Charlie in her will and Charlie suspected she had always wanted her to give it to Joey.

"Maybe I'll ask her properly," she mused.

Watson gave her a sidelong glance and smiled.

"Really?"

"Yeah," Charlie said. "I mean, I know the whole 'Civil Partnership instead of calling it marriage' thing pissed me off but that doesn't mean we shouldn't do it. I love her. I'd like to take that step."

She smiled broadly, pleased to have made such a big decision so easily.

"Yeah," she said. "I want to marry her."

"Awesome!" Watson enthused.

"I think I'll ask her tonight."

"Tonight? What about a ring?"

Charlie waved the chain at her and explained the significance.

* * *

Irene was busy with the lunch time rush. Aden and Sarah had arrived from the trawler to have lunch together, Nicole was nursing a coffee and looking desperately unhappy all by herself, Martha and Leanne had come for lunch with Rachel and Harry, and Gina had approached the counter. On the plus side, Leah and Roman appeared to be getting along better for a change. The atmosphere in the kitchen was far more pleasant than usual and Irene hoped the former couple might have turned a corner. The only stress coming from Leah was the fact that VJ was poorly and off school and therefore seated in a corner of the restaurant making a nuisance of himself.

"What can I get you love?" Irene asked Gina.

"Just a coffee and some chocolate cake please," Xavier's Mum said.

Her son and Daria appeared behind her, joining the queue and chatting while Gina waited to be served.

"Eat in or takeaway?" Irene asked.

"Take away," Gina said. "I've got to get back to school."

She'd been working as a secretary in the local high school for years now. It was busy and sometimes stressful but she did enjoy it. Irene busied herself with making her food. Across the room, Nicole looked up sharply when she saw Trey enter Crumble. She furrowed her brow in confusion as he stormed up to her.

"Is that blood?" she asked worriedly.

* * *

Joey's phone rang just as she was walking up to Crumble. It was Charlie.

"Hey, sweetheart," she said cheerfully.

"Hey," Charlie said, sounding less excitable.

"You're not going to make lunch, are you?"

Charlie quickly apologised and explained that she just didn't have time but assured her that she'd make it up to her.

"What are you doing for food?" Joey asked, pausing her steps.

* * *

"I gave him what he deserved," Trey managed.

His voice was trembling and he didn't quite seem himself.

"What do you mean?" Nicole asked.

Her coffee was cold and long forgotten. Trey had her full attention as she studied the dried blood on his clothes and smelt perspiration. He was shaking and his eyes were glassy, as if he wasn't really seeing her.

* * *

"Well, how about I go and get you a sandwich or something and bring it over," Joey suggested.

She could almost hear Charlie smiling.

"Would you mind?" she asked.

"Of course not," said Joey. "I'll grab you something now. I'll have to walk back to the car so I'll be with you in say..."

She looked at her watch.

"Twenty minutes?"

"Have I told you lately that I love you?" Charlie asked affectionately.

"Well, yeah, but you can say it again if you like!" Joey grinned.

"I love you," Charlie declared.

"I love you too," Joey confirmed. "I'm heading into Crumble now so I'll be with you soon, okay?"

They hung up and Joey wandered cheerfully through the door and began to wind her way to the counter where Irene was serving Xavier and Daria. Her daughter hugged her as she stood in line behind her. Affection from Daria was infrequent and spontaneous but Joey appreciated it every time it was offered. Everyone screamed when a gun shot rang out through the building. Joey whirled around in fright to see Trey Palmer holding a gun and looking wild while Nicole crouched on the floor.

"Nic!" Xavier called.

Trey aimed the gun at him.

"Shut up!" he said. "She's fine."

He had everyone's attention now but he hardly knew what to do with it. Backing towards the door, he blocked the entrance and trained the gun on everyone.

"Trey," Nicole said meekly. "Please put the gun down."

"No!" he said.

He turned to face her.

"This is all your fault, you know," he accused.

"Trey," Gina said.

She'd just been about to leave but now she, like everyone else, was trapped. Leah and Roman had appeared from the kitchen. Leah maintained eye contact with her son, desperate to hurry across the room and protect him but was afraid to move and draw attention to him. Daria anxiously found Joey's hand and held on tight.

"Trey, put the gun down," Gina said. "You haven't hurt anyone yet and you don't have to. Just put the gun down and we can forget all about this."

"As if that's going to happen!" Trey snapped. "You'll all call the cops as soon as I leave!"

It had already gone too far and he had no idea where to go from here. Nicole was still cowering by her table.

"Right," Gina said, taking charge. "I'm calling the police right now!"

She pulled out her phone. Trey aimed a shot at Roman. Leah cried out. Joey raced towards the blonde man in order to try and help him as he slumped over the counter of his own business. Nicole screamed for her father in a wave of hysteria. Xavier reached out to her, desperate to find a way to comfort her somehow.

"Don't move!" Trey yelled.

Joey froze, torn between wanting to defuse the situation and helping Roman.

"He needs..." she began to argue.

"He and everyone else need you to stay the fuck still!" Trey yelled.

Gina cried quietly as guilt washed over her. Roman began to lose consciousness.

"We have to..." Joey said, stepping closer to Roman.

"Stay still!" Trey bellowed.

"Please?" Daria said meekly.

Joey looked at her daughter and nodded.

"Can I at least give him my jacket?" she asked.

"Hand it over to me first," Trey demanded. "In case you're trying to pull something on me."

Joey took her jacket off and tossed it across the room. He checked it over and threw it to Irene.

"Fix him," he said.

Irene obeyed and did everything she could to stop the bleeding.

"And the rest of you," Trey said, waving the gun erratically. "Get in the corner."

With her gaze still frightened and on Roman, Leah hurried to the corner where VJ was shaking violently. She clutched her son and waited for everyone but Irene and Roman to cluster together.

"Trey?" Rachel said nervously.

He glared at her, pointing the gun directly in her face.

"I'm a Doctor," she said. "Please can I...? Can I go and check on Roman?"

"He's got Irene," Trey said.

Everyone knew it wasn't enough.

"Please?" Rachel said.

"You don't want to be responsible for a death," Daria said, surprising herself and the rest of the hostages. "Let Rachel help Roman and then we can work a way out of this."

Trey looked confused for a moment. Still holding the gun, he shook his head and then nodded. He gestured with the gun to go and tend to Roman. Irene was grateful. Trey turned back to the group who were cowering in one corner. Joey and Daria were holding hands. Aden had stepped up beside them, grateful that Belle wasn't there but desperately worried about his best friend. Nicole was trembling and tears rolled down her cheeks. Sarah reached forward to hold her. Martha and Leah held on tightly to VJ, Leanne and Harry. Gina's head was swimming with guilt. If she'd have just obeyed and not tried to call the police, Roman wouldn't be bleeding to death now.

"Trey, he needs proper help," Rachel said. "I don't have anything here. I don't have my medical bag or..."

"I don't care," Trey said.

"He needs to go to the hospital," Rachel said.

Leah clutched VJ tightly, her heart breaking over her ex-boyfriend. Suddenly stealing and lying didn't seem so important.

"Trey, please?" Daria said. "You don't have to do this. If you just let us go, we can walk away."

"Straight to the police station!"

"We won't," Daria said.

"She's fucking a fucking cop!" Trey said, pointing the gun at Joey. "And so is she!"

He directed the weapon at Sarah who held Nicole a little tighter. The younger girl looked up tearfully.

"It's me you're angry with," she said. "Let everyone else out of here."

"You're right," Trey said, pointing the gun at her again, his finger tightening a little on the trigger. "But I'm not letting anyone go."

Aden slipped his hand into his pocket in a bid to try and call the police.

"All of you, put you phones on the table," Trey demanded.

Aden froze. Everyone reluctantly obeyed. Aden struggled to finish his call but failed.

"Put your phone on the table," Trey told him.

Aden tried to continue his quest. Trey realised what he was doing. He fired his gun.

* * *

Jack was puzzled when the door to Crumble was locked. He had been intending on meeting Martha and Leanne for lunch. Frowning, he headed back to the car and drove back to the police station.

"I thought you were going for lunch," Watson commented when he came in.

"Crumble's shut," he said, heading to his desk.

Charlie looked up sharply and entered the reception area from her office.

"Crumble's shut?" she asked worriedly.

"It's not the end of the world, babe!" Watson laughed. "We do have a coffee machine here."

"It's not the same," Charlie said. "But anyway, what I meant was that Joey was literally just headed in there ten minutes ago. She was getting lunch for me and bringing it back here. It can't be shut."

"It's all locked up," Jack said.

Charlie pulled out her phone and called Joey. Jack phoned Martha.

* * *

Aden sat on the floor clutching his hand. Joey was on her knees, crying and pleading with Trey to let them go. Rachel left Roman in Irene's hands and came to tend to Aden, putting pressure on the wound with his shirt. His hand was bleeding profusely.

"Do you know I mean business now?" Trey yelled.

He turned to Nicole.

"Ready to make fun of me now, are you?"

Nicole swallowed, frightened and guilty. Several people were beginning to panic. Everyone jumped when two mobile phones sprung to life. Still training his gun on the small group, Trey looked at each phone. Jack and Charlie were calling. He tossed both phones on the floor and stamped on them until they ceased making sound.

"Trey, you can stop this now," Daria said.

Joey looked at her, pleading with her to be quiet. Trey had already shot two people. She did not want her daughter to be the third. Trey shook his head. Paranoia was engulfing him. Nicole and John had both made him feel stupid and all he wished was that John was here now. He'd shoot him. He'd kill him. He'd show him who was boss. Again.

* * *

"Voicemail," Charlie frowned.

Jack nodded.

"Me too."

"I'll call Crumble," Watson said.

She couldn't help but worry about Sarah. She didn't know what her lunch plans were.

"No answer," she said when the phone rung off.

"We need to get down there," Charlie decided.

Instructing Watson, Jack and several others to follow, Charlie headed out of the station.

* * *

"You can still walk away from this!" Daria insisted.

She didn't know where her courage was coming from, except that there was no way she wanted to die here. There was so much left to do. Her fright was fuelling her words.

"I can't!" Trey insisted. "It's too late!"

"It's not! Unlock the doors and let us go."

Trey looked at all of them. He settled his eyes on Nicole.

"Fine," he said. "She's the one I want anyway."

He trained the gun on her and fired. Everyone was stunned when Gina leapt in the way, pushing Nicole onto the ground.

"Mum!" Xavier shrieked, bounding forward.

Rachel looked stressed. There were too many injured people for one person to deal with. She moved forward to tend to Gina as her sister in law lay motionless on the ground.

Charlie and her team pulled up outside Crumble. The door was locked and the shutters were down. Charlie banged hard on the door. Trey jumped in surprise.

"Leah!"

Joey was relieved and horrified in equal measure to hear Charlie's voice.

"Roman! Irene! If you're in there, open up!"

"Don't any of you dare say a word," Trey warned.

The banging continued.

"Is anyone there?" Charlie called.

Her heart was racing at the thought of something being wrong and Joey being trapped inside. And she couldn't help but worry about her twins. Suddenly, the whole crowd began to yell for help. Trey screamed at them to shut up. Outside, Charlie turned to Jack and another policeman, instructing them to batter down the door.

"Shut up!" Trey screeched.

He began to fire shots wildly. Mothers, including Joey, clutched their children, panicked and desperate to protect the ones they held most dear. Rachel fled behind a table to grab hold of Harry, abandoning Gina. Xavier remained in place. His mother lay lifeless in his arms. He felt he had nothing to live for.

"Trey, stop!" Daria cried desperately.

She moved forward. Trey directed the gun at her but didn't shoot.

"The cops are here," she said. "Don't make it worse."

The doors began to weaken as Jack and his colleague bashed them in, trying to get inside. Trey made a grab for Daria. She cried out as he held her and put the gun to her head. Joey's heart lurched in desperation. The doors almost broke. Jack and his colleague tried again. Trey turned to face the doors frantically, pulling Daria with him. The young woman closed her eyes, waiting for him to pull the trigger. With his back to them, Joey seized her opportunity. She lurched forward and ploughed into Trey. Trey and Daria sprawled onto the floor. Joey landed on top of Trey who had lost his grip on the trigger but retained the gun. The police burst through the door just as Trey knocked Joey out with the base of his gun.

* * *

The next few hours passed by in a blur for everyone involved. Having checked that Martha and his daughter were okay, Jack had volunteered to take Trey back to the station. Watson checked on Sarah and then joined Jack in his quest. Ambulances had been called for Roman, Aden and Joey and Gina had been pronounced dead at the scene. Seeing Joey lying on the floor with Daria had broken Charlie down. She'd refused to be part of the arrest or interview process but remained by Joey's side in order to go to hospital with her. Now, she was in the waiting room. Daria had been checked over and cleared of any injuries but Joey was still unconscious. Daria had phoned David to explain and her twin was on his way. Irene sat in her cubicle, shaking and covered in Roman's blood. When she asked after her boss, she'd been told he was having life saving surgery. Aden had also been rushed into theatre and Belle was on her way to be with him. Xavier sat in shock in a side room, hoping and praying that someone might come in and tell him his mother wasn't really dead. Leah and VJ sat in one cubicle, waiting to be checked over but all Leah wanted was to be by Roman's side. Love was pouring out of her like blood had been pouring out of him and she knew for sure that she wanted to forget the past and be with him again. Rachel had been forbidden to be part of treatment and was sat with Harry, waiting for Tony to join her and a colleague to give her the all-clear. Martha was trembling, holding Leanne close, not wanting to ever let her go and into harm's way.

"You took a group of people hostage, you shot three people, assaulted another and one person and counting is dead because of you," Watson said to Trey.

All she could picture was her girlfriend looking ghostly pale and afraid.

"You are going down forever."

She turned to Jack who had agreed to let her take the lead. His fright over nearly losing Martha and Leanne was overtaking his power of speech.

"Let him stew in the cells until Detective Buckton gets here."

They'd called Ross in the moment they'd arrived back at the station. The situation was bigger than any of them. Jack nodded and grabbed Trey by the elbow, shoving him impolitely through the door.

* * *

Joey lay, oblivious to the world around her, in her hospital bed. Outside her room, Charlie waited, fraught with anxiety. She and Daria looked up when Sarah appeared, looking pale. She came to sit beside them.

"Do you know how Joey is?" she asked.

Her voice was timid and completely unlike her. Charlie shook her head.

"What about Aden?"

Daria and Charlie shook their heads again. Belle suddenly burst through the doors, demanding to know what had happened to her husband. A nurse led her past them and into a room.

"Aden!" Belle gasped.

He was lying, unconscious from the anaesthetic he'd had and his hand was bandaged tightly. She stroked his arm and kissed his lips as tears rolled down her cheeks.

* * *

"She'll be okay," Daria told Charlie although there was a distinct quiver in her voice.

"What happened?" Charlie asked, staring at the blank wall ahead of her.

"We were all just getting lunch and Trey... he just... he had a gun and... and he..."

Daria couldn't even talk about it. Tears stung her eyes and she rubbed them fiercely. Charlie looked at her and immediately pulled her into a cuddle. She kissed the top of her head.

"I love you, you know," Charlie said, suddenly feeling the need to assure her.

"I love you too," Daria replied.

It wasn't a usual thing for her to say but she meant it with her whole heart.

"Daria!"

David and Nick came racing into the hospital. David pulled his twin into a tight hug. His heart was racing and he clung to her tightly. Nick stood politely back and Charlie and Sarah remained in their seats. Leah and VJ arrived in the corridor, having been given the all clear. Holding hands, they sat down. They looked up when Martha and Leanne arrived, desperate to go home. Leah stood and asked Martha if she would take VJ home with her. She didn't want VJ hanging around in the hospital any longer than he had to but there was no way she was leaving until she knew how Roman was. Martha agreed and hugged everyone goodbye, feeling more emotional than usual.

"I'm going to go in and see Xave," Daria said. "To check he's okay."

Charlie and David nodded and watched her leave. David sat beside his mother and hugged her.

"How's Joey?" he asked.

"Unconscious," Charlie told him, feeling like her heart was broken.

"I just can't believe this happened," Sarah said. "We were just having lunch and... How does this kind of thing happen?"

"I have no idea," Leah said weakly.

* * *

In Xavier's hospital room, he sat, looking and feeling numb. He barely registered it when Daria approached him and held his hands. He sank against her and let her hold him. She chewed her lip, having no idea what to say.

* * *

Tony arrived at the hospital to collect his wife and child. Worry was etched on his face. He stopped to ask after Aden and Joey and to check on Sarah. He and Rachel decided to go round and see Martha immediately so that they could recover together. Charlie looked up when a nurse approached her.

* * *

"Are you here for Joey Collins?" she asked.

Charlie nodded.

"She's awake," the nurse told her. "And she's fine. Do you want to...?"

Charlie was on her feet before the woman could even finish her sentence. Rushing into the room, she halted at Joey's side. Her partner was bandaged and looked sleepy and in pain but otherwise, she appeared unscathed. Charlie held her tightly, tears finally falling.

* * *

Nicole sat in a side room of her own, feeling like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. All she could think was that this whole thing was her fault. If she hadn't reacted so badly to Trey telling Romeo about her then none of this would have happened. Now Gina was dead. All she had asked for, over and over again, was her father, needing to know he was okay. But nobody could tell her anything and nobody would let her leave her room until she'd calmed down from the shock of all that had gone before. She worried about Aden. He looked to her like his hand had been blown off. There had been so much blood. She didn't think she would ever get such horrific images out of her mind.

* * *

"Please tell me how Roman is," Leah begged the nurse who had left Charlie and Joey to it.

The woman sighed.

"He's still in surgery," she said. "I'll let you know what's happening as soon as I can."

Leah nodded but was not comforted. Her heart was breaking at the thought of the sun setting on the life of yet another man she loved so much.

* * *

"It's okay," Joey said gently, stroking Charlie's face. "I'm okay. But how's everyone else?"

Charlie sighed heavily.

"Gina's dead. I don't know about Roman and Aden," she said.

Joey fought her own tears and held on a little too hard to Charlie.

"I've asked the nurse to let me know about Aden for you as soon as he's awake," Charlie said. "He had surgery on his hand."

Joey nodded.

"What about Daria?"

"She's fine. She's gone to sit with Xavier and make sure he's alright."

"She was amazing, you know," Joey said, allowing herself a smile. "She was so brave."

Charlie smiled too, feeling proud of her. Then she burst into tears.

* * *

Nicole was finally given the all clear. She hurried out into the corridor and sat with Leah and Sarah, asking immediately about her Dad, certain and terrified that she would lose him.

"I'm sorry," she managed.

Sarah and Leah looked confused.

"It was my fault. If I..."

Sarah hugged her.

"The only person responsible for this is Trey," she said firmly.

* * *

"Baby, don't cry," Joey said softly, hugging Charlie.

The police officer looked into her eyes.

"I made a decision today," she said. "I booked a restaurant and everything to do it."

Joey looked bewildered. Charlie reached around her neck and undid the chain she always wore. She slipped the ring off it and presented it to Joey.

"I know this isn't the most romantic setting in the world," Charlie said, still feeling tearful. "But I can't wait. Joey, I love you so much and I wanted to live the rest of my life with you. The thought of losing you, it... it tears me up inside. I don't think I've ever been so scared before than I was today. I need you. Would you... would you marry me?"

Joey stared between Charlie and the ring.

"Of course I will," she said, feeling equally overwhelmed.

The last thing she'd been expecting, hostage situation or not. Charlie smiled and slipped the ring onto Joey's finger. She hugged her and kissed her for all she was worth.


	84. Chapter 84

**Chapter Eighty-Four**

**December 2019**

It was a week later. Joey said goodbye to Charlie and headed round to see Aden. While she'd just had concussion and felt fine now, her friend had lost most of the function in his right hand. Belle was a broken woman as she tried to take care of her depressed husband. He was in pain and struggling terribly with his disability. Roman was recovering but remained in hospital. He was visited every day by Leah and Nicole. Belle and Irene had also come in. Aden hadn't yet managed to leave the house. Belle opened the door and let Joey in.

"How is he?" Joey asked after they'd said hello.

"Not fucking deaf!" Aden snapped from the couch.

Belle gave Joey a look of despair and then headed into the kitchen. Joey flopped onto the couch beside her friend.

"Someone's cheerful," she commented.

"I've just lost my hand, Joey," Aden said.

She looked at him.

"It's still there," she said.

It was, however, wrapped up in bandages.

"I can't damn well use it though, can I?" Aden said.

All the while, he wondered why he kept shouting at everyone. It was nobody's fault but Trey Palmer's. Nicole ex-boyfriend had been refused bail and was now awaiting trial in prison. Aden hoped he rotted there forever.

"You'll get it back," Joey said, completely unfazed by his irritation.

"Not for a long time," he said. "So, have you come round to fire me?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Joey said. "Of course you're not fired."

"I can't do the work anymore, Jo."

"Aden, you have been my best, platonic friend since the day we first met. I love you. I'm not going to abandon you now."

He looked at her and couldn't help but smile at the way she was beaming at him.

"What am I meant to do?" he asked.

"We'll find something," Joey said confidently.

Suddenly she looked very serious.

"Aden, this isn't the end of the world," she said. "I know that's how it feels right now but you'll get through it. And we'll help you – Belle, me, Charlie, everyone. We'll put you back together."

Aden considered her words and finally relented. He leant forward and hugged her. In the doorway, Belle sighed quietly, wondering why it was Joey who could get through to him and not her. But then, she was just happy anyone could do it. Living with Aden being so depressed and vulnerable had certainly been no easy task.

* * *

Daria stormed in through the front door and up to her room. Puzzled and worried, Charlie stopped cooking and followed, tentatively knocking on the door.

"What?" Daria snapped.

Charlie opened the door and poked her head around the edge.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"What do you think?" Daria challenged.

Charlie came further into the room and sat on the edge of the bed.

"What's up?" she asked.

The whole town had been fraught since the day that Trey had attacked Crumble. The restaurant remained closed for business and those involved and their loved ones were suffering the consequences. Every day at work so far, Charlie and her team had been fending off comments and complaints about what had happened, as if, somehow, it was their fault.

"Xavier," Daria admitted.

She lay flat on her back and looked up at the ceiling. Charlie frowned.

"I thought what happened would have brought us closer together," she said. "I decided that day that I wanted to be with him for real. I wanted to let go of all my issues and commit to him... you know, be with him properly but he doesn't want me."

"Dar, his Mum just died," Charlie said gently. "Right in front of him. That's not an easy thing to..."

"I know!" Daria snapped. "But it's not that he's too grief stricken to be with anyone. He wants Ruby."

Charlie sighed, suddenly feeling awkward. She supposed some kind of row between Ruby and Daria had been on the cards for years now. Although the idea of her sister getting back with Xavier was surprising. She was still living and in love with Geoff as far as Charlie knew.

"They're not together," Charlie told Daria. "Ruby's just supporting him because... because she knows how it feels to lose a mother."

Charlie's voice caught on the last word as memories of her own mother passing away right there with her, invaded her mind. Daria softened for a moment.

"Why doesn't he want my support?" she finally asked.

**

* * *

**

February 2020

The wedding had come round quickly. Neither Charlie nor Joey wanted to wait. Both wanted to be legally bound to each other in a Civil Partnership as soon as possible. After so many years together, it seemed like the next step, even if it was a little late. They wanted to keep things small, although not quite as small as they had for their blessing several years before. With neither of them able to decide on gender roles, best men and bridesmaids, they had opted to defy tradition. They had six favourite people – Aden, David, Watson, Ruby, Daria and Sarah, who would follow them down the aisle. They had decided to walk down the aisle together instead of one waiting for the other. And against her better judgement, Joey had donned a beautiful wedding dress to match Charlie's. James and Leanne were to lead the way down the aisle scattering flowers and Ross and Morag were seated proudly in the front row. With all the guests seated and Charlie and Joey with their favourites waiting outside the room, the couple hugged each other tightly. Both were nervous about something going wrong and ruining their day but neither were surer of anything else in the world than each other. When he received a nod from the registrar, Liam began to play the guitar. Having worked for Joey for a few years now, the pair were quite fond of each other and while trawler work was hardly Liam's life's ambition, he was eternally grateful that she had given him a chance when nobody else would. He'd written his own love song for them and a thrill rushed through him as he performed in public again for the first time in a long time. On cue, James who had been dressed in a smart tuxedo and Leanne, in a very pretty dress, stepped into the room. The congregation of their friends and family stood up as the children, followed by Aden and Ruby, David and Daria and Watson and Sarah, walked down the aisle. They were followed by Charlie and Joey, both holding delicate bouquets of flowers. The congregation made themselves comfortable and those participating in the wedding, including Liam, sat down as Charlie and Joey stood at the front to exchange their vows.

* * *

The ceremony had been simple and short but moving and beautiful. Martha, manager of the Jukebox had offered the venue for free for the reception. Crumble had offered their catering services as a wedding present. Liam had relished the opportunity to get some of his old band mates together in order to perform for the evening and was excited at so many people getting up on the dance floor. Charlie and Joey were thrilled by the good time everyone seemed to be having. It made them happy to be providing a good party and they were elated to finally be married after loving each other for no less than thirty-four years. From her chair, Ruby spotted Xavier standing alone, surveying the buffet table without anything. Offering a quick kiss to Geoff, Ruby made her way over to check on her ex. The last few months had been hell for him, especially with everything happening right before Christmas. With Hugo in jail and Gina gone, it had been left up to the twenty-six year old man to look after his older brother Brendan. Struggling to maintain work and home life on his own, Xavier had moved himself and Brendan in with Jack and Martha and Brendan spent a lot of his time in a day centre where he could be well looked after. Ruby had been a rock to him, supporting him through everything that had happened. She understood only too well what it was like to lose a mother, especially one as dependable and loving as Gina, like Elsie, had been. It had caused a lot of rows behind closed doors for Ruby and Geoff but regardless of Xavier being her ex-boyfriend or not, she though of him as a friend and cared about him. She wanted to be there for him during the worst time of his life. From her own chair, Daria frowned as she watched Ruby approach Xavier. David immediately caught her expression.

"She's just being a good friend," he said tiredly.

"But she's not letting _me _be a good friend!" Daria protested.

Not wanting to engage in this particular debate today, David got up and gestured for Nick to join him in getting another drink.

* * *

On the dance floor, Charlie and Joey were wrapped up in each other. They kissed lovingly. Joey wrapped her arms around Charlie's neck and pulled her closer for another one.

"I love you, Charlie Buckton-Collins," she said.

Charlie grinned.

"And I love you, Joey Buckton-Collins," she replied.

They had puzzled over what to do with their names for several weeks. Both were attached to their names so a combination seemed like the best solution. Suddenly Charlie looked sad.

"What's wrong?" Joey worried.

"I wish Mum could be here to see this," Charlie admitted. "And Clara. And Paul."

Joey pressed her cheek against her wife's.

"They're here," she said confidently. "I know they're here. And I know they're happy."

Charlie smiled and kissed her again.

**

* * *

**

May 2020

It was the anniversary of Elsie's death, something that weighed heavily on Charlie, Joey and Ruby's hearts. Each anniversary of Elsie, Clara and Paul was hard to bear. Charlie and Joey had invited Ruby and Geoff round to spend the evening with them. James was having a sleepover with VJ at Leah and Roman's place and the twins had decided to make themselves scarce. They hadn't known Elsie, although sometimes it felt like they had from the way their parents talked about her and the obvious influence that she and Joey's mother had had on their girls. After a small disagreement, Geoff and Ruby had decided that Geoff ought to stay behind that night and Ruby arrived early at her sister's house. Letting herself in with her key, she found the place empty. Making a drink for herself, Ruby sighed heavily. It felt so long ago since her mother had died. Life had been so different then and Ruby had been so young. She regretted that her Mum hadn't been given the chance to see her grow up and couldn't help but wonder what Elsie would think of the woman she'd become. While she was certain that her mother would be proud of Charlie and Joey, she wondered about herself. She knew Elsie had wanted Charlie and Joey to be together but what would she think of Ruby and Geoff? She'd always been so fond of Xavier. Would she feel critical that Ruby had left him and ended up with someone else? She hardly knew how she felt about it all now. Once upon a time, Geoff had been her ideal man. He was patient and kind and he loved her. His energy, passion and enthusiasm for life had been a refreshing change from Xavier who had been frustrated that she was off studying at University while he was working behind a bar. Since the hostage situation with Trey, Ruby had become a lot closer to her ex-boyfriend. She didn't think she had feelings for him again but she loved him as a friend and she wanted to comfort and support him. Geoff and Daria were not proving to be fans of their friendship though and it was causing problems. Moving into the lounge, she continued to think about her mother. This had been the home she'd shared with her husband. It was where Charlie, Ruby and for all intents and purposes, Joey, had grown up. It was where Elsie had died. There were so many happy and sad memories here. Sometimes, it was overwhelming. And one of those times was now. Setting her drink down, Ruby headed upstairs and into Charlie and Joey's empty bedroom. She hoped that nobody would mind. Reaching up onto a high shelf, she pulled down a memory box. She took it down into the lounge and sat on the floor with it. The box was large enough to contain diaries, letters and things that Charlie, Joey, Ruby and Brett had made for her during their childhood. She'd not really looked at it carefully before. She'd rummaged through her mother's belongings but it had been too painful to look through anything in too much detail. Picking a diary at random, she flipped it open and began to read.

* * *

Joey pulled up outside the police station in order to pick Charlie up from work. The bike had a broken mirror so it was with a mechanic, leaving Charlie and Joey to share the car. Charlie exited the building and waved goodbye to Watson and Jack who were also leaving at the end of their shift and jumped into the passenger seat. She kissed Joey and strapped herself in.

"How are you feeling?" Joey asked.

It was a hard day for everyone.

"Okay," Charlie said. "It's just... well, you know."

Joey nodded and held Charlie's hand across the seat.

* * *

Ruby's mind was reeling. In every diary, most of what her mother had written about was Clara and how much she loved her. There was lots of stuff about day to day life and the four children but mostly it seemed that her diary was an outlet for her battle with her feelings for her best friend. She looked up when she heard voices in the kitchen. Charlie and Joey stopped in surprise when they spotted Ruby on the floor looking overwrought.

"Hey, Rubes," Charlie said cheerfully. "You're early. Where's Geoff?"

"Did you know that Mum was in love with Aunt Clara?" Ruby asked.

Charlie froze and glanced at Joey. It wasn't something they'd ever divulged to Ruby before and neither was sure how to handle it. Ruby had been too young to handle it when Elsie had first passed away and it had never been appropriate to bring it up since.

"I take that as a yes," Ruby said unhappily.

She closed the diary and sat on the sofa. Charlie and Joey came to sit with her.

"We did know," Charlie admitted.

"What about Dad?"

"He knew," Charlie said. "They kind of had an agreement later in life."

"What kind of agreement?" Ruby wanted to know.

"Dad had fallen in love with Morag by then and Mum was okay with him being with her. She'd fallen in love with Aunt Clara before she and Dad ever got together. Nothing really happened but... Aunt Clara was her soul mate."

Ruby looked between them.

"And you both knew about this?" she asked. "Why didn't I know?"

"You were too young, sweetheart," Joey said gently. "Aunt Elsie only told us because... well, because she wanted me and Charlie to get together. She didn't want us to live without our soul mate, like she had."

"Did she love Dad at all?" Ruby wondered.

"Of course she did," Charlie said.

She thought for a moment about how to describe the situation.

"It's like... her best friend was her soul mate and she was married to her best friend. Does that make sense?"

Ruby nodded uncertainly.

"Are you okay?" Charlie asked worriedly.

"Yeah, it's just... I mean, does that mean Mum was gay or?"

"She didn't label herself," Charlie told her. "She'd be horrified if you were distressed about it."

"I'm not," Ruby assured her. "I just wasn't expecting that kind of revelation today, you know?"

Charlie hugged her. Joey joined in. For a moment it felt very much like old times.

"Did Aunt Clara love her too?" Ruby suddenly asked.

She looked at Joey full of questions. Joey nodded.

"My Mum was very much in love with your Mum," she confirmed. "It's sad that they never got the chance to..."

She trailed off, feeling sad. It broke her heart to think of their parents in unhappy marriages, that their mothers never got the opportunity to be happy together like Charlie and Joey were now. Charlie reached behind Ruby and put her hand on Joey's back. The couple smiled at each other and Ruby hugged them again.

"What takeaway shall we get tonight?" she asked brightly.


	85. Chapter 85

_This is more of an ensemble cast chapter but we'll be getting a lot of CJ stuff soon. Although, I warn of angst! Enjoy the happy while it's there... I've just written chapter 100 (wow!) so happiness will exist for a while yet but I thought I'd forewarn you! _

_And apologies in advance. I have a friend staying – he's all 3D and everything! – so I may not post as regularly as I usually do but I will try. And I may throw and extra chapter in of something later today to make up for it._

_Anyway... I formally invite you to David and Daria's 23__rd__ birthday. Love, IJKS xxx_

**

* * *

**

Chapter Eighty-Five

**April 2021**

Ruby headed round to see Charlie and Joey. Finding Daria in the kitchen, the two of them didn't quite know what to say to each other. Geoff and Ruby had broken up a few months ago. Everything had come to a head one evening when they realised that they really didn't have anything in common anymore. He'd left to become a missionary and travel the world. Ruby had been sad about it. She'd thought for a long time that he was the person she would marry and spend her life with. But ever since Gina's death, she and Xavier had been getting closer. Geoff hadn't liked it and nor had Daria. And Daria was even more furious about the relationship now that they were back together. It was hard dealing with Daria's grudge. She had never been backwards in coming forwards and practically being her aunt didn't make things any easier. Charlie and Joey were in particularly awkward positions and had both decided to stay out of it, which was easier said than done.

"Is Charlie here?" she asked.

Daria nodded towards the living room and Ruby headed on through. She looked up when Joey arrived home with take away for everyone.

"Ruby just barged in," Daria told her. "So I guess we'll have to share."

"Okay," Joey said brightly, unfazed by her daughter's mood.

"Dave's hiding in his room."

David and Nick's on-off relationship had finally come to a head and now Daria's twin was nursing his wounds. Nick had wanted sex. David was only willing to give it if they were in a serious and committed relationship. Nick was not willing and was horrified at the thought of being out of the closet. So they had broken up and now David was feeling sorry for him. He was half grateful and half devastated that Nick had quit his job and moved away. He missed him but it made life easier not to see him around every day.

"Do you want to go get him?" Joey asked her, although it was more of a request than a question.

Daria nodded and trudged through the lounge, ignoring Ruby who was chattering away with Charlie.

"Do I smell food?" Charlie wondered.

She stood up and headed into the kitchen, smiling when she saw Joey arranging take away boxes and plates. Wrapped her arms around her, she buried her face into her neck and kissed her.

"Nice to see you too!" Joey laughed.

She turned around and kissed Charlie properly.

"I think there's just about enough for Rubes," she said.

"Did I hear you inviting me for dinner?" Ruby chirped from the living room.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Charlie, Joey, Ruby, David, Daria and James were all crowded round the table. Daria and David were both moody. Joey was cheerful enough for everyone and Charlie was finding her animated description of her day at work highly entertaining, as was James. Since he had been given permanent residency with them, he had become a bright and happy little boy. He seemed to enjoy his life with renewed vigour and Charlie and Joey couldn't help but coo over how fast and well he was growing up. He was now ten years old and was a far cry from the tot they had taken care of when he was two.

"So, are you two looking forward to your party?" Joey asked the twins.

They both grunted and nodded without enthusiasm.

"Yes, we're desperately excited, Joey! Thank you for asking!" the boat owner said sarcastically. "And thank you both so much for spending a fortunate on us and hiring the Jukebox and the catering and the music and everything you're doing in order to make us happy!"

Charlie snorted with laughter. Daria and David felt a little guilty and thanked them for all they were doing for them.

"Can I come to the party?" James asked his parents.

"For a little while," Charlie told him. "But it's going to go on quite late so it'll be way past your bedtime."

He sighed dramatically.

* * *

The weekend rolled around and with it came Daria and David's twenty-third birthdays. The whole town had been invited, including Ruby and Xavier and the twins were determined to have a good time, if only because Charlie and Joey had gone to such a lot of effort. With the party in full swing, it looked like everyone was having a nice time, including the guests of honour. Charlie and Joey smiled happily at each other. Couples and groups were dancing, eating, talking and laughing. There was a big table of presents which Daria had hardly looked away from all night and they knew a delicious cake would soon be unveiled. Joey drifted into Charlie's arms and kissed her.

"So far, so successful," she said.

Charlie wrapped her arms around Joey waist.

"Job well done, I think," she agreed.

They kissed again, letting the world float away from them for several moments. Drawing away, Charlie noticed a particularly naughty look in Joey's eye. It was a look she knew very well.

"Do you think anyone would miss us for a little while?" Joey asked.

Charlie answered by taking Joey's hand. Giggling like naughty school girls, they slipped into the bathroom and shut themselves in a cubicle. Locking it behind them, Joey crushed Charlie against the wall and kissed her. She let her hands roam over Charlie's body, touching her and tasting her. Breathing heavily, Charlie kissed her back and began to tug at her clothes. Before long, buttons were undone and fingers were exploring.

* * *

"Where are Joey and Charlie?" Daria asked. "Leah said they were bringing the cake out soon."

David shrugged and continued to stare rather gormlessly ahead of him. Puzzled, Daria looked in the same direction and then turned back to smirk at her brother.

"Which one are you after?"

David blushed and looked away from the two guys he had been ogling. Daria continued to smirk.

"Blondey," he said.

"Really? The other guy is way hotter."

The twins immediately launched into a debate about men.

* * *

Martha arrived at the party and although she felt rude, she hurried right past the birthday boy and girl and straight up to her husband. She jumped into his arms, kissed his face and beamed at him.

"What's so exciting?" he asked curiously.

"We're having a baby!" she declared.

"What?" Jack asked in shock.

"I'm pregnant!"

"But..."

He trailed off uncertainly. The whole town knew he was infertile.

"It's definitely yours," she clarified.

"How can...?"

"It must be a miracle," she declared.

* * *

Charlie cried out in delight as she reached orgasm. Leaning back against the cubicle wall, she relaxed against Joey's talented hand, although she continued to make her own fingers work. Joey climaxed and Charlie felt her contract against her fingers. Joey collapsed against her, breathing heavily and burying her face in her neck. Charlie hugged her tightly and kissed the top of her head. Joey lifted her face and gazed at her.

"We've still got it, baby!" Joey smirked.

* * *

Jack came to sit beside his father, grinning broadly.

"What's going on?" Tony asked curiously.

Jack burst out with his news and accepted happy congratulations. Father and son hugged and then turned back to look at their partners. Rachel and Martha were dancing with Leah and Belle and all four looked like they were having a good time. Tony suddenly sighed.

"Are you alright, Dad?" Jack asked.

"Yeah," Tony said, although he didn't sound very convincing.

"What's wrong?"

"I pulled my back at work yesterday," he said.

"Are you okay?" Jack asked worried.

"I'm fine," Tony said. "I'm fine. But it just got me thinking."

He paused and watched the girls dancing again for a few moments.

"I'm fifty-eight years old. Rach... she's only in her late thirties. I mean, I'm in good shape generally but eventually, I'm not going to be the hands on Dad for Harry that I was able to be for you, Lucas and Aden."

He would always count Aden as his son.

"And Rachel's in the prime of her life. How long is it going to be until she wants someone her own age?"

Jack sighed and wondered what to say.

"Well, you always knew the day would come when you were feeling much older," he said. "And Rachel doesn't seem to have noticed."

Tony nodded, feeling a little comforted.

"I don't know," he said. "Maybe I'm having a midlife crisis or something!"

* * *

"Where have you been?" Daria asked when she spotted Charlie and Joey across the room.

They immediately looked guilty and Daria worked it out. She pulled a face and declared that it was disgusting.

"I mean... I mean, you're my parents!" she squeaked.

"Just because we're your parents doesn't mean we're not also sexual beings," Charlie told her, knowing exactly what response she would get.

She and Joey chuckled as Daria pulled another face, covered her ears and ran off in horror. She caught up with Mink and immediately noticed that her friend was keeping a close eye on Xavier and Ruby.

"What are you planning?" Daria asked, feeling a little nervous.

"Nothing!" the blonde girl lied.

* * *

Roman appeared from the backroom with a cake on a trolley. Daria and David found each other and blushed a little as the whole group began to sing happy birthday to them. They made wishes and blew the candles out to a round of applause. Birthdays had never been a huge deal for them until they'd moved in with Charlie and Joey. Even then, it had taken a while for their parents to convince them that parties were fun and a good idea but this was definitely the biggest one they'd ever had.

* * *

Mink waited for the crowd to settle down a little before she jumped off the stool and made her way to the buffet table where Xavier was loading a paper plate of food.

"Hey," she said.

"Hi," he replied.

They knew each other fairly well as Xavier and Ruby were particularly close to Romeo. These days, wherever Romeo went, Mink was sure to follow – loudly.

"Enjoying the party?"

"It's pretty good."

"Is it weird?"

He paused and eyed her curiously.

"Is what weird?"

"Going to your ex-girlfriend's party with your new girlfriend?"

"Well, uh..." he began awkwardly. "Technically I was with Ruby before I was ever with Daria so..."

"Maybe you need a change," Mink suggested.

She leant forward and kissed him. He was so surprised that for a moment, he didn't pull away, although he didn't kiss her back.

"What the hell is going on?"

He broke away and stared anxiously at Ruby who immediately stormed out. He chased after her and Mink smiled with satisfaction, picking up the plate of food he had abandoned. Daria hurried over, wanting to know what had just happened.

"He should be back on the market and ready for you to buy in the morning!" Mink declared.

* * *

Across the room, Jai and Annie were dancing with each other but Jai kept stumbling.

"Are you okay?" Annie asked worriedly.

"Yeah," he replied. "I'm fine."

She wasn't entirely convinced but continued dancing anyway.

"Actually," Jai said. "I wanted to ask you something."

"Sure."

He felt sick with nerves as he lowered himself onto one knee. One by one, people turned to look and the DJ stopped the music. Romeo remained in his chair and rolled his eyes at Nicole.

"Will you marry me?" Jai asked nervously.

Annie beamed at him and happily accepted. Jai stood and slipped the ring on Annie's finger. Romeo escaped outside to get some air. Worried about him, Nicole followed. Annie and Jai didn't notice anything but each other as the DJ played a slow and romantic song. They held each other close and danced. Several other couples including Martha and Jack, Leah and Roman, Tony and Rachel and Charlie and Joey joined in. Outside in the fresh air, Nicole asked Romeo if he was okay.

"I'm fine," he said.

Things had moved on and he didn't really want to be with Annie anymore. But he also knew he would always probably have feelings for her and it made him sad to see her so happy with someone else, especially the guy she'd dated before him. He couldn't help but question whether she had ever really cared about him. Maybe he was just a stop gap until she was ready to be with Jai properly.

"Hey," Nicole said gently, touching his hands. "Are you okay?"

"Fine," he said. "I just... it just reminds me that I'm alone."

"You'll meet someone amazing one day," Nicole assured him.

"As amazing as Annie?" he asked.

"Oh, way better!" she giggled.

He laughed too. They leant in a little closer and kissed each other.

* * *

Back inside the party, David still had an eye on the two boys that he didn't know. He wondered how they had been invited if nobody knew them. Blondey looked up and caught his eye. David blushed. The man smiled and began to wander over with his friend in tow.

"Hi," the blonde said. "It's your birthday right?"

David nodded and struggled to find his voice.

"I hope you don't mind us crashing," the guy said. "We just arrived in town."

"It's fine," David managed. "You're more than welcome."

They smiled at each other before the stranger extended his hand.

"I'm Andy, by the way."

They shook hands.

"This is my younger brother, Ben."

Ben also shook his hand. Daria appeared as if from nowhere and the introductions began all over again.


	86. Chapter 86

_Don't worry. There's no angst yet. I will warn you nearer the time. And I hereby promise that Charlie and Joey's relationship will remain in tact. But I'm going to be very mean. For now, enjoy the good times! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Eighty-Six**

**June 2021**

Charlie and Joey arrived back from a lovely weekend away and were full of the joys of spring. They'd left James in the care of the twins who, for the first time in a long time seemed to be very settled. David was still working hard on the trawler and he had begun dating Andy, whom he met at his birthday party a couple of months before. And Daria had finally got over Xavier and started dating Andy's brother, Ben. Ben was their age and Andy was two years older, aged twenty-five. Andy was training to become a Doctor and doing well in medical school while his brother was a mechanic. Charlie and Joey were pleased to see their twins happy. They deserved it.

"Charlie!" James squealed when he spotted his parents coming through the door.

He hurled himself at the police officer who hugged him. Eleven or not, James was always thrilled to see them and his childish delight at everything around him was inspiring.

"What about me?" Joey pouted.

He grinned and hugged her too, quickly asking what they'd bought him as a present. Laughing, they asked if they could sit down first and he reluctantly agreed. Crashing on the sofa, Charlie and Joey began telling James about some of the things they had seen and done while they were away before being interrupted by Daria trotting down the stairs. She happily welcomed them home.

"What did you buy me?" she asked hopefully.

James laughed. Charlie and Joey merely exchanged glances.

* * *

Belle shrieked in annoyance when nothing but cold water spurted from the shower. Wrapping her robe around her, she stomped downstairs for breakfast. Aden raised an eyebrow as she stormed around the room and then nearly knocked the fridge door of its hinges when she picked up an empty carton of milk.

"Did you finish the milk?" she demanded of her husband.

Aden waved his toast with his weak hand and his glass of juice with his strong one. It had taken a long time to get used to living with a disability but he felt he had worked hard. Joey had kept him on the trawler when he was back from sick leave and although he was stuck with lighter duties for the foreseeable future, he still maintained a good work ethic and did his best. Romeo had taken Nick's place on the trawler, which Joey had been happy about as she had struggled to find proper work for him when he first arrived back home and she was still looking for someone to replace the hole that Geoff had left. Aden missed his friend a lot but heard from him from time to time and promised he would come to visit soon. David had stepped up as Aden's second in command and Romeo and Tony were part of his crew, leaving Joey working with Sarah and Liam.

"Who the hell was it then?" Belle asked.

"Well, Romeo left without eating," Aden ventured. "Said he was going to get a snack at Crumble after catching some waves."

The couple had been living with Romeo and Mink ever since Roman and Nicole had headed back out to live with Leah and VJ. And it was slowly driving Belle insane. Aden swore that mornings just got worse and worse each day.

"Mink," Belle growled.

"You called?" the blonde girl asked cheerfully, wandering in the kitchen.

"Hot water. Milk," Belle snapped.

"And?"

"You have got to get the hell out of here before I kill you," Belle warned.

"Good luck!" Mink replied sweetly before turning around and heading out of the house.

Belle threw the milk carton violently across the room. Aden ducked out of the way just in time.

* * *

"What is with you?" Leah asked curiously.

Roman had been in a strange mood all day and she was both intrigued and irritated. He just seemed constantly amused, as if he knew something she didn't and she was desperate to know what it was.

"Nothing!" the chef said with a grin.

"Roman..."

"Just don't make plans for tonight," he told her, still smiling. "I've got a surprise for you."

* * *

Out on the trawler, Aden and Romeo were discussing their living situation. They were sure that Belle and Mink may well end up murdering each other sometime soon if nothing changed.

"Whatever happened to the good old days?" Romeo wondered. "In our little bachelor pad!"

They both chuckled and thought back fondly to their time in the flat together where they could be as messy as they liked and got along famously.

"I don't know," Aden said. "But life with those girls is turning into a bit of a nightmare."

Romeo frowned and looked serious.

"You want me and Mink to move out, don't you?" he asked.

"I'm really sorry, mate," Aden apologised. "It's not you, it's just..."

"Women," Romeo concluded unhappily.

* * *

Charlie, Joey, and James were having a water fight in the garden. It was nice to take advantage of the holidays for James and everyone was having a lovely time. Joey paused when she thought she heard the phone ringing. Excusing herself and getting squirted rather harshly with water for her efforts, she headed into the house, dripping wet. Hurrying over to the landline, she picked it up and cheerfully said hello. It was James' social worker.

* * *

David and Daria said goodbye to Andy and Ben who had stopped for lunch but were now heading back to work for the afternoon.

"I'd better head back too," David said, standing up and saying goodbye to his sister.

Daria felt rather pleased with herself to have the day off.

"Hey, guys," Mink said cheerfully when she and Romeo caught sight of them.

She sank into a seat beside Daria and stole the rest of her milkshake.

"What's up?" David said, figuring that if Romeo wasn't heading back to work yet then he didn't have to.

"We have to house hunt," Romeo sighed, sitting down opposite his sister.

He glared at her with little malice.

"Someone has pissed Belle off too much."

Mink poked her tongue out and finished the milkshake with a loud slurp.

"What happened?" Daria asked.

"She's just touchy," Mink said. "Totally oversensitive. And old before her time. I mean, what thirty-five year old whinges like that?"

She turned and grinned at Daria.

"Now your thirty-odd year-olds are totally different. They're hot."

Daria looked horrified.

"You think Charlie and Joey are hot?" she asked.

David couldn't help but laugh at her expression.

"Absolutely!" Mink said.

She was bisexual and the whole town knew about it. She grinned.

"I'd totally do Joey," she declared.

Daria's horror increased.

"And I wouldn't kick Charlie out of bed either!"

"Mink!" Romeo protested.

"They're our Mums!" Daria said.

"Yummy Mummies," Mink teased.

"Anyway," Romeo said, changing the subject. "You guys haven't heard of any rentals or anything have you?"

The twins shook their heads.

"I have an idea!" Mink said brightly.

Everyone turned to her curiously.

"Why don't we four rent a place together?"

* * *

James was nervous when Charlie and Joey sat him down on the sofa. The group of three had dried off and now his parents, the ones who had been laughing and joking with him only ten minutes ago were looking grave and unhappy.

"Did I do something wrong?" he asked.

Both women looked surprised. Charlie hugged him.

"Of course you didn't, sweetheart."

As much as he trusted them, his automatic assumption when something looked wrong was that it was his fault.

"We got a call from your social worker," Joey ventured.

Her heart was pounding and she didn't quite know how to handle things.

"And we've got some bad news," she said.

James's eyes widened.

"Do I have to go away?" he asked worriedly.

He felt like he might combust if he had to leave them now. It had taken a lot of persuasion to be permanently fostered with Charlie and Joey. And it wasn't that he didn't love his Mum. They talked regularly and saw each other when they could. He just didn't feel safe in her house. He didn't feel loved. It didn't feel like home. Charlie and Joey's house felt like home. It always had.

"You don't have to go anywhere," Joey assured him.

He breathed a small sigh of relief.

"But... I'm so sorry, James. Your Mum died this morning."

James just stared at her. Joey reached out to him and he fell against her, crying into her shoulder.

* * *

Daria and Mink remained at Crumble for another round of milkshakes while David and Romeo headed back to work. The foursome had decided that moving in together was a wonderful idea and now the girls were eagerly looking forward to their plans.

"Hey," Nicole said, approaching the table and sinking into a seat.

"How's it going?" Daria asked.

Nicole shrugged. She had handed in her notice at work and would be due to be starting a fashion degree at University the following January. She was really looking forward to it but it made working at the salon that much more of a drag.

"You guys look cheerful," she commented.

"We're moving in together!" Daria beamed proudly.

"Really?"

Mink nodded.

"Me, Daria, David and Romeo."

"I would so love to move out of Roman and Leah's place," Nicole admitted.

"Well, why don't you?" said Daria. "Looking for a five bedroom place has got to be just as easy as looking for a four bed."

Nicole could hardly believe her luck.

"I'm in," she said. "If nobody minds."

"I'm cool with it," Mink declared.

Nicole suddenly frowned. She pictured Romeo. Things had been a little awkward since their kiss a couple of months beforehand, although they were still good friends. She hoped he wouldn't object to her living with them. And if he didn't, she hoped it wouldn't turn into a disaster.

"Well, we'll ask the boys and call you as soon as we know," Daria decided.

* * *

James had cried himself into exhaustion in Charlie and Joey's arms. He was overcome with the guilt of abandoning his mother and letting her die alone while he was having a nice time with the parents he preferred. Charlie and Joey had repeatedly told him that he wasn't to blame and then tucked him up into bed. Downstairs in the kitchen, Charlie made herself and Joey a coffee as they fretted over whether he would be alright or not. The twins came suddenly skipping through the door.

"Guess what!" Daria said cheerfully.

"What?" Joey asked.

"Me, Dave, Romeo, Mink and Nicole are all moving in together!"

"What?" Joey said, immediately deflated.

Daria and David were both surprised by how unhappy Charlie and Joey looked.

"Aren't you happy?" Daria asked.

"Um... well, sure, of course," Joey lied.

She sank into a chair. She loved her twins. She didn't want them to move out.

"We have to grow up sometime," Daria said with surprising gentleness.

She sat down beside her and smiled. David moved to the opposite chair and Charlie came to join them.

"We still love you," David said.

Joey managed to a smile.

"And we'll totally be round here for dinner every day!" Daria giggled.

* * *

The following day, Charlie headed into Crumble before work in order to grab drinks for herself, Jack and Watson. She was met by a beaming Leah.

"What's so exciting?" Charlie wondered.

Proudly, Leah thrust her hand in Charlie's direction and on her finger was a ring almost as beautiful as the one Joey had given Charlie on their first wedding day. She smiled and commented on how pretty it was.

"Roman proposed?" she asked.

"Yep!" Leah said. "I'm so happy!"

After Charlie had testified in favour of Angelo when Vinnie died, things had been a little shaky between the girls for a while but now they were both back on track and had resumed the friendship they'd had as kids.

"Congratulations!" Charlie said.

She hugged her over the counter, very pleased that her friend had managed to move on and live a happy life after suffering such a great loss.

* * *

At the end of the working day, Joey was glad it was over. She loved her job but her worry over James and how he was coping with the loss of his mother was playing on her mind and she was keen to pick him up from holiday club and check he was alright. He was quiet when he got into the car. Joey rambled about getting a takeaway pizza. He offered her a small smile and she pulled up into the drive. Charlie's bike wasn't there so she obviously wasn't home from work yet. Joey let them in and began to pour a glass of juice for her son. He headed upstairs to change out of his school uniform. Joey paused mid-pour when there was a knock at the door. Pulling it open she stared in shock as she came face to face with her brother.

* * *

Outside the flat they had just viewed, David, Daria, Mink, Romeo and Nicole conferred.

"I like it," David said.

"I want that attic room!" Daria pleaded.

"It looked nice to me," Romeo said. "And we'll debate the attic room."

Daria pouted.

"It's good value," Nicole added.

"So say all of us?" Mink asked.

The other four nodded. Mink turned and bellowed at the estate agent that they wanted it, making him jump so much that he dropped his clipboard. She smirked as she led the group back to him in order to get organised.

* * *

Joey and Brett sat at the kitchen table. She'd given James his juice and told him that he could watch TV or play video games in the lounge.

"What are you doing here?" Joey asked her brother.

"I finished travelling," he said. "I figured it was about time I came to see my baby sister."

She nodded, not entirely sure what to say.

"So..." he said. "You have a son?"

"We foster," Joey said.

"Charlie?" he assumed, considering Joey was in the house that Ross and Elsie had owned.

She nodded.

"You've been together for a long time," he commented.

"We have," Joey said. "It's kind of a forever deal."

She extended her hand and showed him her engagement and wedding ring. He nodded.

"Congratulations," he said.

"Thanks."

"So, do you have more kids?"

Joey nodded.

"We've had three teenagers. Romeo and David work on the trawler with me and Daria, who's David's twin works behind the bar at the Juke. They're grown up now. Actually the three of them are looking into renting a place together with their friends."

"You sound like you've made a success of your life, Joey," Brett said. "I'm proud of you."

"Are you really?" Joey questioned.

Everyone knew that Brett and Joey hadn't parted on particular good terms.

"I am," he promised.

She studied his face. He was forty now and had a handful of lines on his face. He remained unshaven as ever and his hair was short but somewhat messy.

"So, how's the world?" Joey asked. "Tell me what you've been up to."

**

* * *

**

July 2021

The twins were packing up and ready to move out. Brett had a van and offered to help them move in a bid to start getting along better with Joey. Their relationship was tentative to say the least and Charlie wasn't entirely convinced that he was being genuine. Her over-protective side worried that Joey would get hurt but she didn't want to dampen her spirits. They had taken James to his mother's funeral. The eleven year old had been broken but he was attempting to pick himself up again. Joey, Charlie, David, Daria and Brett finished putting the last few boxes in the van.

"All set?" Joey asked.

The twins nodded. They hugged their parents goodbye and headed off to their new home. Charlie and Joey watched them go, holding hands.

"Our babies are all grown up," Joey sighed.

"They are," Charlie agreed.

They turned to head back into the house together.

"You know, I'm sure twenty-three is too young to move out," Joey complained.

They found James doing his homework at the table. Glancing at each other, they nodded and sat down on either side of him. They'd been talking recently and now they had to talk to him about what was on their mind. He looked up at them a little nervously.

"We wanted to talk to you about something," Joey ventured.

"Nobody died, did they?" James asked, worriedly.

Joey smiled and put her arm around him, assuring him that everyone they knew was still alive.

"What's up then?" the young man asked.

"You can totally say no if you want to but... well, we were thinking and... um... how would you feel if we applied to adopt you?" Charlie asked.

James's eyes widened in surprise. He glanced between them and then smiled.

"I'd love you to," he said.

* * *

A few days later, Nicole, Romeo, Mink, Daria and David invited a small gathering of people round for their housewarming. Leah, Roman, VJ, Aden, Belle, Andy, Ben, Ruby, Xavier, Charlie, Joey, James and Brett were all invited and the group were crammed in the sparse living room. Leah and Roman had spent the month planning their wedding and set a date for June next year. Aden and Belle were not so privately enjoying getting the house to themselves again. Daria had finally learnt to be pleased for Xavier and Ruby, who had just about forgiven Mink's misdemeanour at the party. Things were starting to become serious between Daria and Ben but they were taking things slowly. Daria appreciated his kindness and patience with her. David had lost his virginity to Andy and was deliriously happy to have started feeling normal again, or perhaps for the first time. He'd left therapy, although Daria remained. Daria stood up and headed into the kitchen to get more drinks. Joey stood and followed her.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Why wouldn't it be?"

As settled as Daria was now, in recent weeks, she and David both had acted a little strange with Charlie and Joey and Joey was keen to know why.

"You and Dave just seem to be acting a little distant, that's all."

"What does it matter to you anyway?" Daria snapped. "It's not like you love us. It's not like we're your kids."

Joey looked startled and horrified.

"What are you talking about?" Joey demanded.

Daria whirled around to face her.

"You're adopting James!" she snapped.

"So?"

"Why didn't you adopt me and David?"

Joey faltered.

"I... We didn't think... Did you want us to?"

Daria shrugged and turned back to her counter of drinks.

"Daria?"

"You love him more than us," the younger woman said quietly.

Joey moved forward and turned her around. She gazed into her face.

"We love you all the same," she promised. "The only reason we didn't suggest it to you was because you were older. You were already on your way to being adults. We didn't think it was something you'd go for. But James is only young. He's only eleven and he has so many years left to be a kid. And we didn't want him to be an orphan."

Daria looked into Joey's eyes, trying to discern if she was telling the truth or not.

"You do love us the same?" she asked.

"Absolutely," Joey said.

Daria breathed a sigh of relief and let Joey hug her.

* * *

A couple of days later, Charlie and Joey knocked on the door of the twins' house. A half undressed Romeo answered, blushing.

"Hey, Romeo," Joey said.

He looked very much like he had been up to no good. Sure enough, moments later, Nicole exited his bedroom and asked what was keeping him.

"Are the twins here?" Charlie asked to save Romeo and Nicole's embarrassment.

"I think so," Romeo said. "Maybe in their rooms."

Still smirking, Joey led Charlie up the stairs. David's room was empty but music could be heard from the attic room. Daria had won the coin toss and beaten Romeo into getting the room she wanted. Charlie knocked and waited. Daria opened up and they were pleased to see David was there too. Joey proudly thrust a piece of paper at her.

"What's this?" Daria asked, inviting them inside.

She sat on the bed and grinned. Charlie and Joey had put together a mock-up of an adoption certificate, firmly stating that David and Daria were theirs.


	87. Chapter 87

_Here's your next instalment. Don't worry, we are not at the angst yet! And just to check in, Charlie is forty now, which would make Joey thirty-eight. I think! The ages have got a little confusing over all the many chapters of this fic but I do mostly have a grasp! I hope you like the chapter. IJKS xx_

**Chapter Eighty-Seven**

**January 2023**

"I just can't believe it," Charlie said again.

She felt completely overwhelmed. Joey put her arms around her.

"You absolutely deserve this," she said.

They and all their friends, including Charlie's colleagues were in the Jukebox having a small party. At the end of last year, Detective Ross Buckton, Charlie's father had announced that he would be retiring and now, on his last day of work, he had announced that it had been decided that Charlie would take his place. The organisation were so sure that she would make a good Detective that she was allowed to start before she was even qualified and she was putting in for the Detective exam as soon as she could.

"It's just..."

"Absolutely what should happen," Joey said.

Charlie beamed at her, blushing. More people came over to offer their congratulations and she hardly knew what to say to them. She smiled when she caught sight of her Dad and Morag. With them now being retired, they had told the family that they were heading out to travel the world for at least the next couple of years. Charlie would miss her father, although she didn't see as much of him as she would have liked, even now. She never had. Ironically, her father not being around for her as a child was what had originally prompted her to become a cop. She'd wanted to get his attention and make him proud. Now, she just hoped she had succeeded.

"What are we celebrating?" Brett asked, approaching his sister and sister-in-law.

Joey beamed at him.

"Charlie's been promoted to Detective."

Brett nodded, smiled and shook Charlie's hand, congratulating her. Silently, he couldn't help but accuse her of getting as far as she had on her father's coattails but he remained silent and offered to buy them a drink. Approaching the bar, a very cheerful looking Daria served him.

"It's such good news, isn't it?" the barmaid said.

"Sure is," Brett replied.

She continued to smile and chatter about how proud she was of her mother.

"It is twenty years of service," Brett pointed out. "I guess it was due."

* * *

At home, Romeo knocked on Nicole's door. She welcomed him in.

"Hey," he said, smiling cheerfully. "Joey just called to say that Charlie's been promoted to Detective so they're having a bit of a thing down at the Juke. Do you want to come?"

Knee deep in design work for college, Nicole shook her head.

"Sorry," she said.

He frowned a little and leant against the doorframe, folding his arms. She looked back at him.

"Are you okay?" he asked. "You've been a little distant since..."

He trailed off, feeling uncomfortable. A month ago, he and Nicole had slept together. They'd both decided that it was a one-night thing and nothing had happened since but internally, Romeo couldn't help but worry that their friendship was ruined.

"I'm fine," she said, forcing a smile. "Just busy."

Nodding uncertainly, Romeo headed out to celebrate Charlie's promotion. When she heard the front door close, Nicole stood up and rummaged around in her bag for the pregnancy test she'd bought earlier in the day.

* * *

"Hey, sis!" Ruby bellowed when she and Xavier arrived at the impromptu party.

Charlie turned and hugged her.

"Congratulations!"

"Thank you!"

Xavier stepped up and congratulated her too. Everyone knew how hard Charlie worked to protect and serve her town. She loved all the people in their community and it showed. At the bar, Jack finished his pint and Martha presented him with another.

"Are you okay?" she asked her husband.

He looked surprised.

"I'm fine," he said. "Of course I'm fine."

She leant against the bar and gave him a knowing smile.

"It's okay to be a little jealous," she said. "You and Charlie started out together and she's always being promoted above you."

He sighed. He didn't want to be jealous. He wanted to be happy for Charlie. He was happy for her. But he couldn't help but wish that he would have raced so far and fast to the top as Charlie had. Looking out at Watson, she did look genuinely thrilled. He wished he could feel the same. Martha patted his arm and kissed his cheek.

"You'll be celebrating a promotion too before you know it," she said confidently.

Beside him, Brett was propping up the bar and getting far drunker than he'd meant to. But even though he was aware of it, he had no intention of stopping. He looked at Martha and ordered another whisky.

* * *

Nicole sighed heavily as she sank down onto the closed lid of the toilet. Seven tests later, there was no doubt that she was carrying Romeo's child and she was devastated. Since losing her baby with Geoff the first time around, she had firmly decided that she didn't want to become pregnant again. She'd chosen not to have children. And she and Romeo had been careful. They'd used contraception. Sighing, she reluctantly accepted that even condoms were only 99% effective and it was just her rotten luck to be the one per cent that got clobbered with responsibility. She wondered how Romeo would take the news and dreaded him coming home.

* * *

Charlie and Joey arranged to go out for dinner with Watson and Sarah at the weekend. Charlie had teased Watson that she couldn't get round her with bribery, to which Watson had exclaimed distress and pretended to withdraw the invitation. David and Andy had shown up with flowers for Charlie and fourteen year old James, Leanne and the slightly older VJ were all hanging out in the corner of the bar pretending to be good. In reality, they were attempting to figure out how they could get hold of some alcohol on the sly. But with the bar staff being Leanne's mother and James's sister, it was looking unlikely. At the bar, Brett finished yet another whisky. He turned to Jack.

"I'm not sure she deserves it either," he slurred.

Jack looked surprised and then a little guilty.

"Well, I wasn't saying that she didn't..."

"She doesn't. She inherited the promotion. She didn't earn it."

"Excuse me?" Daria bellowed angrily.

Brett turned back to her.

"Don't you dare say that about Charlie," the barmaid snapped.

"I'm only saying what most of these poor fuckers are thinking," Brett said.

People were turning around and looking at him. He caught sight of Joey who looked a mix between fury and heartbreak that her brother who she had so happy reunited with, wasn't quite the nice guy he'd made himself out to be.

"Charlie deserves her promotion," Daria said firmly. "And if you don't believe that you can get the hell out."

Brett stumbled off his seat and approached Charlie who looked embarrassed and hurt. Jack worried that his jealousy would quickly become public knowledge.

"I've spent a year and a half trying to fit back in with the only family I have," Brett said. "I've tried and tried and I can't. I can't buy into all this crap."

"What crap?" Joey demanded.

"You and her!" Brett said, pointing wildly. "Living in your nice little house with your nice little jobs and your brood of kids. I mean, what kind of people would allow dykes to bring up kids?"

"People with sense," Joey said firmly.

"How are these poor buggers going to turn out?"

He waved his arms around the room, pointing to Romeo, David, Daria and James who all glared at him.

"You make me sick," Brett said, turning back to Charlie and Joey.

"Then get out," Joey warned.

"Make me."

Jack and Watson began to make their way towards him but Daria got there first. She pulled his arms behind his back and thrust him to the door. Closing it on him, she turned back to find everyone staring at her. Joey looked pleased. Heading over to hug her parents, Daria returned to the bar without another word and the party slowly resumed.

* * *

At the end of the evening, Daria headed home with David, Andy, Ben, Romeo and Mink. When they arrived back, Romeo flopped in front of the television while Mink rummaged in the fridge for more beer. David and Andy said goodnight and headed up to David's room, leaving Daria and Ben feeling a little shy. Once Mink had followed her brother into the lounge, Daria and her boyfriend sat at the kitchen table.

"You were pretty cool tonight," Ben ventured.

Daria blushed and looked surprised.

"Handling Brett the way you did. I bet you made Charlie and Joey proud."

She beamed at him. It hadn't been something she'd really thought through. She'd just reacted. And she told him so.

"Maybe you should be a cop too!" Ben laughed.

He held her hand across the table. She smiled thoughtfully and accepted when he leant in to kiss her.

* * *

Joey was still ranting when she, Charlie and James arrived home from the party. She was furious that her brother had almost managed to ruin such a special night. In the kitchen, Charlie wrapped her arms around her waist and kissed her.

"But he failed," she pointed out. "So everything's okay."

They kissed. James took it as his cue to say goodnight and trot off to bed.

"I'm so proud of you, Detective Buckton," Joey said adoringly.

Charlie laughed.

"I'm going to have to get used to being addressed as that!" she remarked. "Detective Buckton is my Dad!"

Joey laughed and kissed her.

"I can promise that you're much hotter than your predecessor!" she said, taking her hand and dragging her towards the stairs.

* * *

The following day, Romeo was tucking into breakfast and enjoying a happy Saturday off work. He loved working on the trawler and specifically working for Joey but it was nice to keep his weekends to himself and he was aware that she felt the same. He smiled cheerfully when Nicole entered the kitchen.

"Brekkie?" he offered.

She turned a little green, fought a wave of nausea and sank into a chair.

"Are you sure you're okay?" he asked.

"I'm pregnant," she blurted out.

He inhaled a spoonful of cereal and began to choke.

* * *

Daria woke up feeling a little nervous. She looked beside her in the bed at Ben who was still sleeping peacefully. After what felt like such a long time, she had lost her virginity to him and it had been wonderful. All the while they had been dating, Ben had been perfectly patient and she trusted him as much as she trusted David, Charlie and Joey. A while ago, she had opened up and told him what had happened to her and David when they were children. She had dreaded judgement and humiliation but Ben had been nothing but the perfect listener. He seemed to accept her for everything she was, no matter what skeletons came out of her closet. And last night, they had taken their make out session up a gear and now she had given herself to him completely. And she had firmly decided that it had been worth the wait and was every bit as good as all the magazines insisted it was.

* * *

Aden knocked on the bathroom door and called his wife's name softly. She didn't respond.

"Belle, are you okay?" he asked.

She hadn't been feeling well for quite a few days now and he was worried. While she kept insisting that everything was fine, he was concerned and kept nagging her about going to see a Doctor.

"Belle?" he said again.

"I'm fine," she said, although she didn't sound very convincing.

"I'm coming in," he told her, pushing the door and ignoring her protests.

He was stunned when he saw her leaning against the bath, on the floor, sweating and looking very pale. Sinking to his knees, he held her hand, which was very clammy.

"Belle?" he said. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, although she knew it sounded utterly ridiculous.

"I'm going to get you to a Doctor, okay?" he said.

"No," she replied. "I don't want to..."

She sounded very firm, despite her weakness and he sighed, knowing she'd give him hell for going against her wishes.

"Well, why don't you let me call Rachel then?" he suggested, never tearing his gaze away from her eyes. "I'm sure she won't mind coming round."

Reluctantly, Belle nodded. Still holding onto her with his injured hand, Aden pulled his phone out of his pocket with his other one and called the Doctor.

* * *

Charlie was enjoying a leisurely morning of loafing around in her pyjamas and being waited on hand and foot. James had left early for his weekly surfing lesson with Mink who was drumming up a fair amount of business these days. Lots of people wanted to learn from an award winning surfer. Charlie and Joey suspected there was also a vast amount of hormones playing a part in James's decision to learn a sport he had previously had no interest in, not that they wouldn't have developed any hobby under the sun when they were his age in order to get that little bit closer to each other. Joey paused in cleaning the kitchen when there was a knock at the door.

"Romeo!" she exclaimed.

He looked decidedly unwell.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

He hurried through the door and collapsed on the couch next to Charlie who looked equally surprised to see him. Joey perched on the arm of the chair and waited for him to talk.

"I slept with Nicole," he admitted.

They opened their mouths to react but he interrupted.

"That's not the shock," he said. "The shock is that she's pregnant."

* * *

Rachel drove from home to Aden and Belle's house and checked her friend over. She was worried about her shortness of breath and told her so.

"I really want to take you in so we can have a proper look," Rachel said.

Belle shook her head. Aden hovered over them anxiously.

"Belle, this is really important," Rachel said.

"I'm already feeling better," Belle lied.

Nobody believed her.

* * *

Daria blushed when she and Ben arrived downstairs and found David and Andy in the living room playing a video game. Her twin raised his eyebrows at her and continued to play as she bustled into the kitchen in order to make drinks for everyone and cover her embarrassment over the fact that her brother and his boyfriend knew exactly what she had been up to the night before. Ben joined her and hugged her.

"I love you," he said.

She smiled at him and kissed his lips.

"I love you too," she replied.

* * *

"What the...? How the...? Weren't you careful?" Joey squeaked.

She promptly dropped from the arm into the chair as he explained that something must have gone wrong.

"How have you left it?" Charlie asked.

"Um... she told me... I flapped around for a bit and then I left to come here," he admitted.

Joey threw a cushion at him.

"Get the hell back home!" she ordered.

"She must be pretty freaked," Charlie agreed.

"I'm freaked too!" Romeo reminded them.

"You haven't had a miscarriage in a previous pregnancy!" Joey pointed out, throwing another cushion at him.

He suddenly felt very guilty for running out on her. He hadn't thought much about what she must have been going through. He stood up and nodded.

"I'll go and talk to her," he said, heading for the door.

"And be supportive!" Joey called after him.

She moved to the couch and cuddled up to Charlie.

"You're really in a no nonsense kind of mood, aren't you?" the Detective smirked.

Joey looked at her with a very naughty expression.

"I wouldn't exactly say _no _nonsense," she told her, pulling her in for a kiss.

**

* * *

**

February 2023

Aden felt sick. He sat in Rachel's office with his face resting against his palms and tried to regulate his breathing. Beside him, Belle wept. She had lung cancer. She was dying. Rachel remained silent as she waited for them to try and comprehend what she had told them. She could hardly believe it herself. Belle and Aden were only thirty-seven years old. Had she not had so much experience during her career, Rachel would have sworn they would too young to befall that kind of tragedy and yet here they were, looking at her for the answers as to what to do next.

* * *

After work, Charlie headed into the Jukebox. Joey was still out at sea but they had arranged to meet there when she was done for the week. Charlie smiled at Daria who served her with a smile.

"How's your day been, Detective?" the young woman asked.

None of Charlie's family had yet got tired of calling her by her new title and if she was being honest, she hadn't yet tired of hearing it.

"Pretty good," she replied with a smirk. "Ate some doughnuts, caught some bad guys..."

They grinned at each other and Daria served her a glass of lemonade.

"Thanks," Charlie said.

"Do you enjoy being a cop?" Daria asked suddenly.

Charlie nodded. She had become very used to her daughter's random questioning.

"Why?" Charlie asked.

"Just curious," Daria replied.

Charlie leant on the counter.

"Daria, you're never 'just curious' about anything," she said. "There's always a method in your madness."

Daria laughed and leant in a little closer.

"Well, I was just thinking... I was thinking that maybe I might... I mean, I won't if you don't think I'm suitable or you think it's a bad idea but I just... I thought that maybe..."

She trailed off.

"Spit it out," Charlie instructed.

"Well, maybe I might train to be a police officer too."

Charlie broke into a smile. Daria frowned, assuming she was being laughed at.

"I think that's a great idea!" Charlie said quickly.

Daria paused and stared at her.

"Really?" she asked.

Charlie nodded.

"Honestly?"

"Honestly," Charlie said. "I think you'd make an amazing police officer."

Daria suddenly couldn't stop smiling. She stretched and hugged her.

"Thank you!" she said brightly.

"I can get you an application form tomorrow if you'd like," Charlie offered. "And I can help you fill out!"

She immediately launched into an exciting plan of action.

* * *

Romeo left work and headed home via the florist in order to buy Nicole some flowers. Once Joey and Charlie had ordered him back home, he and Nicole had spent hours talking everything through. They had agreed to have the baby and despite Nicole's panic about not being able to carry him or her to term, they were hopeful that they would become good and responsible parents. Now, the whole town knew what was going on and although Nicole wasn't his girlfriend any more than they had been when they'd conceived their child but they were best friends and Romeo was determined to make her feel special and loved throughout her pregnancy and after.

**

* * *

**

March 2023

The Jukebox was loud and busy as the town, minus Brett Collins, piled in to bid farewell to Ross and Morag and to celebrate Tony's retirement. Ross could hardly believe that he was actually off to see the world, having lived most of his life in this small town. It was exciting and it was frightening but he was very much looking forward to enjoying his retirement with his wife. Tony was also surprised to be retiring. Again, he worried about being too old for Rachel. She was only forty and he was twenty years older. It hadn't mattered up until this moment but now he was nervous, just as he had been the year before when the twins had celebrated their birthdays.

* * *

After the party, Charlie drove herself and tipsy Joey, along with James, home. Joey was chattering away in the front seat about how quickly time had passed, citing Ross and Tony's retirement and James's adolescence as evidence.

"And look at us!" Joey said. "Do you realise that we've known each other for nearly forty years? That's... that's a very long time!"

Charlie chuckled and paused to let some pedestrians cross the road. She gazed at her partner, giggling and talkative, blessed by the glow of the moon. Smiling, she reached for her hand, sure that she'd fallen in love with her for the millionth time tonight.


	88. Chapter 88

**Chapter Eighty-Eight**

**January 2024**

Charlie and Joey felt ever so proud as they helped Daria moved her stuff into her new room at the police academy. David had joined them for the ride and she had said goodbye to her beloved boyfriend, Ben the night before. The couple had decided to try and maintain a long distance relationship. It would be difficult but neither wanted to let the other go, especially as Daria would only be gone for a year. Stepping into the room that Daria would be sharing with another girl, Charlie felt ever so nostalgic. It seemed such a long time ago that her parents had done the same thing for her and yet sometimes, it felt like only yesterday. She could hardly believe how long she and Watson had been friends and she doubted she would ever forget her glorious time away. The only downside of training away from home had been the fact that she had missed Joey so badly. And now Daria was worrying about missing Ben but more than anything, she was fretting over missing David. She and her twin had never done anything apart for their entire twenty-five years of life. This was definitely going to be a strange and different life.

"Are you all set?" Charlie asked.

Daria shook her head and looked terribly frightened. Charlie moved over and hugged her, explaining that she knew it was scary the first time but that this would be an amazing year for her. She moved to pull away but Daria clung on. Suddenly training to be a police officer seemed like a terrible idea.

"Hi!" said a cheerful voice.

Everyone turned to see a young girl glide through the door with her parents carrying her bags. She was blonde and beautiful with mischievous, blue eyes.

"Which one of you is my roommate?" she asked.

She cast her eyes over David for a moment before Daria stepped forward and introduced herself.

"I'm Kimberley," the girl said. "But you can call me Kim."

She grinned.

"We're going to have the best time!"

Charlie smiled. Her mind flashed immediately to Watson and she hoped that Daria and Kim would be as friendly. She stepped up and introduced herself and Joey as Daria's parents.

"And this is David," Daria said. "My twin brother. Obviously."

The pair looked absolutely identical aside from gender. Kim introduced herself and her parents to everyone and began to unpack. She had an excitable spring in her step that made Daria relax more and more by the second.

* * *

"I hope she's okay," Joey said fretfully.

Charlie smiled and concentrated on the road. David had fallen asleep in the back seat. Charlie reached over and held Joey's hand.

"She'll be fine," Charlie said. "That Kim girl looked friendly enough."

"What if she gets led astray?" Joey asked.

"Well, Watson's influence never did me any harm so I'm sure she'll be fine," Charlie chuckled.

Joey gazed at her with wide eyes.

"What if she gets lonely or...?"

"Joey, relax," Charlie said. "She's a big girl. She can cope. And we're only a drive away if she needs us."

Joey sighed and nodded. She kept hold of Charlie's hand and smiled. Charlie smiled back. She felt ever so proud that her daughter was following in her footsteps. She just hoped that her father had been as proud of her.

* * *

"I have to go," James said unhappily when he caught sight of the time.

Charlie, Joey and David were due back from dropping Daria off at police academy within the next half an hour and James had promised to get all his homework done while they were gone. Instead, he had sneaked off to see Leanne as soon as he could. They had been best friends for most of their lives but had officially, albeit secretly, begun dating two weeks ago. Both felt shy about the whole thing and had yet to tell anyone but so far, they were happy.

"Do you have to?" Leanne protested, kissing him.

He nodded unhappily and kissed her back.

"See you tomorrow?" Leanne asked.

He beamed at her, kissed her again and told her to count on it as he dashed off home.

* * *

Charlie, Joey, David and James had a Chinese takeaway when they arrived home.

"How was your day?" Charlie asked James.

"It was alright," James replied. "I got a lot done."

"And how's Leanne?" Joey smirked.

The fifteen year-old stared at her and some noodles fell off his fork.

"Sweetheart, we remember being fifteen," Charlie told him kindly.

She poked Joey and explained that her partner had been the queen of sneaking around at his age. Joey wasn't sure whether to look pleased or offended. James was turning pink.

"It's a secret," he whispered. "We don't want anyone to know."

"Why not?" Joey asked.

"Because VJ's going to be pis... unhappy."

Charlie tried not to laugh.

"And why's that?"

"Because he likes Leanne too," James explained. "And I don't want to lose my best mate."

* * *

After dinner, David headed home. He tried very hard not to notice the trail of clothes leading from the lounge and into Romeo's room. Romeo and Nicole had been dating for a few months now and the birth of their daughter, Cathy was a welcome and happy addition to their home. Even Mink was playing the doting aunt, a role she had never seen herself in.

* * *

Daria was having a brilliant time and it was only her first night in her new home. Kim was a riot and they had gone out to the pub with the rest of their floor. It was nice to be in front of the bar and not behind it for a change and Daria was thoroughly enjoying getting to know her new friends. Daria was older than most of them but there were a couple of girls the same age as she was.

"So, do you have a boyfriend?" Kim asked, wanting to know all about her new friend.

"Yeah," Daria said. "I've been seeing a guy called Ben for the last couple of years."

"Cool. Will he visit?"

"He'd better! How about you?"

"No, I'm young, free and single," Kim said. "And I think that guy over there is pretty cute."

They both turned to look at a tall, blonde boy from their corridor. Looking at how stunning Kim was, she doubted the guy wouldn't be interested.

* * *

James said goodnight to Charlie and Joey and left them on the sofa.

"I wonder what she's up to," Joey mused.

She turned to her partner.

"What did you do on your first night?"

Charlie grinned.

"Got drunk!" she said.

Joey laughed and snuggled up against her. Charlie hugged her and buried her face into Joey's neck. Her lips sought out her skin and kissed her. Joey smiled happily and relaxed into her partner's embrace. She tingled as she felt Charlie flick her tongue out to taste her. She turned and captured Charlie's lips with her own. Their contact deepened and their hands roved all over each other. Before long, Charlie was on her back with Joey leaning over her, kissing her and slipping her hands under her shirt.

"We should probably move this to the bedroom," Charlie murmured, aware that James was only upstairs.

"He's in his room," Joey said, not wanting to ruin the moment by moving.

She teased Charlie's breasts through her bra and kissed her neck and collarbone.

"But..." Charlie said.

Joey kissed harder, sucking her skin enough that she may well leave a mark. Charlie moaned and surrendered, giving herself to Joey completely, exactly where they were.

* * *

Romeo and Nicole lay in each other's arms.

"I can't believe we're engaged," Nicole said, admiring the ring he'd bought her.

He smiled and held her hand. While on the one hand, it all felt rather quick, they had settled into a long term, committed relationship a while ago. With baby Cathy in their lives, an unbreakable bond between them, being a legally recognised family seemed to be the natural next step for both them. Nicole leant in and kissed him. She could hardly stop smiling. On the baby monitor, they heard Cathy begin to stir and fuss.

"I'll go," Romeo offered, hauling himself out of bed to attend his daughter.

* * *

The following morning, Charlie and Joey were up early. It was a Monday morning and both were ready to start the week all over again. Kissing Joey goodbye, Charlie sped off on her bike leaving Joey to get ready and offer James a lift to school. He accepted, having never been a boy who would walk anywhere unless he had to.

"Okay, well, we're off in five minutes so go get your shoes on."

* * *

"Ready?" Aden asked, feeling heavy hearted.

It had been a long year for him and Belle as she battled cancer. She'd gone into remission after extensive chemotherapy but then in September, the disease had returned and she had been battling it all over again ever since. Today, they would find out if it was gone again and if they could start their lives back over. They had an appointment with Rachel that they hoped would change their lives for the better.

"Yes," Belle replied, nodding a little uncertainly.

Holding hands, they left the house and headed out to the car together.

* * *

"You're in a ridiculously good mood," Joey commented with intrigue when Romeo appeared at work with coffees for everyone.

The trawler staff were now Joey, Aden, David, Liam, Romeo and Sarah, although Aden had the morning off in order to take Belle to her hospital appointment.

"I, Joey Collins, am very much in love," Romeo declared.

He took her hand and spun her round, making her giggle. She eyed him curiously.

"Nicole and I are engaged," he announced proudly.

"Oh, that's awesome!" Joey squeaked, hugging him.

She had always been a sucker for a love story. Everyone else congratulated him as they prepared to begin work.

"How come everyone is getting married but me?" Sarah wondered.

"I'm not," Liam pointed out.

"Yes, but you're single," Sarah pointed out. "I'm still waiting for Watson to make an honest woman of me."

"Good luck!" Joey laughed.

"I'm not getting married either," David said sympathetically, patting Sarah's shoulder.

* * *

Relief flooded through both Belle and Aden as Rachel confirmed that she had gone into remission for the second time and was now cancer free. Both tried to ignore the nagging fear that it would only come back and back until she couldn't fight it anymore. Today was a day of happiness and of feeling glad to be alive. Nothing right now was more important than that.

**

* * *

**

August 2024

"Don't even think about it," Charlie said when Joey attempted to get out of bed.

The police officer grabbed hold of her and pulled her back beneath the blankets, kissing her passionately.

"We're going to be late for work," Joey pointed out, although she made no move to leave again.

They kissed tenderly, desperate to stay in bed for as long as possible, convinced that being the owner of the trawler and the Detective of the police station, that they could get away with a naughty morning once in a while. They paused when there was a knock on the door.

"I'm going to school!" James yelled through the door.

They hollered goodbye and then continued their activities.

* * *

Friday rolled around and with it, came Ruby's thirtieth birthday party. She, Charlie and Joey had organised the whole thing together and the youngest Buckton was desperately excited. Her father and Morag were even briefly returning from their travels in order to mark such a significant birthday. It made her feel very special. Charlie couldn't help but wonder if her father would have done the same for her but she pushed the idea from her mind. There was no way she wanted any kind of jealousy or bad feeling to ruin her sister's birthday.

* * *

"Have a good weekend," Kim said when Daria was all packed up and ready to return to her home town for her aunt's birthday.

While Daria and Ruby had never been particularly close, Daria was keen to make the effort for her family. And it had been over a month since she had been home. Ben hadn't managed to make it over to her either and the two of them were missing each other. They were also beginning to worry that they wouldn't last until the end of the year when Daria would hopefully be returning and take up a post at the local police station the way Charlie and Jack had done.

"See you soon," Daria said, hugging her friend goodbye.

* * *

Nicole and Romeo assembled their housemates, David and Mink in the living room in order to break their most recent news to them.

"What's up?" Mink asked.

"Well, the thing is..." Romeo ventured.

He didn't quite know where to begin and was aware that his sister would be unhappy with his next move.

"Romeo, Cathy and I are moving out," Nicole said.

Mink and David looked startled.

"Why?" Mink demanded.

"Aren't you happy here?" David asked.

"Oh, of course we are," Romeo said quickly. "It's just that, with the wedding and everything... well, we want to start out on our own, be a family."

"We're family," Mink said unhappily.

She didn't want Romeo to leave her. The more that time passed, the more their lives changed, the more she was afraid of losing him. It had taken a long time to put her life back together after leaving the detention centre and she and Romeo had worked hard to keep her past hidden from the rest of the town. She felt abandoned now that her brother was happy in his new life with Nicole and Cathy.

"I know," Romeo said. "This is just... different."

Silence fell between the group.

"Well, congratulations, I guess," David said brightly.

Romeo and Nicole smiled their thanks. Mink remained unimpressed.

* * *

By eight o'clock that evening, Ruby's house party was in full swing and she was having a lovely time. Mink remained in the kitchen downing a few shots and feeling sorry for herself.

"Hey," David said, coming in to refill his glass. "I was just looking for you."

"What?" Mink asked.

"Well um, I was talking to Andy and he suggested that I he and I get a place together so... so we don't have to find anyone to replace Romeo and Nic. We can just all move out and look for new places. What do you think?"

"I think you suck," Mink snapped.

She stormed out of the house and into the front garden. Looking up, she saw a taxi arrive and just about managed to smile when she saw Daria step out of it. The younger girl waved and headed over.

"Hey, Dar," Mink said.

She missed her now that she was off being a cop and she worried that they wouldn't stay friends when she got back. She felt like everyone was moving on and leaving her behind.

"Hey," Daria said cheerfully. "How's the party?"

"Boring," Mink said sourly.

Daria chuckled. She was glad to see that some things stayed the same.

"Is Ben in there already?" she asked.

Mink shrugged. Patting her friend affectionately on the shoulder, Daria headed on inside to wish Ruby happy birthday and reconnect with her family. Inside the house, the music was loud. Daria stumbled across David first and leapt on him. The twins hugged happily and began to share their news at a mile a minute. Across the room, Charlie and Joey spotted her and waved before making their way over.

"Seriously? You and Andy are moving in together?" Daria asked.

David nodded proudly.

"What's this?" Joey asked.

"Andy and I are going to get a place of our own," David said.

"Oh, that's great, Dave!" Joey enthused, hugging him.

"Um... hi?" Daria said. "You see him every day! I'm a rare event!"

Charlie and Joey both hugged her and apologised. Joey turned around when she felt someone tap on her shoulder. It was Aden.

"I'm going to head off," he said.

He'd come to the party because it was Ruby's birthday but Belle hadn't really been up to it and he didn't want to stay out too late and leave her alone.

"Oh, okay," Joey said. "See you later?"

"Yep," he replied.

"Send Belle out love," Charlie told him.

Joey volunteered to see him out. She said goodbye to him at the car and then turned back to the house, pausing when she saw Mink sitting alone.

"Hey, are you okay?" she asked, approaching her.

"Fine," Mink replied.

Joey hesitated, not knowing the girl all that well, and then sat down beside her on the bench.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.

"No."

"Okay," Joey said awkwardly.

She moved to get up. Suddenly Mink pounced on her. Pulling quickly away, Joey leapt to her feet and wiped her mouth, even though Mink's lips hadn't got anywhere near her.

"What the hell was that?" she demanded angrily.

"If you don't know what a kiss is, Charlie must be leaving you completely unsatisfied."

"I can assure you that's not the case," Joey snapped.

She hurried back inside.

* * *

Charlie was still in a bad mood when she and Joey headed up to bed. She'd ranted the whole way back home and nearly gone for Mink during the party. Now, changing into their pyjamas, she was still moody.

"It's not my fault!" Joey finally pouted.

She'd hurried into the party and told Charlie what had happened, certain that not being honest about Mink would land her in trouble. For their whole lives, Charlie and Joey had valued honesty in each other and it had always been a system that worked. Charlie felt suddenly guilty. Standing in her underwear, she moved closer and hugged her.

"I know," she said. "I wasn't blaming you."

"Seemed like you were," Joey mumbled.

Charlie tilted her face upwards and kissed her. She smiled.

"I know it's not your fault that you're so hot," she teased.

Joey snorted with laughter and kissed Charlie again.

"It's a tough job but someone has to do it," she smirked.

"I guess I'll just have to work harder to keep you," Charlie said, nuzzling in a little closer.

"As if!" Joey laughed.

Charlie turned them around and nudged Joey backwards onto the bed with her hip. She came to lie over her, kissing her again and again. Joey wrapped her arms around her neck.

"Although, if you really, really want to," she said. "You can!"


	89. Chapter 89

_Hello! Interwoven returns and for the record, they are only in their very early forties. *pokes tongue out at the suggestion that they are 102* - hehe. That did make me laugh. Enjoy the happy times while they last. The tide will be turning soon. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter Eighty-Nine**

**February 2025**

It was Valentine's Day and Charlie and Joey had arranged to have the house to themselves for most of the evening. James was taking Leanne out to Crumble for dinner and both sets of parents had agreed on an eleven o'clock curfew for a special occasion. Joey and Charlie were pleased at the opportunity to be home alone together and they suspected that Jack and Martha felt the same. Also, Charlie and Joey were to receive a new charge, a six year-old called Christine, the following day so they had to start getting used to parenting children again and not just a teenager.

* * *

Ruby was nervous when Xavier arrived home from work. He immediately commented on how beautiful she looked and how tidy the apartment was. She kissed him and led him to the dining table, which was set with two places and candles.

"This is so nice," Xavier said. "But I smell of stale beer. Do you mind if I get showered?"

"Of course not," she said, kissing him again. "Dinner will be on the table for when you get out."

* * *

David, Daria, Andy and Ben headed out in Andy's new car to go to the cinema. Since Daria had returned from police training, things had got better between her and Ben and they were now sharing an apartment with Mink, who apparently had a date of her own.

"I can't believe we're seeing such a chick flick," Ben complained from the backseat.

"You're out with a girl and two gays," Daria said. "What did you expect?"

* * *

Leah and Roman were busily cooking in the Crumble kitchen for the night. They hadn't really celebrated Valentine's Day all that heartily since they'd got together. For Leah, it was the anniversary of the first day she met Vinnie and Roman was sure that February 14th was just a con to make people spend money they didn't have. Also, it was a hugely busy night in their restaurant so they opted to work instead, thus still spending time together.

* * *

At their table, James and Leanne were sitting opposite each other and drinking soft drinks as they waited for their starters to arrive. Charlie and Joey had given their son enough cash that he could really treat Leanne and they had embarrassed him terribly by telling him how cute he was and how handsome. At sixteen, he was sure he shouldn't still be cute, although they had assured him it wasn't a bad thing.

* * *

Jack and Martha, like Charlie and Joey, were enjoying an evening without a teenager. They hadn't decided to do anything especially fancy but Jack had bought a takeaway on his way home from work and husband and wife had settled in for the night with a DVD.

* * *

Once Cathy was in bed, Nicole quickly showered and dressed in order to doll herself up for Romeo. She had ignored the niceties of dinner or wine. All she wanted was to be in her partner's arms and catch up on the intimacy they tried so hard not to lack now that there was a baby in their lives.

* * *

Aden and Belle kissed tenderly on the sofa. It looked like Belle had beaten cancer once and for all and both of them were determined not to let a day pass when they didn't fully appreciate each other and let each other know how loved they were. Their life together had been far from easy, between Aden's father, Belle's drug addiction, the odd moment of straying to another, Aden's injury and Belle's cancer but both were sure they were stronger for it now.

* * *

"When are you going to marry me?" Sarah asked.

Watson choked loudly on her beer.

"What?" she squeaked.

The two of them had opted to go away to a hotel for a few nights in order to enjoy the weekend.

"When are you going to marry me?"

"Well, I... Do you want to get married?" Watson asked worriedly.

She had never seen herself as the marrying kind, although she and Sarah had been fully committed and together for a long while now. Gone were the days when Watson thought long-term relationships were boring. Every day with Sarah was interesting and refreshing. Musing on the idea of marriage, she now wondered if it wouldn't be so awful. A piece of paper couldn't really change all that much. And according to Charlie, the sex didn't die once you'd tied the knot.

"Maybe," Sarah said, a teasing smile on her face.

"Let's do it then," said Watson.

Now it was Sarah's turn to look stunned. She had only been playing. She'd never thought Watson would agree to such a thing.

"Are you serious?" she asked in a rather high-pitched manner.

Watson smirked at her.

"Very serious," she confirmed.

* * *

Charlie and Joey abandoned their dessert when they got caught up with kissing. Falling back onto the couch together, their hands wandered and their lips never stopped seeking each other out. They felt like naughty teenagers, sneaking about and making out while nobody was home to catch them at it. With Charlie already half undressed, Joey sat up and pulled her own top off before taking Charlie by the hand. Giggling, they scampered up to their room together.

* * *

Ruby and Xavier were finishing their dinner when Xavier finally asked what Ruby looked so exited about.

"Nothing!" she lied.

He was amused. She couldn't lie to save her life.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Well, um... okay... the thing is..."

He leant forward and held her hand as she got herself into a muddle.

"Will you marry me?" she finally blurted out.

He looked surprised for a moment and then smiled happily. He'd bought her a ring months ago and he'd been trying to psyche himself up to ask her but despite how happy they were together now, he couldn't help but remember the last time he'd proposed and she'd said no. It had been the beginning of the end for them. Ruby had gone off to University and they had both dated other people. Now they were back together and so happy, he'd been terrified of losing that.

"Well?" Ruby urged. "I don't have a ring. I'm sorry."

He stood and hurried away, leaving her crestfallen and confused.

* * *

After their meal, with half an hour to spare, James and Leanne headed out to the beach together. Sinking onto the sand, they kissed and wrapped their arms around each other, wishing that their curfew would last a little longer.

* * *

Charlie fell back against the pillows in sheer delight. Joey came up to meet her and snuggle into her arms. She rested her head against Charlie's heaving chest, feeling safe and loved. She kissed her skin and stroked her fingertips up and down her thighs.

"You're amazing," she said dreamily.

"I think you're the one that's amazing," Charlie said, still a little breathless.

* * *

Xavier reappeared with a small box in his hands. Ruby's eyes honed in on it immediately and she couldn't help but smile as he sank onto one knee and offered the ring out to her.

"Shall I take that as a yes?" she asked.

He nodded and slipped the ring onto her finger before pulling her into his arms.

**

* * *

**

November 2025

It was a warm day when Watson and Sarah got married. They asked Charlie and Joey to be their witnesses and the ceremony was small with just a few work colleagues from either side including Jack and Martha, Aden and Belle, Romeo and Nicole, the twins, their boyfriends and Liam.

"I never thought I'd see the day," Charlie commented to Watson at the reception.

"You're telling me!" Watson laughed. "Does this make me an honest woman?"

"Let's not assume miracles," Sarah grinned, approaching them with Joey not far behind.

"Hey!" Watson protested.

She kissed her anyway and Joey came to put her arms around Charlie.

"We're all grown up," Joey said.

"It's about time," Charlie agreed.

Watson looked around the room and complained that the party was too tame.

"I'm still recovering from my 40th," Joey pointed out.

Watson had been largely instrumental in getting Joey extremely drunk and the foursome had nearly been thrown out of the hotel they were staying in due to raucous noise in the bar. Charlie chuckled. She wasn't sure Joey had quite forgiven them for the stripper they'd hired. She didn't think she'd ever seen Joey so mortified in all her life. It had definitely been worth it though and she had quite enjoyed sharing a lap dance with her girlfriend.

* * *

Hugo took his first breath of fresh, free air as soon as he stepped outside the prison that he'd lived in for years. It had been too long and he was eager to start again, although he hadn't really had such a bad time in there. He'd quickly established himself as a leader among the prisoners and he hadn't put up with any crap. But now he wanted to begin again and perhaps make something different of himself. He was sad that his mother wouldn't be around to be proud of him but he hoped to make things up to Xavier and Brendan. His youngest brother didn't keep in touch but by all accounts, he was living with Ruby and happy. Brendan lived in full time care but stayed with Xavier and Ruby on the weekends and was apparently doing well. Hugo's uncle Tony felt obliged to keep him informed with monthly updates but Hugo suspected that he didn't really care. And of course there was no love lost between Hugo and Jack. All in all, Hugo was aware that going back home probably wasn't his best option but really, he didn't know what else to do.

* * *

"It'll be okay," Ruby said gently, although she wasn't entirely sure she was telling the truth.

Her fiancé was sick with anxiety over Hugo coming home. He hadn't spoken to him since he'd first gone to prison and he didn't want that to change now. All his brother had done since they'd arrived was hurt people. He'd caused Vinnie to get shot and he'd got Belle hooked on drugs, not to mention having an affair with Jack's wife.

"I wish he'd just go away," Xavier said.

"He's been away," Ruby pointed out. "He's done his time. Maybe he wants to make amends."

"Tell that to Leah."

* * *

Leah remained in bed feeling sick. Roman had brought her up a cup of tea and slipped in beside her. She was nervous of running into Hugo now he was being released from jail. Roman was nervous about it too and the whole situation made him feel awkward. He hated Hugo for what he had done and for being at least partly responsible for Vinnie's death. But then, if Vinnie had still been around, Roman wouldn't be with Leah, the woman he believed to be his soul mate. He worried that he was heartless for not really wishing things could have turned out differently.

* * *

Aden and Belle met up with Charlie and Joey for lunch at their house. As was the case with most members of the community, Hugo Austin was the subject of conversation.

"I just don't understand why he doesn't fuck off out of here," Aden said unhappily.

He couldn't help but resent him for his relationship with Belle. Even though Aden knew he and Belle were together forever now, it had been a painful time when she had gone off with Hugo and everybody knew it.

"Maybe he will," Joey said. "When he realises he doesn't have any friends left here."

"Here's hoping," Belle said.

She didn't want Hugo around any more than anyone else had. While she was determined to take responsibility for her own actions, she knew Hugo had had a big part to play in many of the mistakes she'd made in her life and the further away she was from him, the better.

* * *

"I'm not sure this is a good idea, Tony," Rachel said as they drove towards the prison to collect Hugo.

"He's got nowhere else to go," Tony said. "And it's what Gina would have expected me to do."

Rachel nodded and sighed. Doing right by his sister's memory meant a lot to Tony and she didn't want to let him down. But she was sure that inviting Hugo to live with him was only going to make their lives difficult.


	90. Chapter 90

_I updated The Waiting Game yesterday when I was meant to update this one. I have no idea how that happened but meh... never mind! This really is the calm before the storm. Joey's problems begin in the next chapter. DnW has warned me that I am going to be in serious trouble but hey, it makes it interesting. Doesn't it...? Anyway, I hope you like the chapter. Thank you all for your reviews._

**Chapter Ninety**

**March 2026**

Joey raced into the bathroom when she heard Charlie screaming.

"What?" she asked worried.

Charlie turned to her and away from the mirror with wide eyes.

"Charlie?"

"I found a..." Charlie whimpered.

Joey stepped a little closer, genuinely worried until Charlie showed her a grey hair. Joey promptly snorted with laughter, which only upset Charlie more.

"I'm forty-three!" Charlie protested. "I don't deserve grey hairs yet!"

Joey wrapped her arms around her and kissed her.

"It was always going to happen one day, sweetheart," she said gently.

"But..." Charlie protested unhappily.

She promptly yanked it out and turned back to the mirror to study her head for more. Amused, Joey put the toilet seat down and sat on it until she'd finished.

"I think I've got away with it," Charlie said, turning back to her. "There aren't anymore."

She sighed dramatically.

"Will you still love me when I'm old?" she asked.

Joey grinned and hugged her again, taking her breath away with a sensual kiss.

"We've got a long way to go before that happens," she promised. "And I will never not love you."

They kissed again until James banged on the door, needing the toilet and complaining that they were taking forever.

* * *

Joey dropped Christine off at school before she headed to work, stopping at Crumble on the way for a load of coffees for herself and her crew. The newest addition to their family had settled in well and Joey felt that she, Charlie, James and Christine got on well. The twins and Ruby were still around all the time and sometimes she could hardly believe what a happy family she had. Approaching the counter at Crumble, she was met with an unhappy looking Leah.

"Are you okay?" Joey asked.

Leah nodded to her left. Joey turned and sighed when she saw Hugo nursing a coffee. Since his release, he had refused to keep a low profile. He'd started up his dive business again, although thanks to word of mouth he had very few clients. Everyone was hoping that he would get the message and leave but so far, no such luck.

"Has he been here long?" Joey asked Leah.

"Half an hour," Leah sighed. "I'm that close to serving a poisoned coffee."

Joey touched her hand in empathy. She was far too aware that by the end of the year, Robbo Cruze would also be leaving prison and she was desperately afraid of him settling back down like Hugo had.

"Six coffees?" Leah asked, trying to sound more cheerful.

"Throw in six cinnamon buns too, please," Joey said.

Sugar and caffeine was always a good way to start the day as far as she was concerned.

* * *

Still thinking about her grey hair, Charlie wondered, as she got changed into her suit, if she would start to look dumb on her beloved motorbike at some point. Then she laughed, picturing herself at eighty years old, still speeding around.

"What's funny?" Watson asked, walking into the locker room.

"Nothing," Charlie said, shaking her head.

She checked her reflection in the mirror and asked if anything exciting had happened so far.

"Nothing to report, Detective," Watson informed her. "Although, you do remember we have a new recruit starting today, don't you?"

Charlie nodded a vague recollection of someone new starting their post with them today. She just hoped that they would fit in.

* * *

It was the afternoon and Xavier was working behind the bar of the Jukebox with Martha. A few years ago, his cousin in law, had bought the business and he was now employed as a manager. He'd never thought that bar work would be his life's ambition but he enjoyed it immensely and didn't see his job changing any time soon.

"Hi," said a voice.

Xavier looked up and sighed as Hugo sat down in front of him.

"Hi," he replied tightly.

Things had been strained between the brothers for a long time and they hadn't improved when Hugo had returned. He was still living with Rachel and Tony but Xavier continuously begged him to move on and out of their lives.

"How are you?" Hugo asked.

"Working," Xavier replied.

"Looking forward to the wedding?"

Xavier and Ruby were due to be married on Saturday and while Xavier had no real interest in talking about it with Hugo, he was giddy with excitement. Ruby was the love of his life and she always had been, although his feelings for Daria had been real enough at the time.

"Yeah," he said.

"I'm still not invited I take it," Hugo said.

"You're still not invited," Xavier confirmed.

* * *

"Okay, Sam, you're going to be paired with Constable Buckton-Collins," Charlie said to Sam and nodding towards Daria who stepped forward to introduce herself.

Charlie couldn't help but feel proud of her daughter and the way she had flourished as a police officer. It also felt good to know that she was continuing the family tradition that her grandfather had started so many years ago. She wondered if Daria and presumably Ben would eventually have kids and if any of them would follow in their mother's footsteps.

"I'm Daria," the twenty-seven year old said. "Pleased to meet you."

The fact that Sam was gorgeous was not lost on her. He was taller than Daria, well built and had beautiful blonde hair. _There's no harm in looking_, she thought to herself as they shook hands and he introduced himself.

* * *

"Can you go and get a takeaway?" Rachel asked Tony when he pulled into a car parking space outside Crumble.

Her husband paused and looked unhappy.

"Rachel, you can't keep avoiding Leah forever," he said.

"All the while you're forcing me to have that man in my house, I can. And I have to."

Tony sighed heavily. Yet again he felt torn between his wife and his nephew. He didn't like Hugo any more than anyone else did and he struggled to forgive him for his crimes, but he knew that Gina would have wanted to see him looked after, no matter what. And while it might all be Hugo's own fault, he had pretty much lost everything. And Tony hoped that with the right influences and enough opportunity, he might find a way to change.

* * *

On Friday night, Ruby, Charlie, Joey, Daria, Belle, Nicole and Annie all piled into Ruby and Xavier's living room for her hen night. Xavier had hit the town with Romeo, Jai, Aden, Jack, David, Andy and Ben in order to celebrate his last night of freedom too. Complete with junk food, pyjamas and alcohol, the girls were all having a lovely time.

"So, how do you feel now that you're about to finally become a married woman?" Daria asked.

She looked around and realised that she was the only unmarried person in the room. Ruby was about to get hitched to Xavier, Charlie and Joey had been married since they day they were born, Belle and Aden had tied the knot a few years ago and so had Nicole and Romeo and Annie and Jai more recently. She figured that at least she was in a relationship, although she wasn't entirely sure how long things would last between her and Ben. He was lovely but it seemed like, as the months went past, they had less and less in common, especially since the year she had spent away.

"I think it's been a long time coming," Ruby admitted.

"You and Xave have been together forever," Joey agreed.

Everyone looked at her except Charlie.

"What?" Joey squeaked.

"You and Charlie have been together for an entire lifetime!" Belle pointed out.

"Well, technically..." Joey began.

"Sweetheart, they're right," Charlie said gently.

Joey moved to snuggle against her partner. They kissed for a brief moment before returning their attention to the group.

* * *

The following morning, Charlie and Joey headed round to Ruby's first thing in order to help her get ready. James and Christine were to be collected by Martha, Jack and Leanne in order to take them to the wedding.

"How do I look?" Ruby asked when her hair, make-up and dress were all complete.

Charlie felt suddenly tearful.

"That bad?" Ruby worried.

Charlie laughed and hugged her.

"You look absolutely beautiful," she confirmed.

**

* * *

**

May 2026

Daria smiled when Sam climbed back into the car with two coffees.

"Thanks," she said, accepting hers.

"No problem."

They had been partnered together for months now and had become good friends. Daria very much liked hanging out with him but the more fun she had with him, the more bored she felt with Ben. They hardly had anything to talk about anymore and she wasn't quite sure how to fix it, or even if she wanted to.

* * *

Joey clung onto Charlie's waist as they sped out of town and towards the woods. They had packed up a picnic, shoved it in a backpack worn by Joey and were planning to spend a happy day together. Between work and family life, it was easy to get distracted and not make time for each other but they were determined never to let their relationship get boring or substandard. Joey smiled to herself as she held onto Charlie. She loved riding on the back of the bike and even after all these years, the sight of Charlie in leathers still turned her on. She wondered if they might find a secluded spot to get a little intimate.

* * *

Hugo went for a walk along the beach, contemplating his life as he kicked at the sand. He wondered if he ought to just move on, although he had no idea where he would go. But at least somewhere else, he wouldn't be hated. And it would be easier to start up a business. The dive boat wasn't working out and even if it was thriving, drugs and intimidation were where the cash was. Tony tolerated him, Rachel tolerated him less well, Jack refused to talk to him, Martha and Belle both avoided him like the plague and Xavier was barely polite. He'd even been shut out of his little brother's wedding. He couldn't help but wonder if it was a good thing that his mother had died. At least then he wouldn't have to put up with her potential rejection too.

* * *

Charlie and Joey had parked the bike and were now walking hand in hand through the woods with Joey still carrying the bag.

"This is nice," Joey said dreamily, squeezing Charlie's hand.

The Detective stopped to kiss her. Joey put the hamper on the ground and wrapped her arms around Charlie's neck.

* * *

Rachel took a deep breath and entered Crumble. Leah immediately glared at her and hurried into the kitchen, sending Irene out to serve her ex-friend.

"Sorry about that, love," Irene said.

She knew that Rachel hadn't really had a choice about taking Hugo in.

"Can I go through and speak to her?" the Doctor asked.

"Um... well, I..."

Irene sighed.

"Who am I to stop you?" she finally said.

Rachel thanked her and headed into the kitchen. Roman froze and Leah stopped and glared at her.

"What are you doing back here?" Leah demanded.

"You and I need to talk," Rachel said. "This is getting ridiculous."

"What's ridiculous is the fact that you're housing the man who caused my husband to die."

Roman focussed on cooking chicken. Leah talking about Vinnie in such a raw way made him uncomfortable.

"You know I have no choice," Rachel said.

"Of course you have a choice!" Leah snapped. "You kick that scum out just like he deserves."

"Tony wants..."

"I don't care what Tony wants! What about me?"

"Tony is my husband!" Rachel argued.

"And he's turning you into a terrible person."

Rachel swallowed, turned and left, storming the whole way home.

* * *

Charlie and Joey giggled as they rearranged their clothes. Joey clambered to her feet and pulled Charlie to her feet. Their kiss had left them getting carried away with each other. They hadn't even set a blanket down and were now brushing dirt off their clothes. They kissed again. Charlie buried her lips in Joey's neck, making her tingle.

"We should find a more comfortable spot to sit... and stuff," Joey smirked.

Charlie grinned and took her hand again. They wandered off further into the woods.

* * *

"Hugo needs to get the hell out of this house!" Rachel said firmly.

Tony looked up startled from his newspaper. He closed it and sat up, eyeing his wife with alarm.

"What are you talking about?"

"There is no way that I should have to live my life without one of my best friends just because you feel a need to be compassionate to a man who ruined so many lives," Rachel told him.

She remained standing and had her hands on her hips. There was no way that she was going to let Hugo Austin live in her house any longer.

"Rachel, please..." Tony began.

"No!" Rachel said quickly. "Either he goes or I go. And that's the end of it. You've got tonight to decide."

* * *

"I hate late shifts," Daria complained, leaning back in her seat as Sam drove them round on patrol.

"Am I that bad company?" Sam smirked.

Daria sat up and smiled, assuring him that he was the best company she could have asked for. He pulled over, not wanting to drive anymore and killed the engine. He turned to face her.

"You're pretty much the best company I've ever had," he admitted.

She blushed and was grateful that it was dark. Without pausing to think it through, Sam leant forward and kissed her. She accepted willingly.

* * *

Charlie and Joey had stayed in the woods until Joey had decided it was dark enough to be scary. Now they were back on the bike, heading home together. They hoped that James wouldn't have got up to any mischief and would have looked after Christine properly. She was a vulnerable little girl who struggled to be apart from them. She actually reminded them of James when he was younger, although he was now a fiercely independent teenager. In more private moments however, he was still very loving towards them. And he quite obviously doted on his little sister. Arriving home, they called out to James. He smiled and waved from the couch.

"Did you have a good day?" Joey asked pleasantly.

"Pretty good. Chris is in bed, sound asleep, tucked up with her teddy."

"Did she make you read her a story?" Charlie asked, flopping into a chair.

"Of course!" James chuckled. "I'd ask how your day was but Joey still has twigs in her hair."

Both women blushed and Joey reached to fix her hair. James shook his head and stood up.

"You're lucky I don't get freaked out by that kind of thing!" he laughed before announcing that he was going to bed.


	91. Chapter 91

**Chapter Ninety-One**

**November 2026**

Joey woke up and hurried to the toilet in order to throw up. Charlie sat up worried and hauled herself out of bed. She followed Joey into the bathroom and crouched beside her, rubbing her back and then standing to pour her a glass of water. It was eerily familiar. The last time Joey had thrown up from distress and fright was when Robbo had attacked her. Today it was because he was being released from jail. Joey sank against the side of the bath and sipped her water. She was sweating lightly and struggling for breath. Charlie sat beside her, heartbroken by the tears in Joey's eyes. She held her hand and lifted it to her lips.

"Everything's going to be okay," she assured her, although she wondered where the promise had come from.

* * *

Robert Cruze said goodbye to his fellow inmates and was led into the reception of the prison where he was entitled to sign out and regain the things they had confiscated from him all those years ago. Today was the first time he would see the free light of day and he was determined to make the most of it.

* * *

"Are you sure you want to go to work?" Charlie asked over breakfast.

James and Christine were both upstairs finishing getting ready for school. It wasn't something they could talk about in front of them. Neither kid knew about what had happened to Joey and they didn't want them to know if they could help it. Joey nodded.

"It's the best place for me," she said. "It'll keep me out of trouble."

Charlie agreed but a little unhappily. Still, at least Joey would be with people she knew, loved and trusted. She was sure that Aden, Sarah, David, Romeo and Liam would look out for her.

"Meet me for lunch?" Charlie asked.

"Absolutely," Joey said with a smile.

Charlie downed the rest of her coffee and stood up. She dumped her stuff in the sink and kissed Joey goodbye, yelling her departure at the kids and then heading off to work on her bike.

* * *

Joey dropped James and Christine off at their schools and then drove down to the docks to start her day of work. She had thrown up three times and she wasn't sure how she would fair on the boat but she supposed that a bit of an upset stomach while keeping herself busy would be a hell of a lot better than wasting away at home by herself.

"Hey," Aden greeted.

From the look in his eye, he knew exactly what day it was today. He hugged her without a word and she was grateful. David also checked that she was alright. Then Joey, Sarah and Romeo set off on one trawler and Aden, David and Liam set off on the other.

* * *

"Cut it out," Miles Copeland ordered as he strolled down the corridor.

VJ rolled his eyes as James and Leanne reluctantly stopped playing tonsil tennis. He felt like all his friends did these days was make out. It very much made him want a girlfriend of his own. At least then they could double date instead of playing gooseberry. He was grateful that at least most of the time, Harry hung out with them too.

* * *

"You okay?" Watson asked.

Charlie snapped to attention and looked a little guilty.

"Charlie?" Watson worried.

The Detective plastered a smile on her face and insisted she was fine. Not buying it, Watson sat down beside her and offered her full attention.

"Robbo's getting out of prison today," Charlie said. "Joey's in bits and I'm not fairing much better."

Watson reached out and hugged her.

"If he's got any sense, he'll leave you both alone now," she said. "I mean, if he so much as looks at Joey they'll put him back inside."

Charlie sighed and nodded.

"Maybe Tanya had the right idea about getting out of town," Charlie said. "Somewhere else might be safer."

* * *

Robbo caught a taxi to his old home town, wondering how it might have changed. His family didn't live there anymore. They had moved away after being labelled the parents of a sex offender. They'd taken Zoe back in but he was painfully aware that he had been officially ousted from their hearts. He didn't feel he had anything left now. Tanya and Joey had ruined his whole life.

* * *

It was the end of the working day and Joey was glad it was over. She'd had a lovely lunch with Charlie and the rest of the afternoon had been pleasant, working with her employees in the sunshine and on the water. Hopping into the car, she began to drive home but then changed her mind and headed out to the supermarket in order to pick up something nice for dinner. Pulling into the car park, she pulled out her phone and texted David, Daria, Ruby and Romeo to invite them, Xavier, Nicole and Cathy to dinner as well. It would be nice to have her family around her tonight when she was struggling so much to keep things together. She also texted James to let him know that he could bring Leanne round if he wanted to. Putting her phone away, Joey climbed out of the car in order to do her shopping.

* * *

Robbo had been careful to keep hidden for most of the day. He'd been tempted to go and see Brett, see if he was still around. He knew that Brett and Joey didn't get along too well, although his friendship with his best mate had been severed a long time ago. Still, he hoped maybe they could make it up if Brett realised that Joey had been asking for it. He'd wandered round town, staying out of people's way as he watched the locals live their lives. He'd caught sight of Joey and Charlie holding hands on their way out of Crumble. They looked like a couple. He wasn't surprised. It sickened him.

* * *

Charlie arrived home at the same time as James and Christine. When she or Joey weren't picking their youngest child up from school, James walked round and collected her. Tonight, he had brought Leanne home too.

"Hi, guys," Charlie said pleasantly as she let them into the house. "Are you staying for dinner, Leanne?"

"Joey texted to say that she could," James explained.

"Great," Charlie said.

Like her mother before her, she and Joey had been keen on adopting an open house policy. They never wanted to turn their children's friends and girlfriends or boyfriends away.

"We'll be upstairs," James said, heading towards his room.

"With the door open," Charlie reminded him.

He groaned a 'yes' and she sent Christine off to get changed out of her uniform.

* * *

Joey had piled up her trolley with treats as well as ingredients for a homemade lasagne with all the trimmings. She thanked the cashier and headed out of the store, pushing the trolley towards the car. Putting the brake on, she unlocked the boot and pulled it up, humming to herself as she did so. It was a good distraction from how stressed she was feeling. Her stomach had been in a knot since last night and she wondered if there was room for dinner at all. She froze when she heard a familiar voice.

"Miss me?" it said.

She turned just in time to see Robbo raising his arms. Then everything went black.


	92. Chapter 92

_This is going to get worse before it gets better but please bear with me! I can't have Charlie and Joey happy all the time, can I? Love IJKS xx_

**Chapter Ninety-Two**

**November 2026**

Charlie showered and changed into a pair of jeans and a white sleeveless top. Christine was playing with Barbie dolls on her floor when she checked on her and James and Leanne were in the room with the door open as requested. Charlie put her watch back on and glanced at the time. It was strange for Joey not to be home yet. She'd been due half an hour ago. Pulling out her phone, she called her. It rang and went to voice mail. Unhappily, Charlie headed downstairs and was about to begin rummaging in the cupboard to start making dinner when there was a knock on the door.

"Did you forget your key?" she asked, opening up an expecting to see Joey standing there.

"No, I'm just lazy," Daria said, sailing into the room with Sam.

Their relationship was tentative and new. Daria had reluctantly broken up with Ben and insisted she wanted to stay single for a while, although she had confessed to her parents about kissing Sam. Now, the colleagues had been on a few dates and tonight would be the first family event Daria had invited him to.

"What brings you round?" Charlie asked.

Daria looked surprised.

"Joey invited us all for dinner," she said. "Where is she anyway? I'd have thought she would have stated cooking by now."

"She's not home," Charlie said unhappily.

She pulled out her phone and tried to call her partner again.

"Joey," she said, when she got the answer phone. "Where are you? Dar's here. She said you invited her and Sam round for dinner. And James is here with Leanne. You didn't mention anything. And you're not here. Are you alright?"

The significance of the day was not lost on Charlie and she couldn't help but worry about her. There was another knock on the door. Charlie hurried to open it but this time it was David and Andy.

"Don't look too thrilled to see us!" David remarked.

"Sorry," Charlie said. "I just can't find Joey."

"Have you been playing hide and seek?" David teased.

He frowned when she didn't look amused.

"Charlie?" he asked. "Are you okay?"

"She's disappeared without even saying anything," Charlie said with her arms folded over her chest. "That's not like her. Did you see her at work?"

"Yeah," David said. "Everything was fine. She finished at the same time as all of us. The last time I saw her she was getting in the car."

"I'm sure she's fine," Daria said gently, putting her hand on Charlie's arm.

Charlie chewed her lip. Something didn't feel right.

* * *

Joey's head ached when she woke up. Her arms were pulled tightly behind her and she was in a moving vehicle. Turning her head slowly, she recognised that she was in her own car and Robbo was driving. Immediately, she fought a wave of nausea. She struggled with her bindings. She was tied to the passenger seat of the car. He looked at her with cold, dead eyes and then returned to focussing on the road.

* * *

By the time Romeo, Nicole, Cathy, Ruby and Xavier had shown up, Charlie was beside herself. She'd left so many messages on her wife's voice mail that the inbox was full up. She'd texted her repeatedly and continued to ring.

"This doesn't make sense," she said, feeling frantic. "Why would she invite you all round to dinner and not show up?"

"We can go out looking for her if you want," Xavier offered.

"Yeah," said Daria. "If she was going to cook something special, she probably went the supermarket. Why don't we check it out?"

Charlie nodded. She felt sick.

"We'll head over there now," Xavier said.

He and Ruby stood up and hurried out.

"And I'll call work and see if they've heard of any kind of incident," Daria said.

Feeling shy, Sam remained silent. While Nicole sent Cathy upstairs to play with Christine in her room, Romeo pulled out his phone with the intention of calling the hospital, just in case. Charlie's stomach began to twist in knots.

Joey tried to move but she had nowhere to go when Robbo's fist thumped down into her face. She saw blood spray. Her head swam. She lost consciousness all over again.

Daria thanked Watson and reappeared in the living room.

"Watson and Jack are going to go and patrol right now," she told Charlie, perching on the edge of the seat Charlie was in.

She put a comforting hand on her mother's back.

"And Sam and I will go for a drive around too."

Charlie held her hand. She felt sick with worry. It wasn't like Joey to disappear and the fact that today was the day Robbo had been released from jail, made her even more worried. Sam stood and followed Daria out to the car. Romeo came back into the room too and said that Joey hadn't been into the hospital.

"Rachel said she'd call if she heard anything," he said.

Charlie thanked him, glad that Rachel was on the case. Things hadn't been so easy for her lately. She and Harry had temporarily left Tony until her husband had forced Hugo out of the house.

"Where is she?" Charlie asked nobody in particular.

* * *

Joey woke up in a dim room. Her head felt particularly cloudy and she struggled to focus on Robbo as he glared down at her.

"Finally!" he said. "You're awake!"

"You punched me in the face," Joey pointed out, her words a little slurred. "Twice."

Her nose stung and she could feel that her face was coated in dried blood. She dreaded to think what she looked like.

"Where am I?"

"The middle of nowhere," he said.

He sat down on the floor in front of her and ran the blade of a knife along the floor so that it made a horrible scraping noise. She was still tied up and had her back against a wall. She couldn't see a door.

"Looks like you've got a nice little life for yourself, Joey," he said. "You've got your little trawler, you're finally banging Charlie..."

Joey felt unnerved by what he seemed to know about her but she didn't react. She just stared right back at him and asked what he wanted.

"I want to pay you back for what you did to me," he said. "For screwing my sister, for sending me to jail. And when I'm done with you... when you're dead... I'll go and find Tanya and then maybe you'll see her in hell."

* * *

Ruby called ahead and told Charlie that there looked like there had been some kind of disturbance at the supermarket. A trolley of food had been abandoned in the car park and they were trying to figure out who it belonged to. Charlie leapt up.

"I can't just sit here," she said, agitated.

"Charlie, what can you do?" Romeo asked.

She pulled on her leather jacket and grabbed her helmet.

"I can damn well find her," she said.

She'd sped off on her bike before anyone could stop her.

* * *

Joey's heart was racing with fear as Robbo leant ever closer. Memories of what he had tried to do to her that day raced through her mind. She knew that tonight it would only be worse. Glaring at him, she tried to pretend she wasn't afraid. She was terrified.

"You may as well sit back and enjoy the ride," Robbo said. "Your death is going to be so painful that they won't even be able to write about it in the papers."

* * *

Charlie arrived quickly at the supermarket. She parked and hurried inside, pulling her helmet off and carrying it. Approaching customer services, she pulled out her badge and told them she believed someone had been abducted from their supermarket car park and she needed the security tapes of that afternoon.

"I'll just get the manager," the young woman serving her said.

"Quickly," Charlie urged.

* * *

Daria and Sam continued to drive around. They headed down to the docks and checked both trawlers but they were both empty. They asked around at Crumble and the Jukebox but nobody had seen Joey since lunch time.

"Is everything okay?" Martha asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Daria said. "But I think Charlie's a heartbeat away from panicking about Robbo."

"Robbo? But he's..."

"Been released from prison today," Daria sighed.

"I'll keep an eye out for her," Martha said. "And I'll get everyone I see to do the same, okay?"

Daria thanked her and hurried out.

* * *

Watson and Jack returned unhappily to the station, feeling that they had looked everywhere but got nowhere. Watson's phone sprung to life.

"Watson," she said quickly.

"Hi, Constable Watson? This is the prison, returning your call."

"Where did Cruze say he was going?" she asked, not bothering with pleasantries.

"He said he was coming back to his home town," the man on the phone said.

Watson chewed her lip, feeling distinctly uncomfortable.

"Anything else? Can you remember what he was wearing or anything?"

"He was wearing blue jeans and white t-shirt," the man said. "Fairly non-descript."

Watson sighed.

"And you don't have any more info?" she asked.

Jack was hanging on her every word.

"I'm afraid not. But I will contact you if any of my officers think of anything or we can be of any further help."

"Thank you," Watson said.

She hung up just as Charlie burst into the room, clutching a disc.

"DVD player!" she yelled. "Now."

Her staff hurried to equip her.

* * *

Ruby and Xavier arrived back from the supermarket, alarmed to find Nicole and Romeo alone with the kids upstairs.

"Where did Charlie go?" Ruby asked, now desperately worried about her biological sister as well as her non-biological one.

"She said she couldn't just sit here," Romeo said. "And she left."

Ruby sighed and sank onto the sofa. She leant back against the cushions and closed her eyes. Xavier came to hold her, assuring her that Charlie would be in touch as soon as she knew something.

"What's going on?"

Everyone turned to find James and Leanne hovering uncertainly.

"Nothing," Nicole said. "Just go back upstairs."

"Where are my Mums?" James asked.

"We don't know," Ruby admitted. "Joey didn't come home and Charlie's gone out to look for her."

* * *

Joey felt like her whole body was on fire. Robbo had made several incisions on her arms, legs and torso. She'd screamed without shame and knew she was bleeding badly. She sank back against the floor and closed her eyes, hoping that if she stopped fighting him, he'd leave her alone. He stabbed her in shoulder. Her eyes flashed open and she screamed again. He shoved her onto her side, ignoring, if not enjoying her cries of pain as the blade wedged itself into her, and undid her ties.

* * *

"Robbo," Charlie muttered.

Her eyes widened as she saw her beloved Joey on camera being hit and dragged into her own car. Robbo then sped away.

"How the fuck are we meant to know where he took her?" she yelled desperately.

Watson put an arm around her.

"We know the direction he went in," she said. "Look."

The supermarket car park had four separate entrances and exits, giving them at least some kind of clue as to a direction. She smiled anxiously at Watson. It wasn't the kind of thing that she would know. Joey usually did the shopping. They had different roles at home, and shopping was part of Joey's. Tears threatened but she forced them away.

"We'll find her," Jack promised.

Charlie wasn't sure they could. Jack left her and phoned Daria who had called to say they had been looking for Joey around town.

"Joey was abducted by Robert Cruze," he said.

"What?" Daria shrieked.

Jack jerked the phone away from his ear for a moment before he explained what had happened.

"So it looks like we need to find abandoned buildings on the north east side of town," he said.

"We're on it," Daria said.

Jack headed back in to see Watson and Charlie.

"Daria and Sam are out looking for abandoned buildings on the north east side of town. Watson and I will head out and scope the south east. Charlie, you stay here and wait for us to call."

"No!" Charlie said, leaping to her feet. "I'm not going to sit around my arse while my soul mate is missing."

"Charlie," Watson said. "You're too close to this..."

"Don't make me pull rank on you," Charlie warned.

From the look on her face, they knew she would. Jack finally relented and said he would make phone calls and research anything and everything he could while Charlie and Watson went out looking.

* * *

Joey had been untied but the knife was wedged into her shoulder. She felt like her whole body was going numb with pain.

"Fight back then," Robbo ordered. "It's your last chance to die with dignity."

Joey vaguely reached out to him but she had no fight left in her. Blood seeped from her body and tears fell from her eyes. She reached up and gripped the handle of the knife. He watched her struggle before rushing forward to rip the knife from her body. Before he reached her, she'd done the same thing. She turned the blade as he ran. It landed right in his throat. Shocked, Robbo clutched his throat and fell backwards. Joey hauled herself onto her hands and knees. She leant over him as blood seeped from his jugular and her shoulder. Bitterness swept over her as she stared down at him for all the pain and misery he had caused her of the years. He'd beaten her, bullied her, tried to rape her and now tried to kill her. She reached for the handle of the knife, not entirely sure what she was going to do with it. Suddenly the door burst open and she came face to face with Charlie.


	93. Chapter 93

_Don't hate me...! IJKS xx_

**Chapter Ninety-Three**

**November 2026**

"Charlie..." Joey managed.

The police officer raced forward and skidded onto her knees. She pulled her tearful, broken girlfriend into a hug. Watson also hurried forward, radioing for an ambulance as Robbo bled in front of them, choking from the wound in his throat. Watson attempted to save his life while they waited for the paramedics to show up. Charlie clutched Joey's wounded shoulder with her hand, trying to stem the blood flow.

* * *

James sat upstairs alone with Leanne. Ruby, Xavier, Nicole and Romeo were downstairs, waiting for news of Joey. The kids were playing in their room.

"She'll be okay," Leanne said gently.

"How do you know that?" he asked with wide eyes. "People die, Leanne. My real Mum did. Why not one of my other Mums?"

Leanne put her arm around him and held him close. It was true. People did die all the time. In sixteen years she had seen her Great Aunt get shot and that man, Vinnie had been killed too. James turned his head and kissed her with sudden passion and tears in his eyes.

* * *

Carol and three other paramedics showed up in two ambulances. Robbo was fading fast and they loaded him into the first ambulance. Carol and Charlie gently helped Joey to her feet and onto a stretcher of her own.

"Can I go with her?" Charlie asked.

"Sure," Carol replied. "Of course you can."

"I'll meet you there," Watson said, heading towards her car.

"Can you call my place?" Charlie called after her. "Let everyone know what's happened?"

Watson agreed and climbed into the driver's seat of the patrol car. Charlie jumped up into the ambulance and tenderly held Joey's hand. Both their hearts were racing.

* * *

James and Leanne lay side by side in bed. They'd lost their virginities to each other and now neither of them was quite sure what to do and say. They jumped and covered themselves when Ruby knocked and entered.

"Joey's..."

She trailed off and apologised. She ducked out of the room with wide eyes. Inside, James and Leanne scrambled to get dressed. Once they were decent, James pulled the door back open.

"How's Joey?" he asked.

"She's been taken to hospital," Ruby told him.

* * *

Charlie and Watson waited in the corridor. They leapt to their feet when Rachel appeared.

"Can I see Joey?" Charlie asked urgently.

"Yes, you can," Rachel said. "But I need to tell you..."

"Is she okay?"

"She's okay," Rachel confirmed. "But Robbo... it doesn't look like he's going to make it. Obviously my colleagues are doing everything they can but..."

Charlie swallowed. She didn't care if that evil man lived or died but either way, there would be serious repercussions for Joey. And they were repercussions Charlie wouldn't be able to control. She nodded. Watson sat back down and Rachel led Charlie into the side room. Joey was pale and weak. She looked like she had had several stitches and nobody had cleaned up the blood. Her arm was in a sling and her shoulder was carefully bandaged. She'd had to have emergency surgery. They'd been at the hospital for hours but it felt like weeks. Rachel left them to it and Charlie rushed to Joey's side. Her wife was tearful and broken. Charlie kissed her and stroked her face.

"Joey..." she said.

The younger girl couldn't speak. All she could do was weep.

* * *

Rachel left them and headed into where Robbo was being treated. She froze just as he was pronounced dead. Her colleagues gave up and called time on his life. It was over. Rachel immediately worried about what was in store for Joey now.

* * *

"Is he dead?" Joey finally asked.

"Not yet," Charlie said, carefully holding onto her hand.

Joey swallowed and nodded. Her whole body hurt, not to mention her soul.

"What will happen to me?" she asked.

"Nothing," Charlie said quickly. "You'll have to stay here for a bit to recuperate and then we'll go home."

Joey looked at her with deep seriousness.

"Don't lie to me," she said. "If he dies, it's my fault. I've got his blood on my hands. What will you have to do about that?"

"I will not be charging you with a thing," Charlie said firmly.

"I doubt it'll be your decision," Joey pointed out. "They won't let you investigate your wife's case."

Charlie sighed, knowing it was true. She just hoped that Joey wouldn't suffer.

* * *

Ruby and Xavier spent the night at Charlie and Joey's house. Romeo and Nicole had driven Leanne back to Jack and Martha's on their way back home to put Cathy to bed. James stayed in his room for most of the night and they told Christine that Joey was poorly but she and Charlie would be back in the morning.

"Should I tell Charlie and Joey what I saw?" Ruby asked.

"Maybe not yet," Xavier said. "They've got enough on their plate right now."

Ruby nodded, deciding that her husband was right.

* * *

Watson was back at work the next morning and was surprised when Detective Robert Robertson sailed into the reception.

"I'm here to investigate the Robert Cruze murder case," he breezed, getting right to business.

"Murder?" Watson said. "No, it wasn't..."

"Could you go and bring the murderer in please? Joey Collins, I believe her name is."

"But..."

He ignored her protests and charged into Charlie's office, ready to set up home there. Unhappily, Watson phoned Charlie.

* * *

Charlie got the call just as she and Joey were leaving the hospital. Joey listened to the phone call and studied Charlie's worried face.

"I have to go to the police station, don't I?" she asked when her partner hung up.

Charlie nodded and reached for her good hand. She started the engine and headed into work with her heart in her throat.

"They're going to arrest me," Joey concluded.

Two days ago her life had been perfect. She was in a happy marriage and had wonderful kids. She had a good job and great friends. How could it all go so horribly wrong because of one day, because of one man?

* * *

"So, what happened yesterday?" Robertson asked.

He sat across from Joey and Charlie with his hands resting atop the table, clasped together.

"Well, he was..." Joey began in a shaky voice.

"I don't care what he was doing at this point," Robertson interrupted. "I care what you were doing."

"What he was doing is completely relevant," Charlie interrupted.

The Detective ignored her.

"I'd been kidnapped," Joey ventured.

"How did Robert Cruze end up with a bottle in his neck?" Robertson asked.

"We were fighting," Joey explained. "He was..."

"How did the bottle end up in his neck?"

"I put it there," Joey said weakly. "But..."

"So, you stabbed him?"

Joey looked helplessly at Charlie.

"There were extenuating circumstances," Charlie said, holding Joey's hand. "Surely you can see that?"

Robertson shrugged.

"All I know is that a man is dead and that this woman killed him," he told her.

"It was self defence!" Joey cried desperately.

She clutched Charlie's hand so tightly that it was hurting both of them but neither woman let go.

* * *

It was early evening before a series of long interviews between Joey, Charlie and Robertson ended. In the interview room, Robertson stood up.

"Joanne Collins, I am charging you on suspicion of the manslaughter of Robert Cruze," the Detective said.

"No!" Charlie argued, tears of anger and despair cascading down her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But my hands are tied. I'll fetch an officer to take you to your cell."

Joey remained mute and tearful at the table. Her head was bowed. Charlie leapt to her feet.

"You can't put her in a cell!" she argued.

"I can and I will," Robertson said.

He turned to leave.

"It wasn't like that!" Charlie argued. "Look at the fucking state of her!"

The door opened. Watson appeared, asking if everything was alright.

"Detective Buckton-Collins is getting a little aggressive because her wife has to spend the night behind bars," Robertson explained.

"What?" Watson exclaimed. "You can't put Joey..."

"I can and I will," Robertson repeated sternly.

He turned back to Charlie.

"I'll let you be the one to go and make her comfortable."

She glared at him.

"Don't tell me what to do," she warned. "You can't pull rank on me, Detective."

"Oh, I know," Robertson said. "You're a big shot Detective too, aren't you? Thanks to Daddy."

"My father has nothing to do with where I stand in this police station," Charlie said.

She didn't think she'd ever hated someone so much in her life, except Robbo.

"Take her to the cells," Robertson said.

He eased his way past Watson and left the room, asking Daria to make him a coffee. Charlie sank back into her chair. She pulled Joey into her arms and promised that everything would be alright.

* * *

A bail hearing was set for the following afternoon. Joey sat in her cell and Charlie sat outside it, holding hands through the bars.

"You'll get bail," Charlie said certainly. "I mean, you're hardly a menace to society, are you?"

"Even if I get bail, I'll still go to prison eventually," Joey pointed out. "You can't protect me from that."

"Daria called Dad and Morag," Charlie told her. "They're coming back and Morag will be your lawyer. They'll be home in a few days."

Joey felt guilty that she was ruining their travels. Charlie stroked her hands delicately. She felt like she couldn't stop crying. Neither of them could.

"What if they find me guilty, Charlie?" Joey asked. "How am I meant to survive in prison? I don't..."

She wept. Charlie nudged closer and hugged her as well as she could through the bars. Their lips met gently.

"They won't find you guilty," Charlie insisted. "How can they? You're not."

"I did kill him though," Joey argued. "I did. And I honestly don't know if I might have stabbed him again if you hadn't shown up."

"You wouldn't have!" Charlie said quickly. "That's not who you are. You wouldn't have."

Joey swallowed and chewed her lip until it bled. Charlie reached out to stop her and wipe the trickle of blood away.

"Everything is going to work out," Charlie said firmly.

Joey sighed and nodded. She looked at the clock on the wall behind Charlie. It was getting late she told her so.

"You need to get back to the kids," she said.

Charlie shook her head.

"I need to be here with you."

"James and Chris need you," Joey insisted.

"Ruby and Xavier are spending the night there again," Charlie said. "It's fine. Right now, I need to be here with you."

"What are you going to do?" Joey asked incredulously. "Sleep on the floor?"

Charlie nodded and kissed her.

"I am not leaving your side."

* * *

Charlie and Daria escorted Joey to court the next day. All three of them felt sick at the thought that Joey might not becoming home with them. Charlie and Daria refused to entertain the thought. She was in handcuffs. Charlie was certain that there were only particular circumstances when that looked right and this was not one of them.

"David and Ruby are going to meet us there," Daria said. "They're coming to support you."

Joey nodded but didn't speak. She'd spent the night sleeping on the floor of the police cell. Charlie had lain on the other side and they'd held hands through the bars all night. Daria had come to offer Charlie a pillow and a blanket but otherwise, Charlie hadn't moved until morning. Charlie studied Joey's face. She leant over and kissed her cheek.

"We'll get through this," she said. "Together."

* * *

The judge came to sit down and the court followed his example when he told them they could. He glared out at the officials and at the defendant who was apparently there with her 'wife'. The whole idea of two women or two men being married to each other sickened him. Tiredly and feeling bored, he heard the defence petition for bail. He could barely bring himself to listen. He had a lesbian murderer in front of him and as far as he was concerned, nothing they said would stop him from sending her to prison.


	94. Chapter 94

_Phew! I wasn't expecting quite that much controversy! Thank you to everyone who reviewed so positively, despite poor Joey's current predicament. I'm sorry that "many people" have decided not to read this story anymore. But each to their own. I'm eternally grateful to those who are still enjoying it. And I hope it's not actually "shite", as it was so eloquently put in a review._

_This story is a bildungsroman. It was always intended to track Charlie and Joey from infancy to old age. And having sentenced Robbo to seventeen years in jail, it would make sense that he would reappear at some point after his release. For the record, none of the stories I have written or read on here (maybe I've missed one), have seen Joey sent to jail so I don't think this is an overused plot, personally._

_And while I don't write for the sake of my "ego", and I do appreciate constructive criticism, I'm not entirely sure what was constructive about the unpleasant reviews earlier. I can't reply properly because they didn't sign in with a proper username but my only response is to say thanks for reading up to now. I'm not going to get overly fussed about losing people, especially so loudly. I write from my heart, put my soul and a hell of a lot of time into these stories, especially this one. But I can't please everyone. Each person is going to like and dislike different things. I guess I come from a belief that if you haven't got anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. But like I said, each to their own. If you felt strongly enough to review then I'll take it as a positive in some kind of roundabout way!_

_I will continue writing, including this story. There is a lot more love and drama to come! Thanks to everyone who reads my work. It does mean ever such a lot. And a special thank you to KGirl, Tubs, Paperheart and Blue as well as Kirsty, funkyshaz, reedy, jsco and tclick._

_For now, those of you who are still reading, enjoy the extra chapter. IJKS xx_

**

* * *

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Chapter Ninety-Four

**November 2026**

Joey felt numb as she sat and waited to be processed by the prison staff. She couldn't get the image of Charlie weeping and so broken when they said goodbye. She hoped that her loved one would be okay. Right now, she felt more worried for her than for herself. But she was sure that would change once the reality of her situation sank in. It felt like the last few days had been an unreal nightmare. One minute she had been shopping for dinner with her family and the next she'd killed a man, had a severely injured shoulder and was facing at least a month in prison while she awaited trial. How could she be on trial? How could she be facing a life behind bars? When she was a kid and she'd pictured her future, this hadn't been it. She was forty one, married with kids, a strong business and good friends. How could it all be over just like that?

* * *

Charlie sat on the edge of the sofa, staring ahead her, feeling mute and sick. Daria put a cup of tea in front of her but she didn't notice. David put an arm around her but she couldn't feel anything but grief. Tears filled her eyes and she wondered what Joey must be going through right now. She'd never felt so lost, so vulnerable and so helpless before. All her life, she'd protected Joey. Even as kids when she and Brett had run riot in the garden and Joey had tottered behind on her chubby little toddler legs, Charlie had looked after her and kept her safe. She felt sick not to be able to take care of her now.

"Maybe you should eat something," Ruby suggested.

She felt awkward. What was the protocol when someone you loved had been wrongly sent to prison? The police officer said nothing in response. She just continued to stare, unseeing, right ahead of her.

"Charlie?" Ruby said gently.

Her sister shifted her expression to her, looking as if she didn't know who she was.

"Are you hungry?" Ruby asked.

Charlie shook her head ever so slightly. Her eyes settled on a photograph of her and Joey, taken at their second wedding. It had been such a happy day. How could it have all gone so wrong?

* * *

Joey followed the prison officer to her cell. She carried a see through carrier bag of stuff with her. Some of her belongings, such as her mirror, had been taken away. They'd warned her against bringing her rings in the prison, for fear of them being stolen but Joey had refused to part with them. Telling her it was her choice but the chances were, she'd lose them, they let her do what she wanted. Entering the room, she looked around. There was an uncomfortable looking bed, a desk, chair, sink and toilet. At one end was the smallest window she had ever seen. The prison officer left, telling her that dinner would be in an hour and to make herself comfortable. Joey looked between the door and the window. What would she do when it was shut on her? How would she breathe with no air?

* * *

David talked it through with Andy on the phone and they agreed that he would move into the spare room in order to help take care of his mother, brother and sister. Charlie didn't agree or disagree so he took it that the decision was fine. Leaving her in Daria and Ruby's capable hands, he headed home in order to pack his stuff. Charlie hadn't left the couch. Her tea had gone cold and she hadn't uttered a word since she'd said goodbye to Joey. Suddenly, she leapt to her feet.

"There's no air in here," she muttered.

Hurrying out of the house she made to run away. Ruby and Daria followed just in time to see Charlie speeding off on her bike without so much as a helmet or a jacket on.

"Charlie!" Ruby yelled, feeling immediately tearfully.

"What do we do?" Daria asked worriedly.

She couldn't bear to think of her getting injured or worse. James appeared behind them.

"Where's Charlie gone?" he asked.

"Don't worry," Daria told him. "She'll be back."

* * *

Joey stayed in her cell over dinner, even though she knew it would be a long time until morning when she would eat again. But she thought right now she would just throw anything up that touched her lips. And she was desperately afraid of facing the other women imprisoned with her. She didn't think she'd ever been so scared in all her life.

* * *

Charlie rode faster than she was allowed to. She zoomed along the coast road with the wind in her hair and tears in her eyes as she broke out of town with no destination in mind. It didn't take long for sirens and flashing lights to follow her. Instead of slowing down, Charlie sped up, trying to out run them, trying to escape her life.

* * *

Joey never ventured out of her cell that night. She stayed inside, curled up on her bed and staring at Charlie's photo. She kissed the image of her wife's lips and her tears spilled onto the gloss. Once a few tears had fallen, Joey gave into her grief. She wept loudly and without control, clutching her precious Charlie to her until she fell asleep.

* * *

Charlie stormed back into the house. Jack and one of their colleagues had been the ones to catch her and eventually she'd pulled over. Realising the gravity of her current situation, they had given her nothing more than a caution and forced her to let them follow her home so that they could make sure she was safe without her helmet. Without talking to any of her waiting family, Charlie hurried up to her room and threw herself on hers and Joey's bed. She clutched Joey's pillow, breathing in the scent she'd left back when life was good. She wept.

**

* * *

**

December 2026

It was three weeks later and Joey had settled herself into an unhappy routine. She woke up, showered and dressed and then headed out to work in the garden. It was a job that paid her prison wages and entitled her to buy phone cards and the odd snack. The phone cards were the most important thing though. It meant that she could call Charlie every night to tell her that she loved her. Every week, Charlie came in to visit. Joey had told her that she didn't want any of the kids, no matter how old they were, seeing her in a place like this. It was all she could do to bear having Charlie seeing her in such a sorry state. Morag and Ross had dutifully returned home and Morag was making every effort to put together a case for her defence. All she had in mind was 14th December when her trial would begin and she could possibly claw back her freedom. She'd made a couple of friends in prison. There were a few well meaning women who she liked to talk to and spend time with. But other women had noticed her vulnerability. She didn't tell Charlie about it but from her second day in prison and probably until she was released, _if _she was ever released, she'd been beaten up. She felt like her body was one big bruise and she struggled to hide her injuries from the few officers who would try and interfere and help. She knew that would only make it worse.

* * *

Charlie got up and took the kids to school. She forced herself to be cheerful in front of them, make it look like she was coping and holding it together. David, Ruby and Daria were Godsends, as far as she was concerned. Between the three of them, they kept her and the children fed and watered. Goodness knows, she wasn't capable of looking after anything by herself. She got through the day, worked and spent time with her family. She ate when food was put in front of her and Watson had taken on the duty of keeping the coffee flowing. She stayed home every night, waiting for Joey to call her at around eight o'clock and once a week, she was entitled to go and see her. It broke her heart to see how much weight she'd lost and how dark the circles beneath her eyes were. She was pale and fragile and all Charlie wanted to do was hug her and protect her. But they were only allowed to touch for the briefest moments at the beginning and end of each visit. At night, Charlie cried herself to sleep with only Joey on her mind. Christine had taken to curling up in bed beside her. Charlie tried to protect her from both their tears.

* * *

It was the afternoon and Joey was working in the garden. It was the only time of day when she felt some kind of peace. And although her constant injuries made it hard for her to move around, she enjoyed the activities and the hot glow of the sun. She was just bending down to begin planting a new set of flowers when she felt a knee thrust itself into her chest. Joey didn't even bother to fight back. She lay on the floor, playing dead until the kicking was over. But suddenly it was over much quicker than expected. Cracking an eye open, she saw the bully who had made her life hell for three weeks, get thrown to the ground. Joey lay still and watched the woman and her friends scramble away. Her rescuer crouched in front of her and helped her up.

"Are you okay?" the woman asked.

She was pretty with blonde hair and a very serious expression. Joey nodded.

"Why isn't there someone to help you?" the woman asked.

Joey just shrugged and attempted to rescue her flowers.

"I'm Melissa, by the way," the blonde said.

She extended her hand but Joey didn't shake it. She just mumbled her name.

"I'm new," the girl said, undeterred. "I stole a car."

"I've been here a few weeks," Joey replied without enthusiasm. "I'm a murderer."

"Yeah, right!" Melissa laughed.

Joey headed into her little shed to collect a watering can.

"Are you serious?" Melissa asked, following her.

"That's what they keep calling me," Joey said, although technically she was being charged with manslaughter.

She left the shed and headed over to the tap. Melissa continued to keep her company. She looked to be in her late thirties, a little younger than Joey. She was slim and toned with bright eyes and an enthusiastic expression as she tried to get to know her new friend.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I got attacked. I fought back."

She turned the stiff tap on and winced in pain. Her shoulder had never really healed and she kept forgetting not to use it so much as she did.

"Really?" Melissa asked incredulously. "After what I just saw?"

Joey looked at her directly for the first time.

"I learnt my lesson," she replied.

She carried the watering can in her good hand and headed back to her little plantation spot and began watering her flowers.

"Thanks for helping me, Melissa," the blonde girl said a little sarcastically.

"Thanks for helping me, Melissa," Joey replied.

"Maybe... could I hang out with you for a while?"

Joey put the watering can down and stared at her. She hardly understood what was happening. It felt like she'd lost all ability to socialise and she wondered why this girl wanted to be friends.

"Sure," she finally said. "But haven't you got a job to do?"

Melissa jerked a thumb over to her own area of garden.

"If they didn't see you getting bashed up then I doubt they'll notice if I help out in this garden instead of my own," she said.

Joey nodded and handed her the watering can. She winced a little, having picked it back up with her bad arm.

"Are you hurt?" Melissa asked.

"Always," Joey replied.

* * *

Watson took Charlie for a coffee after work, before Charlie was due to go and collect Christine from school. They sat down together but Charlie didn't have a whole lot to say.

"How's the business going?" she finally asked.

Aden and Sarah had stepped in to manage Joey's business until she got home. Charlie had neither a head for figures or particularly good sea legs and with her work and children, it was all she could do to put one foot in front of the other.

"No complaints from Sarah," Watson confirmed. "How are you doing?"

Charlie just shrugged.

"Charlie!" someone yelled from across the room.

The police officers both looked up to see Martha marching towards them.

"Do you know what your son has done to my daughter?" Martha yelled.

"What?" Charlie asked weakly.

She felt like she was living in a constant daze.

"She's pregnant!" Martha bellowed. "Leanne is pregnant. And it's all your James's fault."

Charlie just stared at her.

"Well? Aren't you going to say something?"

"I presume Leanne consented," Charlie managed. "So I guess it's both their faults."

"That's _all _you've got to say?" Martha squeaked. "She's sixteen!"

"She should have kept her legs closed then," Charlie said, abandoning her coffee and standing up.

She didn't want to deal with this now. It was too much. It was too hard. How could she deal with anything without Joey?

"I'm talking to you!" Martha yelled.

She grabbed Charlie's shoulder and spun her round. Charlie had hit her in the face before she had time to stop herself. Martha clutched a bloodied lip and stared at her. Everyone in Crumble watched in hushed silent.

"I don't care," Charlie said bitterly. "I don't give a shit who's pregnant and whose fault it is. I don't care about anything except Joey getting out of prison."

She stormed out.

"Are you going to arrest her for assault?" Martha asked Watson, who also stood up.

"I'm off duty," the police officer told her before making her escape.

* * *

Joey and Melissa sat opposite each other at dinner. It felt nice to have a friend, especially someone who wanted to protect her. The bullies hadn't gone near Joey since Melissa had stepped in.

"So, what do you do in the real world, Joey?" Melissa asked.

Joey sipped her drink, pondering the question for a moment. She hardly remembered anymore.

"I run a trawler business," she finally said. "I inherited it from my Dad."

"You're a seaside girl then?" Melissa asked.

Joey nodded.

"And do you have a partner or...?"

"Yeah, I'm married to a woman called Charlie," Joey said, offering her first smile of the day. "She's amazing. And we have five foster kids."

"Five?" Melissa exclaimed.

"All but two of them are grown up now anyway but yeah, five. There's Romeo... he was an unofficial child. He's thirty-two now and has a wife and baby of his own. And I've got twenty-seven year old twins. One's a cop and the other one works for me. And my seventeen year-old is called James and my youngest is Christine. She's eight."

"Wow," Melissa said. "You have quite the packed life."

Joey managed to smile again. She was happy and sad to talk about home. It made her miss everyone and everything more.

"How about you?" she asked. "What do you do? Where are you from?"

"I had a girlfriend called Steph," Melissa explained. "But she took off and left me to take the rap for our joyride."

"Aren't you a little old for joyriding?" Joey asked with a smirk.

"Hey!" Melissa said in a way that reminded Joey of herself defending her age to Daria. "I'm only thirty-five."

"Precisely."

"It was just a dare. It kind of went wrong," Melissa said a little glumly.

Joey just nodded, not feeling like she was in a position to judge.

"How long are you in for?" Melissa asked.

"I don't know yet," Joey said. "My trial starts next week."

Melissa nodded.

"I got three months," she said.

"I hope it goes by quick for you," Joey said sincerely.

"Thanks. And I hope you get found not guilty," Melissa replied.

* * *

Charlie sent Christine off to get changed out of her uniform but kept James downstairs.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" Charlie asked with her hands on her hips.

He looked immediately guilty and apologised.

"Don't you think we've got enough to deal with right now without adding to our problems?" Charlie demanded angrily.

James apologised again and tried to explain.

"I don't want to hear it," Charlie told him. "Go to your room and stay there."

He nodded and obeyed, taking the stairs two at a time and slamming his bedroom door. Charlie sank onto the couch with her head in her hands, full of despair.

* * *

At eight o'clock, Joey said goodbye to Melissa and headed over to the payphone to call Charlie.

"Joey?" came her eager voice on the other end of the line.

Joey allowed herself a small smile.

"Hey," she said.

"How are you?"

"I'm okay," Joey said. "I uh... I made a new friend today. Had some company for dinner. It was nice."

"That's good," Charlie said enthusiastically. "That's really good."

"How are you?" Joey asked.

Charlie nodded even though Joey couldn't see her.

"I'm fine," she said. "You know... same old."

She sighed heavily.

"How are the kids?" Joey asked.

"They're all fine," Charlie told her, opting not to mention James's impending fatherhood until she had to. "Chris got a gold star for her spelling test today."

"Tell her well done from me?" Joey requested.

Her voice caught on the last word. She couldn't help but feel devastated that she couldn't congratulate her daughter herself.

"I will."

Joey sighed when the phone beeped, warning her that she was running out of time.

"I'm beeping," she said unhappily.

"Oh," Charlie said sadly. "I guess I'd better let you go then."

"Yeah," Joey said, wishing she could just have a little longer.

"I love you," Charlie told her.

"I love you too," Joey said a little tearfully. "See you tomorrow?"

"Count on it," Charlie promised.

* * *

The following morning, Charlie took the kids to school and then drove over to the prison. She waited in line to get her bag and pockets searched. Looking up, she saw Joey and her fellow prisoners troop in and sit at their table. They caught each other's eye and Charlie hurried over as soon as she could. They hugged and shared the briefest of kisses before sitting down. Resting her hands on the table, all Charlie wanted to do was reach out and touch Joey but she didn't want to risk getting into trouble and cutting the visit short.

"I brought you some chocolate and magazines and stuff," Charlie said. "They said they'd give it to you after."

"Thanks," Joey said with a smile.

Charlie studied her face. Her cheeks looked hollow and her eyes were dark. She was pale and gaunt.

"How's your shoulder?" Charlie asked.

"I don't know if it's ever going to heal properly," Joey admitted.

Charlie looked pained at the thought. Across the table, Joey gazed at her wife. She didn't seem to realise it but Charlie too, was pale and had terrible bags under her eyes. They both looked and felt older.

"When you get out of here, we'll get it looked at," Charlie said. "Properly. We could even go private if we need to. We'll make it better."

Joey smiled sadly at her. She touched her hand for the briefest of moment and gazed into her eyes. Charlie gazed right back at her with her heart in her throat.

"Morag said you're making good progress with the defence," she said brightly.

Joey nodded.

"She thinks we got a really good case."

"You must have," Charlie said. "You don't deserve to be in here. I can't... I can't wait till you come home."

Joey swallowed and nodded. She hardly dared hope that in a couple of weeks she would be back at home with her family and the woman she loved.

* * *

Morag appeared at the holding cell where Joey was waiting. She was in a new, smart suit that Charlie had posted in for her and her hair was loose. Charlie always thought she looked more beautiful when she had her hair down and Joey was eager to do anything she could to impress the judge and jury. She noted the expression on her lawyer and step-mother in law's face and immediately worried.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," Morag said. "It's just that the judge is off sick today and we've got a substitute."

"Maybe he'll be nicer than the shit who refused my bail," Joey said bitterly.

"Here's hoping," Morag said.

She gazed tenderly at Joey, unable to feel anything but her pain.

"But it means that court's been delayed for an hour," she said. "Sit tight, okay?"

* * *

Charlie was beside herself by the time she, Ruby, Xavier, Romeo, David, Daria, James, Rachel, Tony, Aden, Belle, Watson and Sarah trooped into the public gallery. Zoe Cruze had also come to sit there. Nobody had known she was even back in town and nobody was sure if she was there to support Joey or see her go down. Charlie watched as Joey was led to her position and Morag and the prosecution lawyer took their places. Everyone rose when the judge entered the room. Charlie studied his face, sure that she recognised him. From her chair, Joey dared not let hope flutter in her heart. He was the same judge that had resided over Robbo's trial.

"Right," the Judge said. "First thing's first. Unless Mr Fishburn has some new evidence that isn't in these folders, I will be dismissing this trial completely out of hand and allowing the defendant go free immediately."

Joey just stared at him. Hushed whispers engulfed the court. Ruby held onto Charlie's hand. The prosecution lawyer, Mr Fishburn stood up and cleared his throat.

"Your Honour, I don't understand..."

"Years ago, I sat in this very seat and listened to how the victim, Robert Cruze raped and abused one woman and attempted to do the same to another, to the defendant. And now I see that the moment his jail term ceased, he went out to find the defendant. He abducted her and tried to kill her. Her injuries alone prove this. I have absolutely no doubt in my mind that Mr Cruze's death came about in an act of self defence. And an act of self defence is something I am not willing to punish. And quite frankly, all I would like to do now is apologise on behalf of my colleague for subjecting her to four weeks in prison while she awaited trial. I have no comprehension of why bail was refused."

"Your Honour, you can't do this," Mr Fishburn insisted.

"I can and I am. Do you have any more evidence?"

"Well, no but..."

"Then this court is dismissed and the defendant has been found not guilty."

He turned to face Joey.

"You, Mrs Buckton-Collins, are free to go."

The judge stood and left. People continued to whisper. Joey remained her seat, completely unable to comprehend what had just happened. The prison escorts stepped away and Morag hurried over.

"Joey?" she said gently. "Joey, you can go home."

Joey burst into tears and clung onto her. Morag helped her up and guided her into the hallway where her family and friends had all congregated. Charlie approached Joey as if in slow motion and pulled her into the tightest, most loving hug they had ever shared.


	95. Chapter 95

_Hi everyone. Sorry I didn't post yesterday. I got abducted by someone very lovely for a picnic. And what a wonderful picnic it was. So today you'll get two updates – this one and Save Me. I hope you enjoy the chapter and thanks again for all the wonderful support from the last couple of chapters. You all rock and I adore you. Love, IJKS xx_

**Chapter Ninety-Five**

**December 2026**

Joey declined the suggestion that they could all go to the Jukebox and celebrate her freedom. All she wanted to do was go home. Ruby and Xavier volunteered to have James and Christine over for the night to give Charlie and Joey some time together. David popped back in to collect his stuff and then headed on back to the apartment he shared with Andy. Joey wandered silently around the house, familiarising herself with everything again. Charlie followed. Finally, they came back to the lounge and sat down. Charlie reached out to hold Joey's hands.

"I'm so happy you're home," she said, feeling suddenly overwhelmed with emotion.

Joey gazed into her eyes before sinking against her. Clinging on tightly, they both wept.

* * *

Later that evening, Joey decided that she wanted a nice, hot bath. Charlie had hoped maybe she'd ask her to join her but she didn't. So Charlie left her to it and said she'd go and pick up a pizza for dinner. A little unnerved at being alone in the house, Joey tried to relax in the hot water and bubbles. Her body ached and her mind felt full of confusion and mess.

* * *

Charlie arrived back half an hour later. She knocked on the door and told Joey she was back with dinner. On the other side of the door, Joey pulled a robe on. She had drained the bath and spent five minutes standing in front of the full length mirror, scrutinising what she believed to be a hideous body. She was too skinny and her body felt dirty with so many obvious injuries. She dreaded the moment when Charlie would see her and was determined to avoid it at all costs. With the robe wrapped tightly around her, Joey exited the bathroom and padded down the stairs. She couldn't help but smile at the delicious aroma of a ham and pineapple pizza, which Charlie knew was her favourite.

"Hey," Charlie said from the sofa. "I figured we could curl up and eat in here."

"Sounds good," Joey said, coming to sit beside her.

"I got your favourite," Charlie said.

"I can smell it!" Joey said.

She reached out a hand briefly to hold onto Charlie's. She was so relieved to be home.

"And I treated us to fat coke!" Charlie continued. "And there's a tub of ice cream in the freezer."

"Thanks, Charlie," Joey said softly.

She reached out and took a slice of pizza.

"We need to fatten you up," Charlie said with a grin.

Joey worried that she looked ugly but pushed the thought away. She was already convinced she was ugly. She just hoped that Charlie wouldn't notice.

"We need to fatten you up too," she said. "You've lost almost as much weight as I have."

Charlie looked down, surprised. She had been so busy worrying about Joey all this time that she hadn't really paid herself much attention.

"Then let's eat like queens," she said, taking a slice of pizza for herself.

* * *

With the pizza eaten and the night drawing in, Joey yawned and then apologised.

"We get locked up at nine each night," she said. "I've been used to going to bed early. Not that I've slept that well really."

"We can go to bed if you like," Charlie said. "I don't mind."

"You don't have to go to bed just because I'm tired," Joey told her.

Charlie reached out and held her hands.

"I've spent a month sleeping away from you," she said. "I'm not missing out on a minute."

Joey smiled. She leant forward and kissed her gently on the mouth. Leaving a mess of pizza boxes and tubs and bottles, they turned the light out and headed upstairs. Charlie grabbed Joey's bag on the way. Joey rummaged in her drawers for a fresh pair of pyjamas before excusing herself to the bathroom. Charlie's heart sank as she watched her go, wondering why she wouldn't get changed in front of her. _Maybe she just needed the toilet_, she tried to reason. Stripping off, she wandered around the bedroom undressed as she looked for fresh pyjamas of her own. Joey re-entered the room just as she was pulling her shirt on and doing her buttons up. The younger girl couldn't quite help but admire her body. It was a sight she had missed, although Charlie noticed that she looked at her in a different way to how she once had.

"Ready for bed?" Charlie asked.

Joey nodded and headed over to her side of the bed. She slipped beneath the sheets and Charlie did the same on the other side. Charlie met her in the middle and reached out to hold her. Joey hesitated for a moment but then settled into her wife's embrace. Charlie kissed the top of her head and breathed in the scent of her shampoo.

"I've missed you so much, sweetheart," she said. "I can't even tell you how much."

"I've missed you too," Joey said. "I feel like I've been living in hell."

She clung a little tighter before they made themselves more comfortable in each other's arms.

* * *

A few days later, Charlie was worried. Joey hadn't left the house since they'd got home. She'd got back into the routine of making breakfast for the kids and Charlie took them to school. Charlie had taken a couple of weeks off work to be with the woman she loved.

"Hey, Jo, what do you say, you come with me to drop the kids off at school?" Charlie suggested. "We could go somewhere afterwards. Take a walk along the beach or something? We could go down to the docks and say hi to your crew?"

Joey shook her head.

"I'd rather just stay here," she said.

"Oh," Charlie replied, disappointed and worried.

"Maybe tomorrow," Joey said, mostly to appease her rather than because she really wanted to.

"Okay," Charlie said hopefully.

The kids arrived and Charlie stood to take them to school. At the door, she paused.

"Are you sure you don't want to...?"

"No," Joey said quickly. "I'm going to do some housework and stuff."

"Okay," Charlie said.

She dashed back inside the room to kiss Joey's goodbye. Joey watched her leave and then sank against the side and closed her eyes. She felt like she was living in a vortex of misery. Charlie was trying her best. She couldn't have been any better to her. But still Joey felt engulfed in despair and she just couldn't lift herself out of it.

* * *

When Charlie got back from dropping the kids off at school, she arrived back at the house with her usual cheer. Even though Joey seemed to be a rather different person to the woman she'd married and loved all this time, Charlie was still deliriously happy to have her back at all. To go to bed holding her sent her into good dreams and to wake up with her each morning was Heaven.

"I brought us back a couple of smoothies!" she called out.

Joey appeared, dressed in a long-sleeved top and jeans and smiled her thanks.

"Shall we go out and enjoy the sunshine?" Charlie asked. "It's gorgeous out there."

"Okay," Joey agreed.

She followed Charlie into the backyard and they sat on their swing bench. Charlie put her arm around her.

"So, what would you like to do today?" Charlie asked.

"I'm happy just to hang out here," Joey said.

"Okay," Charlie said softly.

She put her arm around Joey, careful not to injure her shoulder too badly.

"I was thinking we could make an appointment to see Rachel at some point," Charlie said. "Get her to take a look at your shoulder."

"It's fine," Joey said. "I don't want a fuss."

"You can barely use it, Joey," Charlie pointed out.

Joey shrugged and then winced.

"Okay, maybe you have a point," she admitted.

"I'll call her later and see if she can fit us in."

"Maybe she could come here?" Joey suggested. "We could make her some lunch or something."

Trying to ignore her concern that Joey didn't want to leave the house, Charlie agreed that it was a good idea. She leant a little closer and kissed Joey's cheek.

"I love you," she said.

Joey lost herself in her eyes for a moment, returning the sentiment. Charlie smiled and leant in to kiss her lips. She put her smoothie down on the ground in order to lean in closer and pay Joey her full attention. Joey leant into Charlie and let herself be swept away with her kiss. Dropping her empty plastic cup on the floor, she awkwardly wrapped her arms around Charlie and ignored the pain in her shoulder as she did so.

"I've missed you so much," Charlie managed between kisses.

"I've missed you too," Joey said.

Charlie kissed her again, allowing their contact to deepen further. Drawing away, she gazed into Joey's eyes.

"Maybe we could... go inside?" she suggested a little nervously.

Joey was just about to agree when she winced and remembered the state her body was in. She hesitated. Charlie's heart sank. Passionate kissing this morning was the most intimate they had been since Joey had returned and she was struggling not to take it personally.

"I'm... I'm a little tired," Joey said.

Charlie nodded, trying not to show her disappointment. She forced a smile.

"Sorry," Joey said weakly.

"It's fine," Charlie said. "I understand."

Inside, she wondered why she was lying. She didn't understand. She'd dreamt of being with Joey again. Before all this mess had attacked their lives, barely a day had gone by without them making love. Like everything about Joey, it was something she had missed terribly. Joey leant forward and kissed her again. Her eyes seemed lost but her lips at least were full of love. Charlie felt comforted by it.

* * *

On Friday, Rachel arrived at Charlie and Joey's house for lunch and to check Joey over. She brought them a bouquet of flowers and a card from herself and Tony, wishing Joey well. After they'd eaten, she got to business.

"Let's take a look at that shoulder then, Joey," she said. "I noticed how much pain you seem to be in."

Joey looked alarmed.

"You need to see it?" she asked.

"Yes," Rachel said. "If you slip your shirt off then I can take a look and we'll know what we're dealing with."

Joey looked horrified. She glanced at Charlie. _She doesn't want to take her clothes off in front of me_, Charlie realised unhappily. She chewed her lip for a moment before standing up.

"I can give you some privacy if you like," she said, her voice breaking a little on the last word.

She hurried from the room and Joey sighed heavily, sinking back against the couch cushions. Rachel looked at her worriedly. Silently, Joey took her shirt off and was met with a distressed look from her Doctor.

"Joey, what happened to you?" she asked, rushing forward.

"I went to prison," Joey said a little more snappily than she'd intended.

Rachel guided her to her feet. There were bruises, cuts and burns all over her torso, arms and back.

"Joey, I really need to get you to the hospital," Rachel said. "You need to be treated properly."

"Please, just do what you can here and let me get on with it," Joey begged, becoming a little tearful.

"Does Charlie know?" Rachel asked.

Joey shook her head.

"That's why I didn't want her to see. I can't let her see me until I've healed."

"Sweetheart, you're not going to heal quickly," Rachel said.

"I will!" Joey insisted.

She folded her thin arms over her body self-consciously.

"I just need a little time."

Rachel moved her arms away.

"How did this even happen?" she asked. "What did they do to you?"

"Beatings," Joey said. "Burnt me with cigarettes. That kind of thing. They got better in my last week though. I made a friend. She protected me."

She smiled fondly but weakly, thinking of Melissa and hoping that she was alright by herself.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that but Joey, you need to be looked at properly," Rachel insisted. "In a hospital."

"Charlie can't know," Joey said urgently.

"Okay, well, let me bring you in for your shoulder then," Rachel said. "We can check you over in private. Although, I do think you need to tell her."

Joey sank onto the couch again and buried her head in her hands.

"I can't," she said. "She'll leave me."

Rachel sat down beside her.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "Charlie's been a wreck since you've been... away. She's not going to leave you now."

"I have self inflicted scars on my arms and legs. And now I'm covered in all these fucking things," Joey said. "How is she ever going to want to look at me again, let alone touch me? She's so beautiful, Rachel. Inside and outside. She could have anyone she wanted. Why would she want to tie herself to me looking like this?"

"Because she loves you," Rachel said certainly. "She worships the ground you walk on, Joey. She always has."

Joey laughed bitterly and wiped her eyes.

"She's not going to love me forever."

"That's exactly what she's going to do," Rachel said.

Joey sighed unhappily. Rachel moved forward and examined her shoulder.

"We need to do a scan at least and see what's going on," she said. "Did they hurt your shoulder too?"

"They hurt everything," Joey said.

She lifted her shirt and silently asked if she could put it on. Rachel nodded.

* * *

Charlie was sitting on the edge of hers and Joey's bed, trying not to feel rejected or offended. She was hurt that Joey had all but asked her to leave for her examination. And she felt confused about where they stood. Joey had been home for over a week and Joey hadn't seemed keen on sex so Charlie had politely kept her distance. But then Joey had instigated and accepted several heavy kissing sessions that had made Charlie feel like a hormonal teenager again. She frowned. The last time she'd been rejected like that was when Joey had been cutting. She hadn't wanted Charlie to see her injuries and her scars. It broke her heart to think that her partner might be hurting herself again but she couldn't think of another reason. She stood up when she heard Joey calling her name. Returning to the lounge, she saw that Joey had her clothes back on.

"Joey's going to make an appointment for next week to get a scan and everything," Rachel told her. "And we can go from there."

Charlie looked unsure. Would Joey actually make it out of the house?

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Is it bad? Why hasn't it healed?"

"It just seems to be taking it's time so we need to take a look and see what's going on."

"Okay," Charlie said.

She looked at Joey who remained quiet in her corner.

"Are you alright with that?" she asked.

Joey nodded and reached for Charlie's hand. Charlie smiled at her and kissed her cheek, trying to reassure herself as much as Joey.

* * *

Once Rachel had gone, Charlie returned from seeing her out and came to sit on the sofa. She took Joey's hands in hers and looked at her very seriously. Joey shifted a little under her gaze, dreading what was coming.

"Joey..." Charlie ventured. "You're not... I mean, are you... you know, cutting again?"

Joey's eyes widened and she pulled away.

"It's okay if you are," Charlie said. "It's... it's understandable. I mean, I don't think I could even imagine what you went through in there but... are you?"

"Why do you ask?" Joey wanted to know.

"Because... because you haven't let me near you since you got home," Charlie said.

"Maybe that's just because I don't want to go near you," Joey snapped.

Leaving Charlie looking and feeling devastated, she stormed up to their room and slammed the door. Charlie remained on the sofa. She buried her head in her hands and tried not to cry as she attempted to figure out what to do now for the best. Swallowing hard, she shakily stood up and ventured up the stairs. She knocked on the bedroom door.

"Go away," came Joey's tearful voice.

"I just... I wanted to say I'm sorry," Charlie said. "I didn't mean to... I'm sorry."

Wave after wave of guilt hit Joey as she heard Charlie apologising for something that wasn't her fault.

"Stop apologising!" she begged.

Both women leant on either side of the door. Charlie rested her forehead against the wood. Tears spilled onto the floor.

"I shouldn't have..." she tried. "I'm sorry. How can I make it better?"

"You can go away," Joey told her tearfully.

Sighing, Charlie nodded and backed off. She told her that she loved her before she escaped the house, pausing only to put her helmet and jacket on. Joey watched from the window as she sped away on her bike.

* * *

Rachel was rushed off her feet at work but she stopped everything she was doing as soon as she saw Charlie head in her direction.

"Please help me," Charlie begged tearfully.

Nodding, Rachel took her by the arm and led her into her office. Shutting the door behind them, Rachel guided Charlie into a seat.

"What's happened?"

"Joey."

Rachel sighed and waited for her to continue.

"She's shutting me out, she's... Rachel, did she say anything to you? Is she cutting again?"

"Charlie, you know I can't break a confidence," Rachel said, although she really wanted to.

"Please?" Charlie said desperately.

Tears rolled down her cheeks.

"I feel like I don't even know who she is anymore."

"She's been through a big trauma, Charlie. You just need to give her time."

"I know!" Charlie snapped. "I know she's been through a huge trauma. I know that. And I hate myself for not being able to protect her. But... please? Is she cutting? Why is she pushing me away like this?"

Rachel sighed, wondering how she could help without breaking the rules. The image of Joey's broken body was etched in her mind and she thought it probably would be forever.

"You need to reassure her," she said.

"Reassure her about what?" Charlie asked. "I don't know how I could be more reassuring."

"Just go home and tell her that you love her no matter what."

"She knows that! Doesn't she?"

Rachel remained silent. Charlie burst into tears.

"How can she not know that?" she asked.

Rachel moved forward and held her. Charlie buried her face in her friend's side and clung on.

"How can she not know?" she sobbed.

* * *

Joey paced the bedroom, feeling frantic. Why had she snapped at Charlie like that? Why had she been so horrible? She felt like she didn't even know who she was anymore. Catching sight of herself in the full length mirror on the wall, she glared at her reflection. Anger coursed through her veins as she hated herself more and more for hurting the one person who had always been there for her.

"You fucking bitch!" she screamed tearfully, punching a fist through the glass.

Again and again, she punched it until her hands were bleeding and the glass was completely shattered.

* * *

Charlie gathered herself together, thanked Rachel and headed back towards her bike. She'd assumed, as a child, that by the time she was in her forties, like she was now – forty-three – that her life would be normal and sorted. She thought she would have outgrown these kinds of traumas. She thought she'd be happy and in love and live a life without problems. She pitied herself for being so wrong as she headed back home. Pulling up outside the house, Charlie killed the engine and glanced at her watch. She pulled out her phone and called Ruby, asking that she would take Christine and James home with her. James hardly needed to be baby-sat but Charlie didn't want him coming home until something with Joey was fixed. Heading into the house, she thanked Ruby and hung up. She dumped her helmet, shrugged her jacket off and tentatively ventured through the house. There was no sign of Joey. Taking a deep breath, she headed up the stairs in the direction of their bedroom but she stopped short when she caught sight of her partner sitting on the floor of the bathroom. She was bleeding and had a bottle of pills in her hand. Rushing forward, Charlie skidded onto her knees. Joey's head rested against the bath. She was sobbing silently and shaking.

"Joey..." Charlie whispered.

"I couldn't get the bottle open," Joey said weakly.

Charlie looked down at her hands. They were bloody and looked sore.

"What did you do?" she asked.

Joey swallowed but continued to stare at the wall instead of her wife.

"I had a fight with my reflection," she admitted.

Charlie searched her face but Joey's eyes appeared to be unseeing.

"And now you want to overdose or something?" she asked.

Joey merely nodded. Charlie stared at her in disbelief.

"You selfish bitch," Charlie said.

Joey turned to look at her as Charlie back away to sit in another corner of the small room.

"You're better off without me," Joey said.

"Yeah, because living without you for the last month really worked out well!" Charlie snapped. "I didn't lose the plot at all. Nobody was completely broken and lost without you. Christine... _our daughter_... she didn't sleep in our bed every night because she was missing you so much and was too scared to go to sleep!"

Joey stared at her in surprise, although the emotion barely registered on her face.

"You think killing yourself is the answer?" Charlie asked. "You think that I wouldn't want to die too? You think that I could live without you? You don't think that you doing this wouldn't destroy the lives of everyone close to you?"

Joey closed her eyes.

"I don't know what else to do," she said.

Charlie moved from her corner and sat on her knees by Joey's side.

"You talk to me," she said. "You let me in. You tell me what's going on. We'll find a way through all of this. Together."

Joey opened up and gazed into Charlie's eyes, wondering how on earth they had got here. One day she'd been shopping for a family meal and the next she felt like her whole life was over.

"I can't work," she said. "I'm completely unable to be a decent mother to my kids. I can't leave the damn house, Charlie! And I can't even touch you."

She closed her eyes again as tears spilled down her cheeks. Charlie reached out and tentatively held her hand, careful not to hurt her. She decided to tackle each issue one at a time.

"We'll get your shoulder fixed," she said. "You'll be able to work again, at least to a degree. And if not... we'll work through it. You still own the business. You'll never lose that, no matter how injured you are. Aden copes with his hand and everything. You'll cope too. And as for being a decent mother... just having you in the house makes them happy. And you'll get out of the house again. It'll just take time. You've been through so much. Of course it's not going to be easy to fit back into your life immediately. But you'll get there."

She took a breath.

"And as for you and me... Joey, I'm sorry if I pressured you. I didn't mean to. I just... missed you. But I swear, if it means never getting to make love to you again... if I can at least wake up with you in the morning, hold you through the night... if I can live my life with you... that's fine with me. I just... I just want to be with you."

She gently lifted Joey's hand and kissed a part of it that wasn't bleeding.

"But if all this... if your life isn't enough for you..."

She dropped Joey's hand and opened the pill bottle.

"Do it," she said.

Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she even considered Joey ending her life.

"Give up," she said. "Destroy all of our lives forever."

Joey stared at the bottle and then back up at Charlie. All she wanted to do was fall into Charlie's arms but the image of her body stopped her.

"You don't understand," she said. "You think you love me but..."

"Don't tell me what I think," Charlie interrupted. "Don't tell me I don't love you."

"I want to be with you," Joey wept. "I don't want to leave you. But when you find out..."

She trailed off.

"Find out what?" Charlie asked.

Joey stood up suddenly. She shrugged herself out of her trousers and pulled her shirt off. Charlie stared up at her. A lump formed in her throat as she saw cuts, bruises and burns all over her. Joey sank back down onto the floor. Charlie put her hand over her mouth and struggled over something to say.

"I told you," Joey said, closing her eyes. "I told you. How could you ever love me now?"

"I do love you," Charlie said quickly. "I just..."

"Think I'm hideous."

"No," Charlie said, shaking her head emphatically.

"You're disgusted," Joey said. "That's why I never wanted to show you. I didn't want to see that look on your face."

"I'm not disgusted," Charlie said, her voice catching on the last word.

She stared at Joey's broken form in front of her and then looked into her eyes.

"I'm not," she said tearfully. "I'm heartbroken."

Joey met her gaze, searching for some sign of rejection but she didn't find anything. Charlie gently pulled her into her arms. There on the bathroom floor, she held her while they both cried.

"My Joey," Charlie whispered softly. "My poor Joey. My beautiful, beautiful Joey."


	96. Chapter 96

_Sorry for the delay! I hope you like it. Love, IJKS xx_

**Chapter Ninety-Six**

**December 2026**

Joey remained in Charlie's arms for well over an hour. Sitting on the bathroom floor, Joey clung to Charlie for all she was worth. She closed her eyes and accepted the gentle kisses that Charlie placed on the top of her head. Neither had spoken for quite some time. Charlie's mind was racing a mile a minute about what had happened to cause those kinds of injuries to her beloved wife. But she didn't think now was the time to ask. They had plenty of time for that. Right now, she knew she just needed to be with the person she loved, the person who needed her.

"What's the time?" Joey asked almost sleepily.

Charlie glanced at her watch.

"Three o'clock."

Joey jerked away from her and winced.

"What about Chris?" she worried.

"I called Ruby before I came in," Charlie assured her. "She's collecting both of them and taking them to her place."

"James isn't going to be too impressed at being baby-sat," Joey pointed out.

"He'll behave," Charlie said certainly.

James had been full of apologies and good behaviour ever since Charlie had found out about Leanne being pregnant. She hadn't yet told Joey about it and she'd told James to keep quiet until she was sure that Joey could cope.

"I'd better get dressed," Joey said.

She drew away reluctantly from Charlie who picked up her trousers and held them out for Joey to step into. She gathered up her shirt and gently guided Joey's arms into the sleeves. She smiled lovingly at her as she did the buttons up and then crouched on the floor to put the pill pot away.

"Let's get these cuts fixed at least," Charlie said.

She encouraged Joey to sit on the closed lid of the toilet while she pulled out the first aid kit and gently began to fix her fingers.

"And then we need to get you looked at properly," Charlie said.

Joey shook her head. She didn't want to go to the hospital.

"We'll call ahead," Charlie said. "Rachel will see us."

Joey sighed and admitted that Rachel had been pretty worried when she'd seen the state of her.

"Exactly," Charlie said. "If the Doctor's worried, we should be too. Please? Let me take you?"

Joey sighed and nodded. She reluctantly agreed.

* * *

"Why can't we go home?" James asked.

He was sick of being farmed about like a child. He'd thought everything would get fixed when Joey came home but nothing had. She was a mess. It was obvious to everyone but Charlie who was muddling along and trying to pretend that things were normal. Christine didn't know whether she was coming or going either.

"Because Charlie and Joey need some personal time," Ruby said. "Now what do you want for dinner?"

"Can't they wait to have sex when they're in bed and we're asleep?" James asked.

Ruby squeaked. As much as she was a grown up and married and considering children and as much as she loved Charlie and Joey as individuals and as a couple, she did not need to think about them in bed together.

"That's not what they're doing!" she said.

"Yes, they are," James said. "They were always at it like rabbits before."

"Rabbits?" Christine asked. "What about rabbits?"

"Nothing, sweetheart," Ruby said, shooting a glared at James who just shrugged.

* * *

Rachel welcomed her visitors inside her office when they knocked. Charlie and Joey looked about as fragile as each other. They sat beside each other holding hands. Rachel couldn't help but notice the bandages on Joey's knuckles.

"What happened?" the Doctor asked.

"I had a fight with a mirror," Joey said. "Charlie patched me up."

She swallowed and looked to her partner for reassurance. Charlie smiled.

"I told her about... I showed her. And she said we needed to get looked at."

"Well, she was right," Rachel said. "If you could go behind the curtain and take your shirt and jeans off and sit on the bed, I can check you over properly, okay?"

Joey nodded and stood. She made to move but then found she couldn't let go of Charlie's hand.

"You can scrap the curtain if you want," Rachel said, noticing. "Just undress and sit on the bed."

Joey dragged Charlie with her.

* * *

Two hours later, Charlie and Joey thanked Rachel for her help. She'd patched up the open wounds on her body with special plasters for weeping wounds. Apparently Joey would know when to take them off because the plaster would curl at the corners and, providing the injuries were ready, the skin would be clear and healed when she did. They also helped to reduce scarring, something that Joey was particularly keen on. She'd examined her shoulder and said that it looked like torn muscles. She'd recommended physiotherapy and told Joey that the rest of her body would look much better when the bruises had faded. Joey was grateful for the reassurance and for the fact that Charlie had stayed with her throughout.

"Shall we collect James and Christine on the way back?" Joey asked, getting into the car.

"Yeah," Charlie said. "Um... there's actually something you should know."

"What?" Joey asked, immediately worried.

"We're uh... going to be grandparents."

"What?" Joey squeaked.

She stared at her.

"What?"

"James and Leanne..."

She made a gesture that could only indicate one thing.

"What?" Joey asked again. "When?"

"When... well, when you got..."

"Arrested? Or sent to prison?" Joey asked sadly.

"The first one," Charlie said.

Neither of them were really able to talk about the whole thing yet, although they knew there was a lot to say.

"Oh."

Charlie started the engine and apologised for not telling her.

"I wouldn't have been able to handle it," Joey confirmed.

She reached out and stroked Charlie's leg. The police woman smiled affectionately at her.

"I love you, Charlie," Joey said sincerely.

"I love you too," Charlie replied. "More than I ever thought it was possible to love someone."

**

* * *

**

January 2027

Weeks had gone by and Joey was starting to heal emotionally and physically. She'd started regular physiotherapy sessions and she'd started seeing a new counsellor. With Charlie's help, she had started leaving the house a little more and it got easier every day. She'd finally let her defences down and started spending time with her friends again, specifically Aden and Sarah. She and Charlie had also gone round to see Martha and Jack with James and Leanne to make up for the hefty slap Charlie had given Martha and try to work a way through what to do about the baby. Leanne was adamant that she was keeping it and she hoped she and James would be able to raise the child together as a family. He was determined to stick by her completely, which made Charlie and Joey proud.

"Hello, stranger," Sarah greeted cheerfully on Friday lunch time when Joey approached the trawler.

"Hey," Joey said with a shy wave. "How's my crew doing?"

It was the first time she had gone anywhere near the trawler since she'd been back but she knew she had to face it sometime. David, Aden, Liam and Romeo came over to say hello.

"I thought I'd shout you all to lunch," Joey said.

"Count me in!" David said.

The group headed over to Crumble together.

* * *

"So, how's life?" Watson asked, plonking herself in front of Charlie's desk without permission.

"Sit down, won't you?" Charlie grinned sarcastically.

"Thanks!" Watson replied.

She leant back in her chair and put her feet on the desk. Charlie cleared her throat and Watson promptly removed her feet.

"So," she said again. "How's life?"

"Pretty good," Charlie said.

"Is Joey okay?" Watson asked more seriously.

Charlie nodded. They still had a fair way to go but physically she was healing and with each improvement, her mood got better. She still stayed at home most of the time but Charlie had coerced her out a few times too. She had taken on most of the household duties and she seemed much more comfortable in her skin.

"She's getting there," she said. "It's taking time but I feel like I'm starting to get my Joey back."

"I wonder what you're birthday present's going to be!" Watson smirked naughtily.

Charlie's cheeks flushed. She was turning forty-four on Sunday but neither she nor Joey had talked about celebrating. Everything felt so fragile now and Charlie didn't want to put any pressure on her.

"I don't think we're doing anything," Charlie said. "I'm happy to let it pass."

"But..." Watson protested.

"I guess Joey and I will spend the day together but..."

She shrugged.

"I'm just happy she's home."

* * *

As the rest of the crew headed back towards the trawler after a hearty lunch, Joey tugged a little nervously on Sarah's arm.

"Would you come into town with me later?" she asked.

"Sure," Sarah replied. "What for?"

"I need to do some... shopping. And I... I need a girl's opinion."

She blushed. Sarah eyed her curiously.

"And you wouldn't be turning to Charlie because..."

"Because it's kind of for, Charlie. You know, for her birthday. I wanted to..."

"Buy her a gift?"

"Find something nice to... you know, wear."

Sarah looked puzzled for a moment and then grinned as everything clicked into place.

"You want naughty underwear!" she said a little too loudly.

"Sshh!" Joey hissed at her.

Sarah apologised but wouldn't stop smirking.

"Will you help me or not?" Joey asked.

"Of course I'll help you," Sarah said. "Give me a chance to get home and showered and we can shop, shop, shop! I might pick something up for Watson's benefit too!"

Joey chuckled. She still found it strange that Watson's wife referred to her with her surname. But then, she couldn't really imagine her as a Georgie. Nobody could.

* * *

With James collecting Christine and walking her home and Joey having texted to say she was going into town with Sarah, Charlie decided to do some overtime.

"Hey, Boss," Watson said cheerfully, poking her head around the door.

"Twice in one day?" Charlie teased. "I am a lucky girl!"

"I reckon you're about to get luckier!" Watson said, pulling her bag onto her back.

"What?" Charlie asked in sheer confusion.

"Nothing," Watson said, still doing a Cheshire cat impression. "Enjoy your birthday!"

* * *

The weekend had been lovely so far. Charlie, Joey, James, Christine, the twins, Ruby, Xavier, Romeo, Nicole and Cathy had all driven out for a nice picnic on the beach on the Saturday. It was the first time that Joey had done the family thing since her release and it hadn't been as traumatic as she'd feared, although she did keep close to Charlie for most of the day. With Sunday, had come Charlie's birthday and she'd been pleased to be served breakfast in bed. Christine and James had bounded in with presents and cards. The day had been nice and warm and Charlie had very much enjoyed spending time with her family. She'd been surprised when the kids had packed off for the night.

"Where are they going?" Charlie asked curiously once they'd waved goodbye.

Joey smiled at her.

"They're going to spend the night at Ruby's," Joey said.

She moved closer and wrapped her arms around Charlie's waist. She kissed her lips and gazed into her eyes.

"So we get to spend the night together."

Charlie looked a little startled as she realised what Joey meant. She tried not to get too excited, not wanting to get her hopes up or put pressure on her wife.

"I ran you a nice, hot bubble bath," Joey said, brushing her lips close to Charlie's ear. "And while you enjoy it, I'm going to cook us dinner."

"Okay," Charlie almost squeaked.

Joey kissed her again and Charlie headed upstairs to the bathroom.

* * *

"That was delicious," Charlie said.

She smiled lovingly at her partner and held her hand across the candlelit table.

"I'm glad you liked it," Joey said.

She stood and took their wine glasses in the lounge and to the couch. Charlie followed eagerly. They sat close together and Joey put their glasses down.

"Happy birthday, Charlie," she whispered softly.

Charlie felt her heart doing flips as Joey kissed her. She kissed her back, tentatively touching Joey's lips with her tongue. Joey smiled and parted her lips, allowing Charlie to deepen the kiss as they wrapped their arms around each other. They continued kissing for a long time. Charlie kept her arms firmly wrapped around Joey, not wanting to overstep the boundaries. She smiled when Joey began to fumble with the top button of her shirt.

"Is this okay?" Joey asked nervously.

"This is very okay," Charlie said eagerly.

They kissed again before Joey stood up. Charlie watched her as she fetched the bottle of wine from the kitchen.

"Bring the glasses?" Joey requested as she headed upstairs.

Charlie picked them both up and followed. In the bedroom, Charlie and Joey had barely put the wine down before they were in each other's arms again, kissing their way over to the bed. Charlie's shirt fell open and she crushed her lips against Joey's neck as she took the garment off. Joey moved them round so that Charlie was seated on the edge of the bed. She took a moment to admire Charlie's toned, tanned form. She reached forward and carefully undid Charlie's belt. The police officer stood and helped herself out of them and accepted when Joey reached round to unhook her bra. Joey smiled as she gazed at her.

"You're even more beautiful that I remember," she said. "And that's saying something."

Charlie blushed and looked down, suddenly very aware that she was in a thong and Joey was fully dressed. She moved forward and held her, kissing her deeply. She touched the hem of her t-shirt and looked into her eyes.

"Is this okay?" she asked.

Joey nodded and with a little pain from her shoulder, she lifted her arms up so that her top could be removed. Charlie's eyes widened with delight as she revealed that beneath her clothes, Joey was in a pink basque with lacy edges. She'd noticed that Joey looked more voluptuous than usual and she grinned as she now realised why.

"I went shopping," Joey said timidly. "Do you like it?"

Charlie leant in and kissed her even more passionately than usual.

"What do you think?" she asked.

She looked down at Joey's trousers, eager to see the rest of the outfit. Also smiling, Joey undid her button and zip. Charlie sat back on the bed as she saw Joey standing in front of her in the basque, a matching thong and black suspenders that were attached to the basque in lace. She stood a little shyly in front of Charlie who reached out to hold her by the waist, gently guiding her on top. Charlie fell backwards onto the mattress as they kissed. Joey pressed their bodies together and Charlie wrapped her arms around her.

"I've missed you," Charlie said, almost tearfully.

"I've missed you too," Joey replied.

She straddled Charlie's waist, ignoring any pain in her shoulder as she admired Charlie's body and kissed her way down her neck and onto her collarbone. Charlie moaned as Joey's lips found her left nipple and her fingers found her right one. She arched her back, offering all of herself to Joey. It almost felt unreal to be with her in this way again. She hadn't known when Joey would ever be ready to overcome her insecurities. Joey ran her hand from Charlie's breast and along her torso until she reached the top of her last remaining item of clothing. She came back to kiss Charlie's mouth again. Her hand slipped between Charlie's legs, stroking her over her underwear and running her nails gently along her thighs. Charlie moaned, arching her back again. Joey moved off her and stood at the edge of the bed. She leant forward and pulled Charlie's underwear down, tossing it on the floor and coming to lie upon her again with her leg nestled gently between Charlie's. She smiled at the heat exuding from her wife and kissed her teasingly as she felt a firmly aroused Charlie, press herself against her thigh.

"You're enough to drive a girl over the edge," Charlie said as Joey's gently sucked on her neck.

"Let's hope so," Joey said, keeping her voice low and husky.

She felt very nervous and she hoped she wasn't showing that to Charlie. Part of her worried that she wouldn't even know what to do. _It hasn't been that long_, she reminded herself, although a lot had happened in the time they had been apart. She kissed Charlie again and moved her lips to the breast that had previously only had the attention of her fingertips. Charlie felt herself being driven wild at her touch. Even the way Joey's hair tickled her body was turning her on. Joey teased her chest with her hands before slipping down further. She nudged Charlie's legs apart with her thigh and found she was only too willing to comply. Joey tentatively stroked between her legs, feeling how excited she was, turning them both on even more. She smiled as Charlie lifted her hips to resume the contact. Joey returned her finger, exploring her folds and remembering just how good it felt to be with her, to make her happy. Her thumb found her most sensitive part. Charlie gasped and scrunched up the blankets in both her hands. She cried out as Joey slipped one and then two fingers inside her. Moving her arms above her head, Charlie closed her eyes and enjoyed the amazing sensations Joey was offering her. Joey studied her face, admiring just how beautiful she was and counting herself lucky to be with her. She lowered her mouth again, capturing the peak of Charlie's breast between her lips as she continued to penetrate her, working hard until she brought her to a shuddering, loud climax. Charlie's body relaxed as she tried to catch her breath. She reached up and pulled Joey closer, kissing her with all the love she had to give. Lying sideways on the bed, they held each other, kissing and exploring each other's skin. Once she had recovered sufficiently, Charlie gazed into Joey's eyes. She stroked her hair and breathed in her scent for a moment.

"Can I unwrap my present now?" she asked with a devilish smile.

Joey giggled. She shifted to her feet and pulled Charlie up with her, taking a moment to kiss her once more.

"It's your birthday," she said. "You can do whatever you want with me."

Charlie smiled and leaned in. She brushed her hair off her shoulder and kissed her pulse point. She pushed the straps of the basque down and slowly turned Joey around so she could undo the cords at the back. Joey held her breath as the item came loose. Charlie turned back round and kissed her again before she sank onto her knees. She unhooked the strap connecting the basque to the suspenders and took the moment to kiss her between her legs and over the material of the thong. Joey couldn't help but giggle and very much appreciated the contact. She closed her eyes a little nervously as Charlie helped her out of the basque.

"Is this not okay?" Charlie asked worriedly, noticing her expression.

"It's fine," Joey assured her. "I'm just... nervous."

Charlie carefully lay the material on the end of the bed and took a moment to admire Joey's body. The bruises were gone, although there were some scars there.

"You look perfect to me," Charlie said earnestly.

She turned them around so that Joey's back was to the bed. She guided her back onto it and couldn't help but look at her. She lowered herself to her knees again and reached out to remove Joey's thong. Purposely leaving her in the suspenders, Charlie moved so that her body was pressed between her legs while her mouth paid attention to Joey's breasts. Joey closed her eyes, giving into every wonderful sensation that Charlie provided. Joey moaned loudly as Charlie tormented her with her tongue.

"I want you so badly, Charlie," Joey gasped.

Charlie kissed her mouth and then sank between her legs, letting her tongue provide all the pleasure that Joey deserved. Joey writhed beneath her as Charlie played with her most intimate part, licking and teasing. She cried out as she felt wave after wave of orgasm hit her. Charlie's attention was relentless. Joey climaxed again and again before she finally flopped back onto the mattress in sheer exhaustion. Charlie kissed her one more time before coming to snuggle into Joey's arms.

"I've had some amazing birthdays, Joey," she said dreamily. "But I think that was definitely up there with the greats."

Joey smiled.

"I kind of enjoyed myself too!" she said.

Charlie's head shot up.

"Kind of?" she squeaked. "That was my best work!"

Joey giggled and kissed her before flopping back on the bed.

"Yes, it was!" she confirmed breathlessly.


	97. Chapter 97

**Chapter Ninety-Seven**

**February 2027**

Joey woke up with the delightful feeling of Charlie teasing her beneath the blankets. She smiled and moaned a little before turning her head and capturing Charlie's lips with her own. They kissed tenderly.

"Do you usually do stuff to me in my sleep?" Joey teased.

Charlie kissed her again.

"Yeah," she laughed. "It's my secret fetish!"

Joey laughed and rolled onto her side. She wrapped her arms around her and kissed her possessively. Charlie kept her hands on Joey's chest.

"What time have you got to get to work?" Joey asked.

She lifted Charlie's hair and began to nuzzle her neck.

"Oh, not for ages yet!" Charlie lied.

Joey raised her eyebrows.

"I've got fifty minutes," Charlie admitted.

"Well, I'd better help you in the shower then!" Joey decided

She leapt out of bed and pulled Charlie up with her good arm. She was still having regular physiotherapy and it seemed to be helping but she'd been told not to overdo it. Giggling like teenagers, Joey and Charlie wrapped themselves in the dressing gowns and hurried to the bathroom, hoping they wouldn't get caught by either of the kids.

* * *

Charlie had at least temporarily given up her bike for every day use. Joey wasn't quite able to drive yet with her bad shoulder so Charlie had taken the car back to go to work in. This morning, she dropped James off at the high school, Christine off at the Primary school and Joey at the hospital for her physiotherapy session. Then she headed to work, promising to duck out in an hour to come and pick Joey up and take her home. While it was much easier for Joey emotionally to get out and about these days, it still wasn't as easy as it had once been and Charlie liked to help wherever she could. Arriving at work, she was greeted by Jack who looked a little stressed.

"Hey, Gramps," Charlie said. "Bad day?"

"Leanne's having morning sickness," Jack replied unhappily.

Charlie sighed. She hadn't really spoken to them all that much about Leanne's pregnancy. She'd been too caught up with Joey and trying to readjust her to normal life.

"Listen, maybe we should all get together and talk," Charlie ventured. "You and Martha, me and Joey, the kids..."

Jack nodded.

"I think that would be a good idea. Martha's still tearing her hair out about this whole thing."

"And I doubt she's forgiven me for slapping her either," Charlie said.

She partly felt guilty for it. But she partly felt justified. It had hardly been the best moment to start laying into someone.

"Well, she could have chosen a better moment to talk to you," Jack said, as if reading her mind.

Charlie smiled, glad that Jack understood.

"Come round for dinner tonight?" Charlie offered, hoping that would be okay with Joey.

He smiled.

"That sounds great."

* * *

An hour later, Charlie left the station and was patiently waiting for Joey to leave the hospital. When she climbed into the car, they kissed.

"How did it go?" Charlie asked, pulling out of the car park.

"Yeah, it was okay," Joey said. "I asked about going back on the trawler for a day a week and she said I could try it. So I think I'll go in tomorrow and see what happens."

Charlie smiled and held her hand.

"Hey, uh... would it be okay if Jack, Martha and Leanne came round for dinner tonight?" she asked. "I think we all need to talk about the baby."

"Sure," Joey said.

Suddenly she froze. Images of being abducted from the car park flashed through her mind.

"I uh... I won't be able to carry shopping bags or anything," she said awkwardly.

"I know," Charlie said, concentrating on the road. "And I also know that's not the reason you don't want to shop."

Joey sighed and looked a little guilty, wondering why she was surprised at how well Charlie knew her.

"I'll get something on my way home from work, okay?" Charlie said.

She pulled into the drive and the two women turned to face each other.

"Okay," Joey said. "Thank you."

She leant over and kissed Charlie goodbye, thinking that she fell more deeply in love with her every day.

* * *

James, Leanne and Harry headed out of school together at lunch time. VJ had left school the year before and was now working as a lifeguard on the beach but they all still hung out together as a foursome. As they walked along, Leanne stumbled. James hurried to make sure she was okay. Harry spied them with curiosity.

"Why are you being so protective?" he asked.

"She's my girlfriend," James said. "Of course I'm protective."

"No way," Harry accused. "You're acting way more crazy than normal."

* * *

Daria appeared in Charlie's office, tentatively knocking on the door.

"Hey, Dar," Charlie greeted warmly.

Daria smiled and came to sit in the chair on the other side of Charlie's desk.

"I was just wondering how Joey's doing," the younger girl said.

"She seems to be doing lots better," Charlie said.

"Good," Daria said quietly.

The last few months had been scary to say the least. They'd left Daria and David both unnerved. Charlie and Joey had been their foundation for the last twelve years and to see them so broken had been a shock. Daria felt a little guilty that David had been the one to give up his life and move in to take care of his family.

"I'm glad things are getting back to normal again."

"Me too," Charlie said. "And I know I've said it before but I'm so grateful for everything you and David did to support us. We both are."

"You're our parents," Daria said. "I hear you're meant to do anything for your family so..."

She grinned. Charlie smiled back.

"Well, I'd better get back to work," Charlie's daughter said, standing up. "I just wanted to check in."

Charlie smiled and watched her go.

* * *

Joey was pottering around the house when there was a knock at the door. Moving into the kitchen, she opened up. Her mouth fell open as she saw Zoe standing there.

"What...?"

Zoe forcefully pushed her way through the door. Her blonde hair was now cut very short and her eyes pierced Joey's. At forty-one, both women stood facing each other. Zoe glared while Joey trembled.

"You killed my brother," Zoe accused.

Joey ran her hands through her own shoulder length dark hair. She chewed her lip and struggled to look at Zoe.

"The judge..." she began.

"I don't care what the judge thinks," Zoe said. "You murdered my brother."

"I didn't!" Joey insisted. "It wasn't like that. He..."

"I testified in court against him. For you. I did that for you, Joey. And then he gets one day of freedom and he dies. He died hating me. Because of you."

The ex lovers stood and stared at each other. Bitterness continued to fuel between them.

"He abducted me," Joey said, taking a deep breath to pull herself together. "He stabbed me. I went to prison. I'm still having physio..."

"And he's got nothing!" Zoe said desperately. "He's got nothing because he's dead!"

"He tried to kill me!" Joey argued. "I didn't mean to kill him. It was an accident. I was just..."

"What?"

"I was just trying to get him away from me."

Zoe lurched forward and grabbed Joey by the throat. She struggled against her but the other woman's grip was strong. Joey stopped fighting and looked at her directly.

"You've got butch," she said, struggling to breathe. "I presume you're not hiding in the closet anymore."

Zoe let go of her quickly. So much had happened between them. They'd been in love once upon a time. They'd lost their virginities to each other. But Zoe had cheated and Joey's heart had always been with Charlie.

"You think you had problems trying to get Robbo away from you," Zoe said. "You haven't seen anything yet."

Joey watched her turn and leave.

* * *

That evening, Jack and Martha brought Leanne round to Charlie and Joey's house. Charlie had left work early and gone shopping. Joey had been subdued when she'd got back so she let her rest while Charlie cooked dinner. Now, the six of them were sitting round the table, trying to figure out a way forward.

"Well, I'm sure we can all take it in turns to look after the baby when James and Leanne are in school," Joey said. "I certainly won't be going back to the trawler full time for a while. And you three all do shift work anyway so... I think as a team, we could make this work."

Jack nodded.

"So, you're not just going to abandon my daughter?" Martha asked, directing her question at James who blanched.

"Of course not!" he said. "Actually, we've been talking and we've decided we want to leave school."

"What?" Martha and Jack exploded.

"What are you talking about?" Charlie asked.

"I'm leaving school," James said. "I'm going to get a job and then that way, I can support my family."

"And I don't want to go back to school either," Leanne said. "I don't want my baby to be with babysitters all the time, not even if they're family. I want to be with him or her. James and I want to save up and get a flat somewhere."

"No way," Martha said firmly. "You're sixteen, Leanne. You are not moving out."

"And if I was a normal sixteen year-old, I wouldn't. But I'm not now, am I? I'm going to be a Mum."

"And I'm going to be a Dad," James added. "We want to do this right. As a family. We want to get married."

"This is insane," Martha said. "You're just kids."

Charlie and Joey remained silent. Charlie couldn't help but think that Martha was the last person to give lectures. Leanne didn't know it but Jack wasn't even her father. A long time ago, Roman had given up trying to be part of his daughter's life and now the whole town lived with a conspiracy that Jack was Leanne's father and she must never know the truth.

"We want to be together," James said.

"Sweetheart," Joey said gently. "I don't think moving out of here is a good idea. I mean, neither of you know how to look after yourselves, let alone a baby. You're going to need support."

"We'll be moving into a different apartment," James said. "Not to a different continent. You guys will still be there helping us."

"You're staying in school," Jack told his daughter.

She looked set to protest but was sufficiently warned off by her parents' expressions.

"And I'm leaving school," James told Charlie and Joey. "Don't try to stop me."

* * *

"Are you okay, sweetheart?" Charlie asked as she and Joey got ready for bed.

Once Jack, Martha and Leanne had gone home, Charlie and Joey had talked at length with James. Neither thought that leaving school was a good idea but they did respect his desire to take care of his family.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Joey said without any enthusiasm.

She hadn't told Charlie about Zoe's visit and she wasn't sure she could even find the words to begin. Slipping into her side of the bed, she rested against the pillows. A small smile played across her lips as Charlie finished undressing. The police woman caught sight of herself in the mirror for a moment and frowned.

"These used to be up here," she sighed, grabbing hold of her breasts and lifting them.

Joey chuckled. Charlie turned back to her in mock horror.

"When did gravity start taking over?" she asked.

"They look pretty amazing to me," Joey assured her.

Charlie giggled and threw a t-shirt over her head. Joey pouted and complained that she had been enjoying the view. Charlie snuggled up closer to her and kissed her lips.

"So," she said. "Seriously. What's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong," Joey promised. "I'm at home, free and in bed with the most beautiful woman in the world. Life is perfect."

Not entirely convinced but happy to be won over and complimented, Charlie accepted that Joey didn't want to talk about whatever was bothering her. Deciding to keep a close eye on her partner until she'd figured out what the problem was, she leant in and kissed her again.

"You know," she said. "Suddenly I'm not very tired."

* * *

The following morning, Joey was up and showered very early. It was her first test-run day back on the trawler and she was a mixed bag of nerves and excitement. She opted not to drive for her first day and Charlie dropped her, James and Christine off before she headed to the station.

"Good luck," Charlie said, kissing her goodbye.

"Thanks!"

"Meet you for lunch?"

"Just like the old days!" Joey beamed.

She kissed her one more time and said goodbye to the kids before heading on down to the boat.

* * *

Zoe Cruze thanked the estate agent as she handed the keys over. She never thought she'd see the day when she would move back to this town but it had come. She was determined to be an awful reminder to Joey Collins of what she had done and how many people she'd hurt. It was easy to blame Joey for everything and she'd quickly convinced herself that on that day in the Jukebox when they had first noticed each other, it had been the beginning of a horrible story.

* * *

By lunch time, Joey was in agony and feeling sorry for herself. She waved the others all on to lunch and remained on the trawler floor, staring at a pile of nets. Aden came to sit beside her.

"It's hard," he said.

She nodded. If anyone understood, it was Aden. It had been a long road for him to be able to get back into work again after being shot in the hand. He still struggled with pain now and again but generally, he was happy with how he had healed. He wasn't, however, convinced that Joey was doing so well.

"I don't think I'm cut out for manual labour anymore, Ade," Joey said sadly.

"I think you might be right," he replied. "At least not for a while."

"The physio said yesterday that this is as good as it's going to get," she explained. "If I can't work now then I'm unlikely to be able to work in months or years. It's just an injury that I'm going to have to live with."

He put his arm gently around her and kissed the top of her head.

"At least you'll still have the business," he said. "You can run it from land."

"Yeah," Joey sighed. "I guess. It's just..."

"You love being out here," Aden said.

Joey nodded.

"Why don't you call it a day?" Aden said. "I hear there's a beautiful Detective wanting a lunch date with you."

Joey grinned as she pictured Charlie. She allowed Aden to pull her to her feet.

"She's is pretty beautiful, isn't she?" she said as they walked along together.

* * *

Charlie and Joey got a table all of their own in the corner of Crumble. They sat side by side instead of opposite each other in order for Charlie to comfort Joey properly. They held hands as they finished their coffees.

"Do you want to give it another try?" Charlie asked.

Joey shook her head sadly.

"I think I need to learn when I'm beat. I can't run the boat anymore. My shoulder's not going to get any better but it's perfectly possible for it to get worse."

Charlie hugged her and kissed the top of her head.

"Let me drop you back at home before I go back to work," Charlie said.

Joey nodded and they stood up, stopping at Joey's employees' table to say goodbye.


	98. Chapter 98

Chapter Ninety-Eight

**March 2027**

"The rescue home doesn't have space," Daria said, flopping into a chair in Charlie's office. "What are we going to do with him?"

Charlie looked down at the little schnauzer puppy sitting on the floor of her office. She was grey with expressive eyes and a stumpy tail that constantly seemed to wag. Reaching down, Charlie petted her and received a soft lick on the hand.

"They must have room," Charlie said. "They're a rescue centre for goodness sake."

Daria just shrugged. Charlie continued to absent-mindedly pet the dog. Suddenly she leapt into her lap, barked happily and rubbed noses with the Detective. Charlie laughed and stroked her ears.

"How could anyone treat her so badly?" she wondered sadly. "She's so cute."

The dog barked again.

"Maybe you should take her home," Daria suggested.

Charlie began to say no and then took a few moments to think about it. The dog was homeless and Joey was still feeling a little down in the dumps after having to step down from the trawler. Maybe a dog would cheer her up. And maybe a dog in the house, even a fussy little pup like this one would make her feel a little safer. Even though Robbo was gone, she knew Joey still dreamt about him. And she knew she had bad dreams about things that had happened to her in prison, things that she had only vaguely told Charlie about. And now Zoe had moved back to town, Charlie knew her wife felt uncomfortable about it. She stroked the dog again and received an affectionate lick.

"Maybe Joey would like her," she mused aloud.

Daria smiled.

"I think she would," she said.

* * *

Joey drove over to the primary school in order to collect Christine. She was glad to be driving again. Physiotherapy had finished and Joey's shoulder was marginally improved but she accepted that it would never fully heal and she would always struggle. She'd said goodbye to the trawler and continued to own and run it from the shore. With James intent on leaving school, Charlie and Joey had agreed to stop nagging him to change his mind and accept his decision. Joey had promoted David to manager of the other trawler in her place and hired James to be part of the team. She'd had to sit Sarah down and explain that it wasn't that she didn't think she was capable. She had been her second in command for a long time now. It was just that she was planning on leaving the business to David in her will and she wanted him to have the right experience before that time came. Sarah had been agreeable, at least once Joey and Charlie had taken her and Watson out for a very alcoholic dinner. So now, Aden led Romeo and Liam on one boat while David led Sarah and James on the other. So far, it was working out. Charlie and Joey had had a faint hope that James might dislike all the hard work and go back to school but he had always been a grafter and he didn't seem to be having any problems.

"Hi, Joey!" Christine chirped when she bounded into the car.

The eight year old was a quiet soul. She'd been through a lot in her few years, usually being passed from pillar to post. But Charlie and Joey were keen on keeping her, as they had been with James, David and Daria.

"Hey, darling girl," Joey replied. "How was your day?"

She waited for Christine to put her seatbelt on before she started the car.

"It was pretty good," Christine said. "I have a project that I need help with though."

"Oh yeah? What's that?"

"We have to stand up and tell the class about our family."

She frowned for a moment.

"I do get to talk about you and Charlie, don't I? I don't have to talk about my other parents? I don't think I want to do that."

"We're your family, Chris," Joey told her. "I'm sure you're allowed to talk about us."

Christine beamed at her.

"Can we have pizza for dinner?" she asked, gazing out of the window.

* * *

Xavier arrived home to find Ruby all dressed up. He smiled and hugged his wife, asking what the occasion was.

"I'm ovulating," Ruby grinned.

For the last few weeks, they had been talking about trying for a baby. In their very early thirties now, the couple had decided that the thing that would make their family complete would be if they had a son or a daughter. Charlie and Joey had a whole brood of them, Romeo and Nicole were happily raising Cathy and Annie and Jai, who had moved to Japan the previous year, had written to tell them that they were pregnant now too. Xavier leaned in and kissed her.

"Well, we really should do this properly," he said. "Let me just get dressed and we'll head out into town so I can wine and dine you!"

* * *

Charlie and the newest addition to her family got a lift home with Watson. Leaving her bike in the car park, she helped the puppy into the back seat of the car. She'd only been sitting in the passenger seat for a second when the dog jumped into her lap and sat proudly looking out of the window.

"You really are going to give us a run for our money, aren't you?" Charlie asked her.

She swore the dog smiled at her as Watson climbed in and started the engine.

* * *

Joey was rummaging through the freezer in order to find the requested pizza for Christine who was already hard at work at the dining table trying to puzzle her way through her family tree. Hearing an engine outside, Joey opened the door and was puzzled to see Watson pulling up in her car instead of Charlie on her bike. Then she saw the dog and rushed forward with the excitement of a two year old. Charlie and the dog climbed out and Joey asked who she was.

"This is Macy," she said. "She needs a loving home. What do you think?"

Joey sank onto her knees and Charlie retained hold of the lead but allowed Macy to investigate Joey. She smiled as she watched her wife fuss over her, talking to her and telling her that she loved her already.

"You want to keep her, I take it," Charlie asked.

Joey looked up at her. Macy leapt onto her lap and began licking her neck and jumping up and down.

"Can we?" she asked.

"She's yours," Charlie said.

Charlie handed the lead over and then delved into the back seat of the car. The two of them had made a detour at the pet shop to get everything they thought Macy might need. She thanked Watson and said goodbye while Joey practically skipped into the house with her new pet.

* * *

Martha stood behind the bar at the Jukebox. Jack was running the nightshift and Martha was keen to get home to Leanne. Her daughter was sixteen and thought she knew everything but Martha knew she was struggling with her pregnancy. She was still furious with James and had taken a firm dislike to her daughter's boyfriend. For a while, she had hoped that Leanne and VJ might get together. He was older by a few years but she'd always thought he was such a nice boy. And she was sure he wouldn't have got Leanne into this kind of trouble. But then, James had always been a nice boy too. He was troubled but nice and while she hadn't quite said as much lately, she thought Charlie and Joey were good parents. Even if Charlie had slapped her a few months ago. The bonds of friendship would always run deeper than the odd argument, even about something so serious as them becoming grandparents in their early forties.

* * *

"Is Leanne pregnant?" Harry asked his parents as they sat down to dinner together.

Tony began to choke and Rachel looked distinctly uncomfortable. The only people who were meant to know aside from Leanne and James were Charlie, Joey, Martha, Jack, Tony and Rachel. She was only three months gone and they were still puzzling over the school situation so nobody wanted to tell yet.

"Well, um... not that we've heard," said Tony.

"Liar!" Harry said. "It's so obvious!"

"Well, don't tell anyone about it," Rachel said, deciding that honesty was the best policy.

Harry was old enough to know how to keep a secret.

"So, she is pregnant?" he asked.

Rachel nodded. Harry looked pleased with himself, although he couldn't help but find the whole situation weird. Technically, Leanne was his niece. But she was older than he was. And now she was about to provide him with a great niece. Still, as long as everyone was happy, it was good enough for him.

* * *

Watson and Sarah headed out to Crumble for dinner. It was the end of the week and neither party were terribly interested in cooking. Sitting at a table, Watson told Sarah all about rescuing Macy from being starved and abused by her owner. They'd been called to a house by a neighbour who was tired of the constant barking and whining. They'd been horrified by the state of the puppy and arrested the owner for cruelty.

"So, Charlie's taken her home to Joey?" Sarah asked.

"Yep," Watson replied.

"I think it'll be good for her," Sarah mused. "She seems so lost right now."

Watson nodded and sighed.

"She's been through so much lately," she said. "Charlie's really struggled."

"They seem to be back on track now at least," Sarah said. "If that lingerie is anything to go by anyway!"

She giggled.

"You'd better not have been looking!" Watson remarked.

"Only from a friendship perspective," Sarah said.

Privately, she admitted that she'd checked her out. She was only human after all and as much as she loved Watson, the attractiveness of other women would never be lost on her. She'd found it quite cute that Joey was so shy of her body as well. Sarah hadn't failed to notice that Joey had a few scars but she didn't think it stopped her from being beautiful.

* * *

Charlie had been charged with pizza cooking duty. Unable to find anything in the freezer, she'd given in and phoned Domino's. Joey and Christine were besotted with their new puppy and hadn't so much as gone to the toilet in case they missed any cute thing she did. Hanging up the phone, Charlie leant against the doorframe and watched them play a gentle game of tug of war with the dog. Smiling, she came to sit on the floor with them. Christine stood and plonked herself in Charlie's lap.

"She's so cute, isn't she?" the young girl asked.

"All three of you are!" Charlie laughed.

She kissed the top of her daughter's head and smiled at Joey who was smothering the puppy with kisses.

* * *

Aden and Belle had gone round to Romeo and Nicole's house for dinner. Cathy was already soundly asleep in bed as the grownups opened another bottle of wine.

"We should do this more often," Nicole declared.

"We should," Belle agreed.

It had been a long time since there had ever been any problems between them. Animosity over Aden's one night stand with Nicole was over and now the girls were firm friends. When Belle had been suffering from cancer, she'd asked Nicole to make sure Aden was okay if the worst happened. Fortunately, she had pulled through the ordeal both times and while chemotherapy had made her hair fall out temporarily and left her barren, she and Aden were both happy.

* * *

Hugo entered the Jukebox. It had only been a few months since his release from prison but he was frustrated with being treated like a leper. Tony and Rachel had thrown him out in the end and he was now renting an unpleasant little bed-sit just outside of town. He was barred from Crumble and Leah wouldn't even look at him after what had happened to Vinnie. So many times, he had wanted to skip town and start again but he doubted he could make a fresh start anywhere else either. He'd managed to hook up with a few of his old contacts and with his dive business failing, he was just about making ends meet by dealing on the side. Looking around the room, he caught sight of Martha behind the bar. She was still the most beautiful girl he had ever known. But she didn't talk to him now either. Spotting Liam sitting in the corner and having a beer, Hugo approached. He'd been talking to him a lot lately. With his history of drug abuse, he was a very easy target for Hugo's line of business.

* * *

David, Andy, Daria, Sam and Mink headed out to the beach together. They had a disposable barbeque with them and plenty of beers and all were keen to start their evening chilling out with a party.

"Did Romeo not want to come?" Daria asked.

"He's too busy playing the perfect husband and father these days," Mink said sourly.

She still hadn't quite forgiven her brother for hooking up with Nicole and becoming boring. Daria chuckled and put her arms around her friend.

"Some people like relationships instead of eternal flinging," she said.

"Some people are boring!" Mink told her.

* * *

"Pizza!" Christine bellowed.

Macy jumped in fright. She bent down and petted her, apologising. Charlie stood up and headed out to answer the door while Joey enticed Macy to lie down in her new basket so that the three of them could eat in peace. James was having dinner at Leanne's but he was never allowed to stay over under Martha's rules. Charlie brought the pizza, drink and side dishes in and took her seat at the table. Joey and Christine sat on either side of her. Nobody needed an invitation to dig in. Macy looked longingly at them.

"I don't think puppies are allowed pizza," Christine said sadly.

She looked to her parents for confirmation.

"Definitely no pizza," Charlie said. "And just for the record so we don't have arguments at bed time... no sleeping on beds either."

Christine and Joey both whined. Charlie turned to Joey with raised eyebrows, silently communicating that a puppy would destroy their sex life.

"Okay," Joey said grumpily. "I get the message."

"What message?" Christine asked. "You didn't say anything!"

It always amazed her that her parents seemed to be able to communicate telepathically.

"Don't worry about it, sweetheart," Joey said affectionately. "Just enjoy your food."

* * *

Zoe finished a solitary meal in Crumble. She thanked Irene, who still worked there, even though she should have retired a while ago. Standing up and pulling her jacket on, she headed out to the beach. She'd been back in town for a month and still hadn't quite formulated a plan yet. But she was still determined to make Joey pay somehow for killing her brother. For now, she was biding her time. Robbo's revenge tactics had cost him his life and she wasn't about to make the same mistake. But it made her sick to see Joey bouncing happily around town with Charlie. She'd known back when they were dating that Charlie and Joey had loved each other. But Joey had never admitted it. She'd never been honest with her and that was yet another thing that infuriated Zoe. From her corner table, Watson watched Zoe leave. Sarah cleared her throat loudly and Watson snapped back her attention.

"Do you have to check women out when I'm sitting right here?" Sarah asked.

"I wasn't!" Watson said. "That's Zoe. You know, Joey's first girlfriend. Robbo's sister."

"Oh, is that her?" Sarah asked. "Joey said she was back but I haven't actually met her yet."

"I don't think Charlie's too happy about it," Watson said. "They always pretty much hated each other."

"Because of Joey?"

"Charlie hated Zoe because she was with Joey. And Joey hated Roman and Angelo both because they dated Charlie," Watson explained.

"Remind me again how it took forever for those two to admit they were in love!"

* * *

Having eaten with the Macy sound asleep and snoring softly in her basket, Charlie and Joey had sat down with Christine to help her with her project.

"Okay, so I'll tell them about me," Christine said. "That I was fostered by you when I was six and so I've been here for..."

She counted on her fingers.

"Three years."

Charlie and Joey nodded.

"And your names are Charlie and Joey Buckton-Collins. Charlie is a Detective and Joey owns two fishing trawlers. And I have three foster brothers and a foster sister – Romeo, David, James and Daria. But I never lived with three of them because they're grown up."

"That's right," Charlie said.

"Can I say that James is going to be a Daddy?"

Charlie and Joey looked startled.

"I heard you all talking a few weeks ago," Christine admitted.

"Okay, well, no, don't say that," Joey said quickly. "It's a secret."

Christine nodded and scrubbed it out.

"But I can say that he has a girlfriend?" she asked. "And that David has a boyfriend and Daria has one too and Romeo has a wife and a baby."

"That sounds good," Joey said.

"What are everyone's jobs?" Christine asked.

"Well, Romeo and David and James now all work for the family business," Charlie said.

"And Daria has followed in Charlie's footsteps and she's a very good police officer now," Joey added.

Both women were proud of their family. Christine scribbled down notes and then looked at Macy.

"Can I tell everyone about the puppy?" she asked.

Charlie chuckled.

"Of course you can," she said.

* * *

"Who is that?" Mink asked her friends as she caught sight of Zoe strolling along the beach on her own.

Everyone turned to look. Daria pulled a face.

"That's Zoe," she said.

Sam put his arm around her.

"We don't like her," he explained.

"I like her!" Mink grinned.

"You don't even know her!" David laughed.

"And that's just the way I like to keep things," Mink replied.

She stood up and dusted herself off in order to head over and say hello. The others all exchanged glances.

"Why don't we like her?" Andy asked.

"Because she's Joey's ex girlfriend," David explained. "And all that stuff with Joey might not have happened if it wasn't for her."

"I thought it was a guy who..."

"Zoe's brother," Daria explained. "It all started when she made out that Joey had sexually assaulted her. So Robbo got revenge and tried to rape her and then he went to prison and... well, you know the rest."

She sighed heavily.

* * *

Night fell and Christine had long since gone to bed when James got home. He spent a few minutes talking to his parents and then headed up to his room. Apparently he and Leanne had spent most of the evening thrashing out baby names.

"Right," Charlie said to Joey. "I think it's time to take you to bed."

Joey allowed her to pull herself to her feet. Macy stood up, wagging her tail excitedly.

"Not you," Charlie said firmly.

Macy began to whine.

"Oh, we can't just leave her down here," Joey said compassionately.

Macy's tail began to wag again as if she knew what they were saying.

"Look at how cute she is!"

"I'm cute," Charlie pouted.

Smiling, Joey leant in and kissed her.

"You're very cute also," she said. "But I'm not proposing that we leave you downstairs all alone in a new house after a really hard, horrible day."

She offered puppy dog eyes of her own. Charlie growled in defeat.

"One night!" she said.

Macy hopped up the stairs in hot pursuit, yapping all the way in excitement.

"You'd better not interfere, Missy," Charlie told the dog as she wrapped her arms around Joey.


	99. Chapter 99

_Hi everyone. Here's an extra chapter for you but I must admit it's not come from the generosity of my heart! I sent my novel to one of many publishers (sending it out is harder than writing the thing!) and they replied to say that they only accepted work submitted through an agent but they did direct me to a website they run to help new authors get noticed and potentially published. It's called authonomy (dot com) and it encourages people to post their original fiction online. I've submitted the first few chapters of my novel and the idea is that readers, publishers, etc. go on and read people's manuscripts and give feedback etc. The more people feed back, the more popular a story becomes and therefore, more noticeable. So... if anyone wants to read (at least) the first few chapters of the novel I keep going on about and if anyone wouldn't mind signing up and leaving feedback or anything, I would be beyond grateful. It's called _Shards of Glass _and my writing name is Tessa Jane Lee. I hope you enjoy this chapter (and hopefully my novel!) Love, IJKS xx_

**Chapter Ninety-Nine**

**April 2027**

Charlie arrived home to find Joey giggling into a cup of tea with Melissa. The car thief had been released from prison a few weeks ago and she'd headed right to Joey's door. She'd needed somewhere to stay but with foster children in the house, they couldn't have an ex-con living with them. Charlie hadn't told Joey about it but while she was in prison, there had been talk of the children being taken away. It hadn't happened and Charlie didn't see the need to stress her out with it now. She was also trying to keep a lid on her jealousy over Joey's friendship. She knew it was nothing more than that, although she did get the feeling that Melissa liked Joey in that way. But she was sure it wasn't reciprocated and there was no way she was going to make the same mistake as before and jump to the wrong disastrous conclusion again.

"Hey," she said, entering the living room.

Macy jumped up, barking to greet her.

"Hey, darling," Joey greeted warmly.

"Hi," said Melissa.

Charlie gave Macy some fuss before coming to kiss Joey hello. Her wife moved up in the chair so that Charlie could share with her.

"How was your day?" Joey asked.

"Yeah, it was okay. How about you two?"

"Well, I'm a lady of leisure now so it was pretty easy," Joey said with a hint of regret.

Charlie kissed the top of her head and pointed out that she was basically an accountant now.

"Don't depress me!" Joey protested.

Chuckling, Charlie apologised and kissed her again. From the couch, Melissa watched the way they interacted. She wondered if she would ever be so happy with someone. A small part of her wished it could be with Joey but she knew she was taken and there was no way she was planning on interfering with that. Macy jumped up beside her and she stroked her ears.

"I hear Macy's still making mischief," she said.

"Oh, don't even start!" Charlie said dramatically.

It had appeared that she had brought home a very naughty puppy. Nearly every time the door opened, she shot out of the house and charged off down the road, making whoever was there have to charge after her. If she wasn't allowed to sleep with them, she whined constantly. And if she was, she didn't stop making a nuisance of herself. Joey giggled.

"Charlie has some jealousy issues!" she smirked.

"As would anyone!" Charlie pouted.

* * *

That evening, with James watching television in his room and Christine sound asleep, Charlie and Joey headed up to bed. Macy followed. Once the door was shut, Joey began to get undressed. Charlie stepped closer and wrapped her arms around her. She kissed her gently, holding her close before they found their way onto the mattress. Leaning over her wife, Charlie refused to come up for air. Until Macy jumped on her.

"Hey!" Charlie protested.

Macy continued to put two paws on Charlie's side, wagging her tail.

"This is Charlie and Joey time!" Charlie told her. "Go sit over there."

Macy dropped her paws but remained on the bed. Charlie leant in to kiss Joey again. Macy jumped back up.

"Get off!" Charlie protested.

She looked helplessly at Joey who giggled. She sat up and attempted to send the dog out of the room. Knowing what was about to happen, Macy hid under the bed. Joey put her hands on her hips.

"Macy!" she said.

"Sssh!" said Charlie. "If she's under the bed, she's leaving us alone!"

She quickly pulled Joey back into her arms and kissed her. Joey flopped back onto the bed in joyful submission. Macy hurried out and pounced again.

* * *

The next day, Joey was sat at the table engulfed in accounts. Macy was asleep beside her as usual, having been exhausted on a long walk earlier in the day. The dog leapt up when there was a knock at the door. She escorted Joey to answer it, something Joey particularly appreciated. Zoe hadn't gone near her since that first day and Joey hadn't told Charlie or anyone about what had happened, but she was still nervous of a repeat. Opening up, she smiled when she saw Melissa standing there.

"Hey," she said. "How's it going?"

"I was at a loose end so I thought I'd come and bug you for a little while."

Joey smiled and let her in. She took a moment to pet the dog and then sat down while Joey put the kettle on. Melissa noted the papers and laptop.

"Am I interrupting?" she asked.

"Yes and I'm grateful!" Joey said.

Melissa continued to stroke Macy. Joey sat down with their drinks.

"So, did Charlie manage to get her wicked way with you or did Little Miss here interfere again?"

Joey snorted with laughter.

"She interfered," she said. "But I've just booked us a surprise weekend away together so..."

"I need a girlfriend," Melissa said. "Or at least a one night stand!"

"I'm afraid the only other dykes we know are married... or evil," Joey said. "Oh! There's always Mink."

"Mink?"

"Romeo's sister," Joey explained. "Bisexual. Pretty. Although Charlie still hasn't forgiven her for hitting on me a few years ago."

Melissa laughed.

"She really is the jealous type, hey?"

"No... She just doesn't appreciate Macy jumping on us when we're trying to... you know. And the Mink thing was totally justified."

Melissa chuckled.

"It must be nice to be loved like that," she said thoughtfully.

"It is," Joey said honestly. "I'm very lucky."

"And so is Charlie."

* * *

Charlie arrived home from work to find Joey and Macy on the sofa. The dog was stretched out on her back while Joey tickled her tummy. Charlie mock-pouted and folded her arms.

"You want a go?" Joey grinned.

Charlie grinned back. Joey nudged Macy off the sofa and Charlie took her place. She lay on her back with her head in Joey's lap. She smiled affectionately at her wife as Joey stroked her tummy. Macy grumbled back to her bed and sulked. Charlie stretched happily as Joey used her other hand to stroke her hair.

"Do you reckon we could sneak to our room without the dog noticing?" Charlie asked wickedly.

"Uh... I would but we have company."

"We do?"

Melissa appeared from upstairs and sat in the arm chair. Charlie tried not to frown. A little embarrassed to be lying this way with Joey, Charlie began to sit up.

"Oh, don't move," Joey requested. "I like cuddling you."

Charlie smiled a little shyly and remained where she was, earning a kiss on the lips.

"You two are sickeningly cute, do you know that?" Melissa commented.

"We know," Charlie and Joey replied in unison.

* * *

Christine was nervous as she stepped up to the front of the class. She clutched her piece of paper with trembling fingers and looked out at her friends. Taking a deep breath, she began.

"My name's Christine and I live with my parents, Charlie and Joey and my brother James. My Mums have been together for twenty years, although they've been best friends for their whole lives. We live in the house that Charlie grew up in. Joey used to live next door. They're my foster parents and I've been with them for three years and they are the best parents I've ever known."

She took another deep breath and continued.

"Charlie is a Detective and Joey runs a fishing business. All three of my foster brothers – Romeo, David and James work for her and it's very much a family business. My foster sister, Daria is a police officer."

* * *

"I wonder how Christine's report's going," Charlie mused.

She'd remained in Joey's arms on the sofa. Joey's hands continued to stroke her tummy and her hair. She closed her eyes and relaxation and happiness.

"Yeah, she'll be doing it now, won't she?" Joey said.

"What's the report?"

"She has to do her first bout of public speaking," Joey explained. "She's got to stand up and tell her class all about her family."

"We had no idea how complicated we were until she started writing it down!" Charlie remarked.

"What's complicated about a lesbian couple in their forties with millions of foster kids?" Melissa chuckled.

"And lesbian mothers," Joey added. "And a stint in prison..."

She pulled a face. Charlie snuggled in a little closer.

"We're totally conventional," she said.

* * *

"We may not be the most con... con..." Christine struggled. "Sorry, my Mums gave me this word..."

She showed up her piece of paper to the teacher.

"Conventional," she said.

"Thanks!" Christine said. "Conventional. We may not be the most conventional family in the world but one thing I can say for sure is that this is the first place I have ever been able to call home."

She beamed as a round of applause rang out.

"Thank you!" she said shyly, hurrying off back to her seat.

* * *

Charlie and Joey were walking Christine home from school. Macy had joined them and Melissa had gone home.

"We're so proud of you, baby girl," Joey said affectionately.

She held onto Macy's lead with her good arm and held onto Charlie's hand with the other. Christine had a firm grip on Charlie as she chattered away about her report.

"I'm not a baby!" she insisted.

"You will always be our baby," Charlie informed her.

Christine didn't know whether to be pleased or put out. She decided to smile anyway.

"So, I got this massive round of applause and...!"

"Hey!"

All three, plus the dog looked up to see Ruby and Xavier hurrying up to them and looking jubilant.

"Guess what!" Ruby squeaked.

"You're pregnant," Joey replied.

Ruby glared at her and complained about her ruining the surprise.

"Sweetheart, you've been trying to get a bun in the oven for a month now," Charlie said. "There is nothing else in the world that could get you more excited than that right now."

"Okay," Ruby complained. "But still, you could have let _me _say it."

"Sorry," Joey said. "Start again."

Ruby backed away and then hurried back up to them in the same manner as she had before.

"Guess what!" she squeaked.

"What?" Joey and Charlie asked in unison.

"We're pregnant!" Ruby sang.

Many congratulations ensued before Charlie invited her sister and brother-in-law round to dinner.

* * *

Zoe sat alone in the Surf Club nursing a glass of wine. She looked up when Watson came in and approached the bar before taking a seat alone. They had never been friends. Watson was best mates with Charlie, a woman Zoe had always hated. She studied her face and an idea flashed through the mind, although she knew she had to be careful not get distracted and foil her plans for tonight. Taking her wine, she headed over to say hello.

* * *

"No Melissa tonight?" Ruby asked as she sat down to dinner with Xavier, Charlie, Joey, Christine, James and Leanne.

"She's not always here," Joey replied, blobbing some mayonnaise onto the side of her plate.

"Uh... yes, she is," Ruby said without thinking.

"Rubes!" Xavier hissed.

Joey looked around the table to see if people agreed or disagreed. Both children remained quiet, suddenly finding their food very interesting while Charlie deliberately avoided her gaze.

"Is she always here?" Joey asked.

"Um... no, it's um... well, it's fine," Charlie managed.

Ruby raised her eyebrows. Charlie cringed. Joey saw the look that fell between them.

"Charlie?" she demanded.

"It's fine," Charlie insisted.

"You have that look," Joey pointed out. "And so does Ruby. You're doing that silent sister communication thing."

Charlie and Ruby both looked worried. Xavier shifted in his seat and wondered if that ought to have stayed at home.

"Charlie?" Joey said again.

"She's here a lot," Charlie finally said. "But it's fine."

"It doesn't look like it's fine," Joey said unhappily.

She didn't like the idea that her family might not like Melissa very much. And nor did she like the idea of her friend making her family unhappy or uncomfortable in some way.

"It's fine," Charlie promised. "She's your friend. Of course she's going to hang out here."

She shot Ruby an irritated look. It was true that she'd noticed the amount of time Joey and Melissa spent together. And she might have had a lengthy discussion with Ruby about wishing Melissa wasn't hanging around all the time. Joey put the lid back on the mayonnaise and focussed on her food, deciding to talk to Charlie when they didn't have an audience.

* * *

"It's a shame you and I never made friends," Zoe said to Watson.

"Well, I guess... you know, me being friends with Charlie and everything and I gather you're not her biggest fan."

Zoe snorted at the understatement.

"We definitely weren't friends," she said. "I knew she and Joey were carrying on behind my back."

"They weren't!" Watson said, sticking up for her friend. "Joey was faithful to you."

Zoe shrugged and sipped her third glass of wine.

"I guess it doesn't matter now," she said. "To be honest, I'd just like to put the whole thing behind us. I miss Joey's friendship. I'd really like to make it work somehow."

Watson nodded and sipped her third wine also.

"Maybe one day," she said hopefully.

* * *

With Ruby and Xavier at home and the kids in their rooms, Charlie and Joey were watching the end of their favourite TV show before bed. They were cuddled up on the sofa with Macy beside them. Charlie affectionately stroked Joey's hair. She shifted a little and placed a gentle kiss on her jaw. Joey smiled as Charlie nuzzled into her neck, kissing her and running her hands down her arm. Joey shifted so that they could kiss properly. Macy immediately began making a fuss.

"You get all day with her!" Charlie protested. "This is my turn."

She returned her lips to Joey's, wrapping her arms around her. Joey kissed her back with passion. Macy attempted to interrupt.

"Seriously!" Charlie said to the dog. "Give me a break!"

Macy wagged her tail. Unable to stay too cranky, Charlie reached out and stroked her ears.

"You're lucky you're cute, you know," she said.

Joey laughed.

"I knew you loved her really," she said.

"I do," Charlie admitted. "Even if she does make certain things trickier."

They kissed again. Macy barked.

"You know, if we let her sleep with Chris, we could solve all our problems."

"But what if she disturbs her?" Charlie said.

"Well, why don't we try it tonight?" Joey suggested. "It's Friday. She hasn't got school to worry about. We could give it a shot."

Charlie nodded and almost dragged Joey and Macy up the stairs. She poked her head around Christine's door. The eight year old was asleep with her book having fallen on her chest. She stirred as Charlie came closer to take the book away and leave her in peace.

"Charlie?" she asked sleepily.

"Yeah, sweetie, it's me," she said. "Just coming to tuck you in."

Christine smiled and reached out to hug her. Charlie kissed her forehead and put the book on the bedside table.

"Would you like Macy in with you tonight?" Charlie asked.

She figured as she had woken up, she'd give her the option. Christine beamed at her.

"Can I?" she asked.

"We'll give it a trial," she said. "If she behaves herself you can keep her. And if she doesn't, sling her out and she'll come in with us, okay?"

Christine nodded. Macy leapt onto the bed, licked Christine's face and then plonked herself down next to her.

"Goodnight, darling," Charlie said softly.

"I love you," Christine murmured.

"I love you too," Charlie replied, slipping out of the room and leaving the door ajar.

She headed towards her own bedroom and found Joey getting undressed. She stood behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist. She kissed her neck and breathed in her scent.

"They're tucked up together," she announced.

"Oh good," Joey said, turning around in her arms and kissing her properly.

"So now I get to tuck up with you," Charlie said.

She seized the button on Joey's jeans, eager to get close to her.

"Wait," Joey said, looking into Charlie's eyes. "I need to talk to you."

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked worriedly.

They sat down on the edge of the bed and held hands.

"Joey?"

"Do you mind Melissa hanging around so much?" Joey asked.

"What? No. I told you..."

"Charlie..."

Charlie sighed and dropped Joey's hands.

"Okay, so maybe it would be nice sometimes if I only came home to you and not both of you but... you're friends. You went through a lot together. I get that."

Joey pulled her back to face her.

"We have been through a lot together," she said honestly. "She... she helped me so much in prison. She took care of me."

Charlie tried to be grateful that Joey had had someone to be there for her instead of feeling jealous that some other woman had been there when Charlie hadn't been able to.

"I'm lucky, Charlie," Joey continued. "I've got you and my family. I've got my friends. Melissa doesn't have anyone or anything. She never has. I can't even begin to tell you what she did for me in prison..."

"I know she helped you," Charlie said a little bitterly.

Joey studied her face, trying to read what was wrong with her. Charlie immediately apologised.

"I know she helped you," she said more gently. "And I'm so glad she did. I'm so grateful. And I think it's wonderful that you want to help her now. I'm trying so hard not to feel misplaced."

Joey reached out and stroked Charlie's face.

"Do you feel misplaced though?" she asked.

Charlie sighed.

"Maybe a little bit," she admitted. "I don't know her that well and you do come as a pair a lot now."

"Well, I'll try to be a bit better with that," she said. "I don't want you hurting or anything. But I can't abandon her either. She needs me."

Charlie nodded.

"I know," she said.

She leant in and kissed Joey gently.

"She got my rings back for me," Joey said when they parted.

"Your rings? I thought you'd handed them in..."

Joey shook her head.

"They told me to," she said. "I refused. And they got stolen immediately. I was dreading telling you but right at the last minute, before I left for court, Melissa appeared with two black eyes and my rings. Our rings. She got them back for me."

Charlie took Joey's hand and looked at the jewellery that meant so much. She kissed her hand.

"She's a good person," she said.

"I know," Charlie replied. "And I know she means a lot to you. I didn't mean for this to be an issue."

"But if it is an issue, you're supposed to tell me," Joey said. "We're supposed to be communicating. If you're not happy..."

"I am," Charlie said quickly. "I guess this year just requires a lot of adjusting. After everything."

Joey nodded.

"So, we're okay?" Charlie asked.

"We're perfect," Joey promised.

She leant in and kissed her, nudging her back onto the bed and feeling very grateful that Macy wasn't in the room.

* * *

The next morning, when Aden, Sarah, Liam, David, James and Romeo were perplexed to find that both trawlers had been trashed. The fishing nets had been cut and rendered unusable and 'murderer' had been spray painted across the side of both boats.


	100. Chapter 100

**Chapter One Hundred**

**April 2027**

"Are you sure you'll all be okay?" Joey asked.

"We'll be fine," Ruby said, rolling her eyes. "I'm a thirty-two year old, married woman with her own house, a responsible job and a baby on the way. I think I can spend a weekend running your house, looking after a teenager and a child and a dog."

"But you know that you need to walk Macy..."

"Twice a day. I know. And I have to trick her into coming back because if she thinks she's going back on the lead she won't come," Ruby said.

Behind her, Xavier chuckled. Joey remained hesitant.

"And you know that..."

"Joey, she's knows everything," Charlie said, approaching and wrapping her arms around her.

She tugged her towards the car, begging to get going. Since Joey had told her about the trip, she'd been ever so excited and now she was desperate to get away and start her weekend where she got to spend all that uninterrupted time with Joey. And she felt that they needed the holiday more than ever now. The trawlers being trashed had shaken them both up and Charlie was more than a little frustrated not to have any idea who would do that. She'd dragged Zoe in for questioning but it was merely an accusation. She had no proof. As far as she knew, Zoe hadn't gone near Joey since she'd moved back to town. It had cost a fair chunk of money to get the trawler fixed and it had been impossible to trade for two weeks.

"But..." Joey protested.

"Sweetheart, Ruby and Xavier are perfectly capable. And looking after Chris will be good practice."

"I'm not giving birth to a nine year old!" Ruby squawked.

"You'd be surprised how quick kids grow up," Charlie informed her.

Ruby looked worriedly at Xavier who put his arm around her.

"She's visually popping out a nine year-old," he explained. "Hence the pale."

"Maybe we should stay..." Joey worried.

"We're going!" Charlie said.

She kissed her cheek, wished Ruby and Xavier luck and nudged Joey in the direction of the car.

"They never used to fuss like that when they left _me_ as a child."

"Rubes, they left you with your Dad."

"And your point is?"

* * *

With Joey finally relaxing, Charlie turned the radio up and they sang along to one song after the other. When the news came on, Joey turned it down.

"We can't sing the news," she said.

"Maybe it would lighten it up if someone did," Charlie said.

Joey grinned and reached out to hold Charlie's hand. They rested on Charlie's thigh and Joey gazed lovingly at her wife. A few months ago, she couldn't have imagined being this happy. After everything with Robbo, she'd thought her life was over. And while she was still freaked out over what had happened on the trawler a few weeks ago and she wasn't sure some things would ever truly heal, she definitely felt like she had been given a new lease of life. Charlie was and always had been the best thing that had ever happened to her. She made her life complete.

"What are you smiling about?" Charlie asked.

"You," Joey replied.

Charlie glanced at her, smiling back. She squeezed Joey's hand gently. Joey carefully extracted herself and began tracing her fingertips up Charlie's thigh.

"Are you trying to make me crash?" Charlie asked as Joey's hand got higher.

"I'm trying to get you to pull over," Joey said wickedly.

Needing no further encouragement and feeling like a naughty teenager instead of a forty-four year-old woman, Charlie looked for somewhere private to go. Joey continued to tease her as Charlie headed down a side road adorned on either side with trees. Pulling in, Charlie cut the engine, unstrapped her belt and seized Joey with a kiss. Joey worked her hands into Charlie's hair, pulling her closer and whispering that she loved her.

* * *

Watson sat at her desk feeling distracted. The events from the previous night replayed in her mind. She wasn't entirely sure how it had happened. She and Zoe had been spending a bit of time together recently. They'd gone for drinks and hung out a fair bit. Sarah had gone away to see her sister. It was a big deal for her. She hadn't been in touch with her family for a long time but now her sister was an adult, she had decided that she wanted to get to know the sibling her parents had rejected. Watson had wanted to give her the freedom to spend as many days away as she wanted to. She hadn't reckoned on missing her so much. At first, she'd just appreciated hanging out with a friend, meeting someone knew. But last night, they'd kissed and now Watson hated herself and wondered why she kept making these mistakes. Carol had been lovely and while Watson wouldn't give Sarah up for the world now, they'd started because Watson had cheated and kissed her behind Carol's back. Their breakup had been painful to say the least and now she couldn't bear to lose her wife. She'd never thought she'd see the day when she was settled and married. But she was and she was desperate to stay that way. She just hoped Sarah would never find out. She just wished Charlie was around. She'd advise her. After she'd killed her for cheating on Sarah – and with Zoe of all people.

* * *

Joey and Charlie were unpacking in their hotel room. It always amused Charlie that Joey was always so intent on 'moving in' properly. Smiling affectionately, she moved across the room and wrapped her arms around her. She brushed her lips against her neck, gently sucking her skin. Joey moaned and reached behind her to pull Charlie in closer.

"I don't know about you but I'm seriously not planning on leaving this hotel room all weekend," Charlie said.

She continued paying attention to Joey's neck. Joey smiled and held her a little tighter.

"That sounds like a mighty plan to me," she said.

Charlie turned Joey around nudged her backwards until they tumbled on the bed. Bottles of shower gel and shampoo that Joey hadn't yet put in the bathroom, bounced onto the floor. Both ignored the crash and continued kissing passionately. Joey's palm rested against Charlie's breast. She wrapped her other arm around Charlie's neck, pulling her closer.

"I'm going to spend this whole weekend showing you just how much I love you," Joey decided. "Starting right now."

She flipped Charlie onto her back, covering her body with her own and beginning to tug at her clothes.

"This is definitely going to be a good weekend," Charlie decided.

* * *

Melissa sat alone in her apartment sipping wine. She felt lost now that Joey was off on her romantic weekend with her girlfriend. Sighing, she realised that she needed to find other friends. Coming to Joey's hometown after prison had been her automatic idea. Joey had come to mean a lot to her during their shared time inside. She'd do anything for her. But she knew she depended on her too much. She saw her every single day and she wasn't entirely sure that Charlie was happy about that. She was always nice. She was often the person who invited her to stay for dinner. But Melissa knew she had to accept that they were a couple and she was just a friend. She needed to get out and build a life of her own.

* * *

It was only early but Charlie and Joey were happily tucked up under the blankets and contemplating sleep. Joey had given up on the unpacking and they'd spent the last few hours making love. It felt good to reconnect. They felt like they lost themselves now and again with the pressures of work and family life, the demands of their friends and the running of the house, not to mention the readjustment to life after prison. Joey still had the odd nightmare and while she thought Charlie hadn't noticed, she had come to rely on Macy to protect her when she was out. Charlie leant against the pillows while Joey rested her head against her chest. With one hand, Charlie made little curls in Joey's hair and the other was wrapped around her.

"Charlie..." Joey ventured.

"Mmm?"

Joey stroked the inside of Charlie's arm as she struggled over what to say. The silence worried Charlie. She shifted so she could look at her properly.

"Joey?" she asked.

"It doesn't matter," Joey said, deciding that now wasn't the right time.

"It mattered enough for you to start speaking," Charlie pointed out.

Joey sighed and sat up.

"Please don't be mad at me," she requested.

Charlie sat up too and held Joey's hands, wondering aloud why she would be angry.

"A few months ago," Joey said, taking a deep breath. "When Zoe first came back... She threatened me."

"What?" Charlie squeaked. "When? What did she say? Why didn't you tell me?"

Images of the wrecked trawler flashed through her mind.

"I thought if I ignored it, it would go away," Joey said weakly.

"And has it?"

"Not really. I mean... well, I don't know she trashed the trawler but... well, who else would? I'm still feeling nervous about this whole thing," Joey admitted. "So, I wanted to tell you. I thought it might make me feel better."

"Do you feel better?" Charlie asked. "Or do I have to get my butch on and deck her?"

Joey chuckled and kissed her. She stroked her face and tapped her nose.

"You getting arrested for assault isn't going to help," she pointed out.

Charlie sighed. She wouldn't have objected to giving Zoe a piece of her mind. It was no secret that she'd never liked her. Well before she had been willing to accept that she was in love with her best friend, she had despised Zoe for stealing Joey away from her.

"Well, I'm definitely reopening the trawler case," she decided. "And Joey, I wish you'd told me sooner. I could have protected you."

"Charlie, you always protect me, even when you don't know there's any danger," Joey replied.

They kissed and settled down into each other's arms again. Charlie silently wondered if Joey had told Melissa about the threat. She decided not to ask. Leaning in, she kissed her again.

"I will spend my life loving and protecting you," she promised.

Joey stroked her cheek and touched her thumb to her lips.

"My Mum told me once that when we were kids, you always looked out for me. Apparently Brett always wanted to climb trees and stuff but it was too dangerous for me because I was so small. So you bossed him about and told him he couldn't because it wasn't fair to leave me out."

They smiled affectionately at each other.

"She said you used to take me everywhere by the hand and always kept me so close to you," Joey continued. "And I have this memory of you screaming the house down because you didn't want to leave me and go to play school."

Charlie laughed. She remembered that too.

"I guess it should have been obvious then," she said. "How much I loved you."

"I wish it had been!" Joey laughed. "I spent so many years pining after you, wishing that you felt the same way about me as I did about you."

"Do you remember when I went out on that awful date with Brett?" Charlie asked.

Joey pulled a face and asked how she could forget.

"I never told you but the reason I said yes in the end was... well, it was because..."

She blushed.

"What was it?" Joey asked curiously.

"I had my first sex dream the night before," Charlie admitted.

"About Brett?"

"Ugh! No!" Charlie laughed. "About you, silly."

Joey raised her eyebrows in delight.

"You had a sex dream about me?" she asked.

"It's not that exciting!" Charlie giggled. "I've had plenty since!"

"Oh, really?" Joey said, nuzzling in a little closer.

She slipped her hand down to Charlie's breast, playing with her gently. Charlie moaned and closed her eyes.

"Plenty," she said. "I had them regularly as a teenager. Every time we kissed, it set me off again!"

Joey continued to tease her. She kissed her lips.

"Do you want to know a secret?" she asked.

Charlie nodded.

"I've had a lot of sex dreams about you."

"When did they start?" Charlie asked with a grin.

"Oh! A long time ago! I think I was probably around eleven."

"Eleven?" Charlie asked incredulously.

"It was an innocent version of a sex dream," Joey explained. "I only really knew what our Mums had told us about that kind of thing. And that wasn't exactly homo friendly. But yeah, I used to dream about you all the time. I used to imagine kissing you. And when I finally did... wow. I remember thinking it was everything I'd hoped it would be. Until you freaked."

Charlie sighed.

"I wasted so much time freaking out about us," she said sadly. "I'd already had dreams about you. I was already so crazily besotted with you. I wish I could go back to that boat, kiss you again. And again. And again."

Joey smiled. She brushed her lips against Charlie's.

"You can kiss me again and again right now if you like," she said.

Charlie grinned and did just that.

* * *

It was four in the morning when Charlie woke up. Tears ran down her cheeks and she struggled for breath. Disentangling herself from Joey's arms, she found her way to the bathroom. In order not to disturb Joey, she moved around in the dark. She washed her face in the sink and took several deep breaths. But her tears kept coming. She dried her face and moved back to the bed, climbing in again.

"Are you okay?" Joey asked sleepily.

"Yeah," Charlie lied. "I just needed the toilet."

"You didn't flush," Joey pointed out.

Charlie struggled over what to say. Her silence alerted Joey. She reached out and turned the bed light on. Turning back to Charlie, she studied her face. She looked pale and unhappy. Joey reached out to her and asked her what was wrong.

"I just had a bad dream," Charlie said, hoping she'd drop it.

Joey hugged her and they snuggled back down together.

"Maybe if you tell me about it, it'll help you feel better," Joey said.

It was something they'd done since they were children. Charlie smiled and wondered how she would explain.

"I was being chased," she said. "I just got scared."

"You're lying," Joey said.

"What?" Charlie squeaked guiltily. "How do you...?"

"Every time you try to lie to me, you study my face and count my freckles."

Charlie laughed.

"Jeez... we have known each other far too long!" she said.

Joey grinned and kissed her.

"How do you know that's what I'm doing anyway?" Charlie asked. "Your freckles are barely visible."

"Because you've never been good at counting and you give it so much concentration," Joey explained. "I see you look at me, I see your concentration face and I just... know."

Charlie smiled. She stroked Joey's cheek.

"So, what were you dreaming?" Joey asked. "And why don't you want me to know about it?"

"Because it's four in the morning and I don't want to fall out with you," Charlie said.

"Why would we fall out?"

She looked genuinely bewildered. Charlie sighed.

"I had a dream that you were being chased. I think it was Zoe but I didn't see her properly. I can't be sure. And..."

She fell silent for a few moments.

"And...?" Joey nudged.

"And you ran right past me... to Melissa."

She sighed. Joey just stared at her.

"You think something's going on between me and Melissa?" she asked incredulously.

"No!" Charlie said quickly. "No. No, I don't think that. Not at all. No."

"So, what made you dream that then?" Joey asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Charlie said.

Then she caught herself counting Joey's freckles again. Joey pouted. Charlie kissed her.

"I guess on some level... I've been feeling a little insecure."

"Insecure, how?" Joey asked.

"Like... like maybe..."

Suddenly she burst into tears again. Worried, Joey hugged her. She kissed the top of her head, wondering what on earth was going on.

"Charlie..." she whispered softly.

"I'm so sorry," Charlie said.

"It's okay to be upset over a bad dream..."

"No. Not about that. Well, yes about that but I'm sorry for letting you down."

Joey looked and felt genuinely bewildered.

"Letting me down?" she asked.

"If I'd have paid more attention, if I'd have found you sooner... before you had to hurt Robbo, before he'd hurt you... if I'd have... I'm a cop. I'm your wife. I should have protected you."

"Charlie, don't be silly," Joey said softly, holding her close.

"I let you down, Joey. I should have stopped you going to prison. I should have... I couldn't protect you. You were getting the shit kicked out of you every day. You were getting bullied and abused and I... all I could do was visit once a week and wait for you to call each night. You went through hell and I didn't do anything about it. Melissa was in there, saving you, getting your rings back, supporting you, taking care of you and I... I didn't do anything."

"She did support me," Joey said honestly. "She did protect me. But do you know what got me through each day? It was the phone calls. It was the visits. It was you, Charlie."

"I should have..."

"You did everything it was possible to do," Joey told her. "You kept me going. You kept me strong. And coming home to you was... I can't even describe it. Please, please don't ever think you let me down. And please don't ever think that Melissa did more for me. She did a lot. She did. And I'm so grateful to her for that. But I know if you'd have been in there, you would have done the same and more. But you couldn't help not being there, Charlie. That's not how it works."

Charlie looked at her tearfully.

"I should have..."

"Don't say that," Joey begged.

She pressed her lips gently against Charlie's.

"You did everything you could. None of what happened was your fault."

Charlie nodded. Joey held her tightly. All this time they had talked about what Joey had been through, what she had suffered. She suddenly felt very guilty that she'd never taken the time to help Charlie through her own traumas.

"You think I trust Melissa more than you," she realised gently. "You think I think she can protect me more than you can."

Charlie nodded sadly.

"It's not true. I'd trust you with my life, Charlie. You have always been the person I've turned to first. Always. And that's not going to change. Every time..."

She surprised herself by becoming a little tearful too.

"Every time I've been broken, it's always been you who put me back together again," she said.

Charlie reached out and wiped her tears away.

"Sorry for being silly," she said meekly.

"It's not silly," Joey said. "I mean it is. How could you ever think I'd trust someone more than you?"

She offered a gentle laugh.

"But Charlie, you've got to promise me something here. If ever you have concerns or worries, if I ever do something that upsets you or makes you uncomfortable, if you're hurting... you have to tell me, okay?" Joey pleaded.

Charlie nodded and held onto Joey's hands.

"I'm serious, Charlie," Joey said earnestly. "I hate to think of you carrying this all these months."

"I didn't want to upset you by bringing it up," Charlie said.

"I don't ever want you to be afraid of talking to me," Joey said. "About anything. Even if it's upsetting. You and me... we've been through everything together. You looked after me when we were babies, we had our first ever kiss with each other, we live together, we're married, we've raised our beautiful kids, we've loved and lost parents, we've coped with self-injury, prison, arguments... We've loved each other forever."

Charlie nodded. She reached out to hold Joey closer. Kissing her tenderly, the tears on their cheeks mingled. Joey rested back against the pillows as Charlie kissed her. She parted her lips, welcoming Charlie in. Both of them felt the urgent need for intimacy, to remind each other just how in love they were.

"I could never live without you, Joey," Charlie said between kisses.

Her tears continued to fall, as did Joey's. The younger woman wrapped her arms tightly around Charlie's neck, pulling her in closer.

"You'll never have to," she promised. "It's me and you, Charlie. Always."


	101. Chapter 101

_Thank you everyone for your commitment to this story. It's turning into a bit of an epic, isn't it! I was only ever intending to post one chapter because I was so scared people wouldn't like it. So your encouragement and support really does mean the world to me. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and One**

**April 2027**

Charlie awoke with her arms tightly wrapped around Joey's body. Blinking open her eyes, she kissed her bare shoulder and then remembered what had happened in the middle of the night. Flushing with embarrassment, she watched Joey stir. She smiled when her partner kissed her good morning and shifted to wrap her arms around her.

"I'm so sorry about last night," Charlie began.

Joey reached up and stroked her face to quieten her, telling her she never had to be sorry for being honest. She kissed her softly.

"I love you," Charlie murmured.

"And I love you," Joey replied. "You mean everything to me, Charlie. I never want you to feel sad, or lost or anything in between, okay?"

Charlie nodded and kissed her again, glad that they had gone away for this weekend. She already felt better about things and wondered why she'd waited so long to tell Joey how she was feeling. She should have known that Joey would have been sweet and understanding about it.

* * *

On Monday morning, Charlie and Joey reluctantly returned home to resume their duties as responsible parents and citizens. It had been good to get away and reconnect with one another, although both felt it had been too brief.

"How about we go for a big family holiday this year?" Joey suggested. "Maybe over Christmas or something? We could all go away together. Me, you, James and the twins."

Charlie nodded as she pulled into the drive.

"I mean, we could even invite Romeo and Nic and Ruby and Xavier too," Joey added.

"Pricey!" Charlie squeaked.

"Well, they can all pay for themselves," Joey added quickly with a grin.

"Let's definitely look into it," Charlie said. "I think we all deserve a break after the year we've had!"

She cut the engine and leant over to kiss her.

"Let's go see if the house is still in order," she grinned, kissing her one more time before hopping out of the car.

* * *

The following day, Watson was relieved to see Charlie at work. She immediately convinced her to go to lunch with her and Charlie easily figured out that she had something on her mind. She called her into her office.

"What's up?" Charlie asked before Watson had even sat down.

Her friend looked immediately guilty.

"Watson?" Charlie asked worriedly.

Watson sank into a chair and closed her eyes. She rubbed her temples and sighed.

"I kissed Zoe," she blurted out.

"What?" Charlie shrieked shrilly.

Watson jumped in fright.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Charlie asked.

Watson's guilt increased. Charlie stood up and began to pace.

"Firstly, she's _evil_!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Look, I know she's..."

"She is Robert Cruze's brother and Joey's ex-girlfriend. The ex-girlfriend that cheated on her and recently threatened her!" Charlie continued, not listening to Watson's protestations.

"She what?" Watson asked.

"Not to mention that you're married! You know, Sarah? The love of your life? Have you forgotten her?"

Watson stood up.

"Of course I haven't!" she said. "I love Sarah."

"Then what are you doing kissing Zoe?" Charlie asked.

"It just happened!" Watson said. "Forget I said anything. There was me thinking you were my best friend and you'd help me work through it make things right but obviously I don't fit in your perfect little world anymore!"

She turned to the door but Charlie called her back and sank into a chair. Watson turned back nervously.

"Sorry," Detective Buckton said. "I just... Zoe's a sore point for me."

Watson nodded and back down.

"She hurt Joey really badly," Charlie explained. "I remember the night Joey found out that Zoe had cheated. It was Valentine's Day and she came bursting into the house."

"You were getting it on with Angelo," Watson remembered.

Charlie nodded and pulled a face at the memory.

"Angelo and I broke up that night too," she said. "He said if I chose Joey over him one more time then it was over."

"And your chose Joey," Watson said with a hint of a smile.

Charlie smiled back.

"She's the only choice," she said.

Then she sighed.

"I thought Sarah was your only choice too," she said. "What happened? Are things not going well?"

"They're going great," Watson said. "I honestly don't know why I did it. It really did just happen. We had a drink. Sarah's gone to see her sister and... And now Zoe won't leave me alone. And if Sarah finds out... she'll leave me."

Charlie sighed thoughtfully.

"Well, maybe if you go to her and tell her what happened... rather than her finding out some other way then..."

Watson shook her head.

"She'll never forgive me," she said desperately. "Not even if I'm honest with her now."

"But won't it be worse if someone else tells her first?" Charlie asked. "Remember Carol."

Watson nodded.

"I don't think anyone really saw..." she said.

"I wouldn't underestimate Zoe," Charlie said darkly. "I think she's pretty much capable of anything."

"Is she that bad?" Watson asked.

Charlie nodded. The knowledge that she'd threatened Joey recently was seriously playing on her mind. To say she was worried was an understatement. Not to mention her new found belief that she had been responsible for the trawlers getting trashed. She still wasn't sure what she ought to do about it.

* * *

Joey felt a little awkward as she showed Melissa out but her friend assured her that everything was fine. Joey had anxiously explained that she and Melissa were spending too much time together and that it was affecting Charlie. She insisted that she wanted to stay friends and still see a lot of her but that being round quite so much wasn't okay for now. Melissa had agreed and apologised if she had caused any problems. Joey assured her that she hadn't and worried that she'd hurt her feelings.

"I've been through a hell of a lot worse than not getting to play with my best friend every day," Melissa smirked.

Joey laughed loudly and hugged her.

"We'll hang out at the weekend, okay?" she said. "Me, you and Charlie."

Melissa smiled and nodded and headed home. Joey was just closing the door when Ruby and Nicole jogged up the path. Macy barked excitedly.

"Hey, girls," Joey smiled. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Ruby beamed at her and pulled her into a hug. Nicole followed her lead and the three of them sat down at the kitchen table.

"So...?"

"I'm pregnant!" Nicole said. "Ruby and I are due on the same day! How awesome is that?"

"Oh, wow! Pretty awesome!" Joey agreed. "Congratulations."

"Does this make you a grandmother twice over?" Ruby smirked. "And an aunt."

"Hey!" Joey protested. "No forty-one year old should be a grandmother!"

"But Romeo's your boy!" Nicole pointed.

"That as may be but... nope!" Joey insisted.

The girls giggled.

"When's Charlie home?" Ruby asked. "We want to tell her the news."

"Soonish," Joey said. "Do you guys want to stay for dinner?"

"You know we always do!"

**

* * *

**

June 2027

Charlie and Joey waited patiently at the dinner table at Crumble. Melissa and Mink were due to come and eat with them as part of a double date. The two girls had only been dating for a couple of weeks and at first, Charlie hadn't been so keen on the idea of spending time with Mink, not after the time she had made a pass at Joey. But Joey had pointed out that if the women liked each other and enjoyed spending time together then they ought to be supportive. Also, the more people Melissa had in her life, the less she was likely to cling to Joey. And with Melissa's influence, Mink could easily become a much more pleasant person. So now, they were preparing to spend the evening with them. Joey held Charlie's hand across the table and leant across to kiss her cheek.

"You're a wonderful woman," she said, knowing Charlie didn't really want to be there. "Do you know that?"

"It's nice to be reminded!" Charlie grinned.

Joey pressed her lips against Charlie's.

"Break it up!" Mink and Melissa said cheerfully and in unison, making them both giggle.

Charlie and Joey blushed as the other couple sat down.

* * *

Sarah wasn't smiling when Watson arrived home. She refused to greet her with her usual warmth and it made Watson worry.

"Hey," she said brightly, overcompensating for Sarah's obvious hostility.

She sat down to take her boots off after a long day at work.

"I wouldn't make yourself too comfortable," she said, nodding across the room.

Watson swallowed as she noted her belongs packed up by the back door.

"What is this?" she asked. "What's going on?"

"I had a little chat with Zoe today," Sarah said. "And now I suddenly realise how poor Carol felt when you cheated on her with me."

Anxiously, Watson came to sit beside her. Sarah turned away.

"Sarah..."

"What?"

"I am so sorry."

"For kissing Zoe? Or for lying about it? Or for getting caught?"

"All of it!" Watson said. "I should never have done it. I wish I hadn't!"

"Why did you?" Sarah asked. "I mean... I thought you and I were happy together."

"We are!"

"Then why, Watson? I mean, is that why you were so eager to send me off to see my sister? Was it planned?" Sarah asked, finally looking at her.

"No!" Watson insisted. "It just happened. And I am so sorry."

Sarah sighed and looked down. Watson wanted to protest that it was just a kiss but she didn't think that would be received well.

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"Maybe this is just who you are," Sarah said unhappily.

"What do you mean?"

"You've slept with hundreds of women..." Sarah ventured.

"Not hundreds!" Watson said. "A few... a lot... but not hundreds."

"And Carol thought you were all happy and committed to her and you went off with me," Sarah said. "And you weren't exactly honest with me back then, were you?"

"Carol and I were having a heap of problems," Watson said. "We barely spoke. And you... Sarah, I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. That's why I kissed you. Please, please don't hold that against me."

She reached out to hold Sarah's hands. Reluctantly, Sarah allowed her to.

"And why did you do it this time?" she asked. "Why did you kiss Zoe? Did you fall for her on sight too?"

"No!" Watson told her. "I was a little bit drunk and a little bit lonely and she was flattering and sweet and I just... I did the wrong thing and I'm sorry. Charlie told me to tell you but I didn't listen."

"What?" Sarah screeched, snatching her hands away.

Watson panicked.

"Charlie knew?"

Suddenly she felt even more betrayed.

"I confided in her," Watson admitted. "And she said I should tell you the truth and I know I should have. I just... wasn't strong enough."

Sarah stood up and stormed out of the house.

* * *

Charlie was surprised to find that she was enjoying herself. She did like Melissa and Mink was now growing on her.

"So, you two know each other from prison?" Mink asked.

Joey froze.

"Uh... yeah," Melissa said quietly.

It wasn't something she or Joey were particularly comfortable talking about.

"I was in a juvenile detention centre when I was younger," Mink admitted.

Everyone looked surprised. Then Melissa laughed. Everyone wanted to know why.

"Sorry," she said. "I just find it amusing that three of us have been inside and we're sitting at dinner with a Detective!"

After a moment, the others all saw the funny side too.

"Well, if it helps, I'm sure I wouldn't have liked to arrest either of you," Charlie said.

It went without saying that seeing Joey arrested had broken her heart. She didn't think it would be something she'd ever forget. It had been one of the worst days of her life.

"Well, that makes me feel better," Melissa smirked.

She turned to Mink.

"Me too," Mink said. "Although, my incarceration was voluntary."

Everyone waited to hear what had happened. Just as she opened her mouth to speak, Sarah came marching up to their table, picked up Charlie's wine glass and tossed the contents in her face. Charlie leapt up, horrified and dripping. Everyone stared.

"What the hell are you doing?" Charlie demanded.

"You knew!" Sarah accused. "You knew and you didn't tell me."

"What are you talking about?" Joey asked, reaching for a napkin to help Charlie dry off.

"Watson and Zoe," Sarah said. "You knew and you didn't tell me."

Charlie closed her eyes and sighed in defeat. Mink and Melissa exchanged glances.

"Watson and Zoe?" Joey asked. "What about them?"

"I'll let Charlie tell you, seeing as she knows so much about it," Sarah said. "If she's capable of telling the truth."

She stormed out. Joey looked curiously at her wife.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"We can discuss it at home," Charlie said, finishing wiping herself down and dumping the napkin.

She turned and apologised to Mink and Melissa before dumping some cash on the table to cover hers and Joey's portion of the meal. She left while Joey apologised also and hurried after her.

* * *

Watson put her belongings in the car and drove out to a hotel feeling utterly miserable. Yet again, she had acted without thinking. But this time, it meant she had lost the most important thing in her life. Whether Sarah knew it or not, she was her sun, her moon and her stars. She loved her. She always had. And she wanted to spend her life with her, grow old with her and make her happy. Nothing was more important than Sarah and she hated herself for wrecking the best thing that had ever happened to her.

* * *

Charlie and Joey arrived home. Charlie jumped out of the car before Joey had even cut the engine. Following her partner inside, they headed up to the bedroom so that Charlie could get changed.

"What's going on, Charlie?" Joey asked.

Charlie pulled her shirt off and unhooked her bra. She sighed, hoping Joey wouldn't be annoyed with her.

"A couple of months ago, Watson kissed Zoe," she explained.

"What?" Joey squeaked.

"They kissed. And now Sarah's mad at me because I knew and didn't say anything."

"Why didn't you say anything?" Joey asked, a little irritated. "To me, at least?"

Charlie pulled a fresh t-shirt on and gazed at her girlfriend.

"I was trying to protect you," she said.

"By lying?"  
"I didn't lie," Charlie said. "I just didn't bring it up."

"Technicality," Joey said, her voice little more than a growl.

Sighing, Charlie approached and held her hands.

"If I'd have told you, you would have been put in a terrible position," Charlie said gently. "You would have been stuck over whether to tell or not tell. I remember you finding it hard when we were teenagers and you found out about Martha and Hugo and you and Jack weren't even that close. Did you really wanted to be burdened with Watson betraying Sarah – two women that you adore? And with your ex-girlfriend at that?"

Joey sighed and silently agreed. She pouted.

"I still think you could have told me," she said.

Charlie smiled at how cute she looked.

"If it ever happens again, I'll tell you. But Joey, I was really trying to protect you. You've been through so much in the last year. We'd just had our lovely weekend away. And you'd just told me that Zoe threatened you. I just... I didn't want to rock the boat."

"Okay," Joey said, still pouting but with a hint of a smile.

Charlie leaned in closer.

"Okay?" she asked.

"Okay," Joey replied, smiling for real.

Charlie kissed her, wrapping her arms around her and holding her close.

"Shame we had to cut short the evening with Mink and Melissa," Joey said.

"Oh, I'm sure we can make the most of it," Charlie grinned wickedly, pulling Joey over to the bed.


	102. Chapter 102

_And here is today's update. I will be back with two more just because. I hope you enjoy this one. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Two**

**June 2027**

At forty-four years old, Detective Charlie Buckton was happy with her life. She was doing well at work and had the perfect family that she'd never even realised she wanted for the longest time. And she had Joey. Joey was the woman who made her world complete. She lit up her life and made the sun shine even when the sky was grey. Charlie felt so lucky to have her and so foolish over all the time they had wasted in getting together. But she was so grateful for what they had now. Pulling up outside the bank, Charlie parked her motorbike and took her helmet off. Taking her leather jacket off too, she revealed a smart suit underneath. Taking a deep breath, she came through the door and approached someone about her appointment.

* * *

"She went to prison to save her mother," Melissa said, clearly affected by the news.

She and Joey were walking along the beach, giving Macy a chance to stretch her legs. Joey stopped watching her dog chase seagulls and focussed fully on her friend. She raised her eyebrows in surprise.

"Seriously?" she asked.

Melissa nodded. She and Mink hadn't been dating long but it looked like Mink had finally found someone she was able to open up to. In all her time in town, there had never been so much as a hint of her having done something so brave. And Romeo had never mentioned it either. But then, he hadn't mentioned Mink until she'd shown up with him after his travels.

"What happened?" Joey asked.

"Their Dad or... stepdad... I'm not quite sure... he was abusive. Their mother went for him and killed him... you know, after a long period of abuse and stuff. But Mink took the blame."

Joey exhaled slowly.

"And all this time we just thought she was trouble," she remarked.

"She's nice," Melissa said.

"Well, I gathered that you thought so!" Joey giggled, making her friend blush.

Joey looked more serious for a moment.

"I'm really happy things seem to be working out for you, Melissa," she said honestly. "You deserve some happiness."

* * *

Watson was not particularly enjoying her day off. She'd just about managed to find a little apartment to rent and had spent much of the week moving her stuff in. Or, more importantly, moving her stuff out of the home she shared with Sarah. She'd begged and pleaded for another chance but her wife wasn't hearing any of it. Now, on a day that they had planned to spend together, Watson was sitting alone in the Jukebox, drinking and feeling terribly sorry for herself.

"Mind if I sit?"

She looked up to see Zoe hovering over her.

"Yes, I do mind," Watson replied flatly, turning back to her beer.

She was annoyed when the woman sat down anyway.

"I don't want to look at you. I don't want to talk to you. So, please, get out of my face."

"That's not what you were saying a couple of months ago," Zoe pointed out.

"And look where that got me," Watson snapped. "My marriage is over, thanks to you. Joey's right. You're poison."

Grabbing her beer, Watson moved tables.

* * *

Charlie felt more than a little jubilant as she exited the bank and hopped back on her bike. She could definitely consider this a successful day. Smiling to herself, she headed off home, hoping that she could keep everything a secret from Joey until the right time.

* * *

Melissa opted to walk Joey to the school to pick Christine up. The nine year-old girl had easily become the apple of Joey's eye over the years. She loved her so completely, as if she was her own. She'd felt the same with James and the twins and she hoped that she and Charlie had given them all better starts in life than they otherwise might have received. And she wondered about fostering more kids. The age limit to take on new kids was forty-five so they only had six months left if they wanted to take someone new on. She supposed it was something she ought to talk to Charlie about but as soon as she mentioned ages, Charlie squeaked and changed the subject. She hated the thought of being too old for something even more than when, as a teenager, she'd been too young for things.

* * *

When Charlie arrived back home, she found the place empty. Looking at the time, she realised that Joey would be picking Christine up from school. Taking advantage of being alone, Charlie pulled out her phone and dialled. Pressing the mobile to her ear, she listened to it ring.

"Hello?" said a male voice.

"Hi, Mr Stewart?" Charlie said. "It's Charlie Buckton here. We met last week?"

"Oh, yeah! Yeah, of course. How are you, love?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty good," Charlie said. "How are you?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Did you think about my offer?"

"I did. And I'll have the money by Monday if that's any good."

"That would be perfect," Mr Stewart replied.

* * *

James finished work and headed round to see Leanne. She was six months pregnant now and while the teenagers were both terrified, they were also both excited at the prospect of being parents and welcoming their baby into the world. The nurse had told them at their scan that they were having a little boy and James was determined that he would give his son the childhood that, had it not been for Charlie and Joey, he would have missed out on. He felt lucky to have been fostered by the women he considered to be his parents and words couldn't express how elated he had been at their decision to adopt him.

* * *

Joey, Melissa, Christine and Macy arrived home loudly just as Charlie was hanging up the phone. Macy came bounding in through the lounge with Christine in hot pursuit. Melissa checked that it was alright to be here and Joey said it was before approaching Charlie and kissing her.

"Who was on the phone?" she asked.

"Oh, nobody," Charlie lied

Joey eyed her curiously.

"You were talking to yourself?" she asked.

"Wrong number," Charlie said quickly, forcing herself not to count Joey's freckles and give herself away.

Not entirely convinced, Joey let it go and proposed making drinks for everybody.

**

* * *

**

September 2027

Leanne awoke feeling distinctly uncomfortable. The closer she was getting to her due date, the more desperate she was for it to arrive, not so much to meet her baby boy but because she was tired of being pregnant. She wanted to be a Mum. She wanted herself, James and their son to be a family. And she wanted to be skinny again. Sighing, she attempted to wiggle into a better position but to no avail.

* * *

Joey opened her eyes to see Charlie already up, dressed and excitedly waiting for her to get up. Rubbing her eyes she asked what time it was.

"Eight o'clock," Charlie informed her, looking as giddy as a school girl.

Joey groaned loudly and rubbed her eyes.

"Eight o'clock? Charlie, it's my birthday!" she protested.

Charlie scooted closer, ridiculously cheerful.

"All the more reason to enjoy every minute of it!" Charlie insisted, pulling the covers off her partner and hauling her out of bed.

"No breakfast in bed?" Joey asked as Charlie marched her towards the shower.

"Breakfast will be on the table when you're dressed," Charlie said.

Joey paused at the bathroom door.

"No morning kiss?"

Charlie smiled softly and leant in to kiss her.

"No scrubbing my back?"

"But... breakfast..." Charlie protested.

"But... naked!" Joey replied.

Needing no further encouragement, Charlie trotted into the bathroom with her and locked the door.

* * *

Arriving at the breakfast table, Leanne wished her parents good morning. Jack was getting ready for his shift at work and Martha was busy fussing over her the moment she said she wasn't feeling all that well.

"Should we call Rachel?" Martha asked. "Or should we just take you to the hospital or...?"

Jack chuckled as he put his keys into his pocket.

"Sweetheart," he said. "She's pregnant. She's not meant to be in perfect comfort right now. I mean, come on, she's the size of a..."

Leanne glared at him.

"A... a... um... a teeny, tiny, beautiful thing," he corrected himself, kissing the top of his daughter's head.

She looked reluctantly accepting. Martha still didn't look convinced and wondered silently if she could convince Rachel to drop in oh so randomly.

* * *

"Where are we going?" Joey asked from the passenger seat of the car.

She and Charlie had got up to no good in the shower and then enjoyed a happy breakfast with Christine and James, both of whom were now sitting in the back of the car. Both were smiling in a suspicious way and Joey was sure they knew much more than she did about her birthday surprise.

"Not telling," Charlie said, keeping her eyes on the road.

Joey promptly began to whine and beg, making Charlie laugh.

"It's a surprise!" the Detective protested. "Geez... Chris is more patient than you on her birthday!"

In the back, Christine looked terrible pleased with herself. Joey continued to complain.

* * *

Jack arrived at work to find Watson sitting at the desk looking miserable, just as she had done for months. He'd suspected as much and had stopped off at Crumble to buy her one of the latte's she was so addicted to. She forced a smile and thanked him.

"Things will get better," he said. "You and Sarah are made for each other."

"No, we're not," Watson sighed. "She was always too good for me and now I've proved it."

Jack leant on the desk and caught her eye.

"If I could make it work with Martha after... everything," he said seriously. "Then you and Sarah can recover from a kiss, okay?"

Watson sighed, desperately hoping that he was right.

* * *

Charlie stopped the car down at the docks. Joey pulled a face and asked if they were going to work.

"Nope," Charlie said, climbing out and continuing to look pleased with herself.

Joey and the kids climbed out too and Charlie locked up.

"Have you hired a boat or something?" Joey asked, suddenly getting excited. "Is there a hamper? Where are the twins? Is it a day trip?"

Charlie chuckled and pulled her in for a soft kiss.

"Just follow me," she said, taking her hand.

Joey obeyed and took Christine's hand too. James followed as they all headed down the wharf together. When Charlie saw Alf Stewart, a man she was certain she'd met before but just couldn't place, up ahead, she waved.

"What's Morag's brother doing here?" Joey asked.

Charlie stopped dead and looked at her with wide eyes. The line of people bumped into her.

"That's who he is!" she squeaked.

Joey looked baffled.

"I knew I knew him..."

Charlie carried on walking.

"Alf Stewart! We're related!" she bellowed when he was within hearing distance.

He looked confused for a moment and then clicked his fingers in realisation.

"You're Ross's girl!" he said. "I met you at the wedding."

Charlie nodded, beaming at him.

"Well, then I am more than thrilled to be part of this," he told her.

"Be part of what?" Joey asked eagerly.

"Your birthday present," Charlie said.

She pointed to the boat beside them. Joey's jaw dropped and her eyes widened.

"What?" she said, almost inaudibly.

"Mum bought you a boat!" Christine finally burst out.

She had been holding it in for days.

"Are you...? Have you...? I mean..."

Joey looked more than a little surprised. With her mouth still hanging open, she stared at Charlie, searching her face.

"After the year we've had, I think you deserve a good birthday present," Charlie explained. "And while I might be paying it off for the next forever, it's worth it if it makes you happy."

Joey looked between the boat and her partner.

"You really did this for me?" she asked.

Charlie smiled a little shyly. Joey fell into her arms and kissed her. Tears of happiness threatened. Christine giggled and took hold of James's hand. Alf politely looked away to give the girls some privacy. Joey placed her hands on either side of Charlie's head and gazed into her eyes.

"Have I mentioned that you're the most wonderful person on the planet?" she asked.

Charlie blushed and kissed her.

"Do you like it?" she asked.

"I love it," Joey replied. "And I love you. Thank you so much."

"Can we go out?" Christine asked eagerly.

Charlie looked at Alf who handed over the keys.

"She's all yours," he said. "Enjoy!"

* * *

Leanne had sent her mother out to get lunch, not because she was hungry but because she was desperate to stop getting fussed over. She appreciated her mother's love and concern but she was a little worried that she would start trying to take over when the baby was born. James kept telling that it was just because she loved her and that she should appreciate having a mother who adored her so much. That had made her feel a little guilty, knowing that although he adored Charlie and Joey, he had never had the relationship with his biological mother that he craved. And now it was too late.

"Uh oh," Leanne said aloud.

She looked down to find that the sofa she was sitting on was suddenly soaked. Her eyes widened. The baby was coming.

* * *

Sarah was in a world of her own as she worked on the trawler. This time last week, she had been so happy and now she felt so lost. Every instinct was telling her to give up and take Watson back. She'd never loved anyone the way she loved her. In fact, she'd never loved anyone at all. Not romantically. Watson had meant so much to her for so long and she missed her terribly. But her pride was getting in the way. She studied Aden as he worked away. He and Belle had recovered from her infidelity with Angelo that time. She wondered how he had managed and if it would be utterly terrible to ask him.

* * *

Out on the water, Charlie, Joey, James and Christine were having a wonderful time. Joey thought that her forty-second birthday could easily be turning out to be the best one she had ever had. Christine had been asking all sorts of questions about how to drive a boat and Joey had been thrilled when she'd asked if Joey would teach her one day. It made her ever so proud. She pictured herself as a child, learning the ropes from her Dad. It had been one of the few things that had bonded them before they'd lost him.

* * *

Martha was waiting anxiously by her daughter's bedside as she fought contractions. Martha had called Jack but failed to get through to James, whose mobile was most inconveniently out of range. She held Leanne's hand and tried to coax her through the pain.

* * *

Reluctantly, Joey had brought the family back to land and now Christine was trying to get her land legs. As she wobbled ahead of them, Charlie walked behind Joey and wrapped her arms around her waist. She rested her chin on her shoulder and they just about managed to walk down the wharf together. James pulled out his phone as it buzzed to life.

"We have to get to the hospital," he said, stunned.

Charlie and Joey were too busy kissing to hear him.

"Charlie! Joey!" he said desperately.

They pulled apart and Christine stopped too.

"Leanne's in labour," he said.

All four of them bolted to the car.

* * *

"Aden...?" Sarah ventured as they walked off the trawler together at the end of the day.

He looked up to give her his undivided attention. She chewed her lip.

"Can I take you for a drink?" she asked. "There's some stuff I want to talk to you about."

"Watson?" Aden queried.

Sarah nodded.

"And you want to know how Belle and I got through... Angelo."

She nodded again. He smiled.

"Sure," he said, leading the way.

Relieved, Sarah followed him.

* * *

Charlie, Joey and Christine waited in the waiting room with Jack. He'd decided that all the screaming and seeing his daughter in such a vulnerable position was far too much for him. It felt much safer out in the hallway. James and Martha were coaching Leanne as she gave birth.

"How awesome that he's going to be born on my birthday?" Joey mused.

She definitely liked the idea, although she still struggled with the concept of being a grandmother.

"It's a pretty perfect day, isn't it Mum?" Christine beamed.

Joey ruffled her head and agreed happily that it was. The foursome looked up when James came bursting into the corridor.

"We've got a perfect baby boy!" he announced joyfully.


	103. Chapter 103

_Okay, I totally forgot that many, many chapters ago, I got Martha pregnant (how clever am I!) and then didn't actually do anything about it. And I can't quite remember how old her boy is supposed to be now so I'm placing him as around the same age as Christine because so far, she doesn't have any friends! I hope you enjoy the chapter. This is what would have been yesterday's update. One more to go. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Three**

**November 2027**

David and Andy stood at the door with James, Leanne and Christine, waving goodbye to Charlie, Joey and Macy - who was bouncing excitedly down the drive. The couple and the dog were going away for the weekend on the boat. What with Leanne giving birth and their son being a new father, the couple had only managed day trips so far and everyone knew how eager Joey was to get away and take her out for a proper sail. She had named the boat 'Clara' after her mother and had a wonderful time making it pretty and perfect. Charlie loved to see her partner so happy and delighted with her gift and as far as she was concerned, it was worth every penny. Macy barked loudly and bounded into the back of the car. Charlie headed round to the driver's side and Joey climbed into the passenger seat. Inside, Charlie turned to Joey as Macy continued to bounce around.

"Are you sure bringing her is a good idea?" she wondered.

Joey leaned back and stroked the dog's head.

"If we're going to retire in twenty years and go travelling, this little girl has to get her sea legs," she said.

Charlie's eyes widened in horror at the idea of being trapped long-term on a boat with their monster of a dog.

"How long do dogs live?" she exclaimed.

Macy barked and licked her cheek. Charlie pulled a face but couldn't help thinking she was quite cute. And she did a great job of making Joey feel protected when she was out and about. Zoe had stayed away from them so far but both women were still a little unsure of her.

* * *

"Thanks for meeting me," Watson said.

She felt shy for the first time in her entire life. But Sarah had barely spoken to her for months and this was the moment she'd been hoping for. All she wanted was a chance to speak to her partner and make things right again. She couldn't believe she'd been such an idiot as to go anywhere near anyone else.

"It's okay," Sarah said with a smile that revealed she was nervous too.

They'd booked a table at Crumble to have lunch and discuss their relationship and if it had a future. They both wanted a future. They just didn't quite know how to make it work.

* * *

Leanne and James had just settled on the sofa when baby Zac began to cry. Leanne sighed. She felt like she hadn't slept for two months.

"I'll go," James said, hauling himself off the couch.

Leanne smiled gratefully and watched him leave. Zac was exhausting but he made her world complete. Her mother's world seemed to revolve around him too and James was the perfect father. She hoped that they might get married one day, when she'd finished school. She had one year left, although most of her studies at the moment were from home. It wasn't easy to juggle school and her son, although everyone around her had been very helpful.

* * *

Charlie stood behind Joey as they pulled out to sea. Macy was excitedly running around the length of the boat, sniffing and investigating everything she could find. Wrapping her arms around Joey's waist, Charlie buried her face against her neck. She kissed her and closed her eyes, looking forward to three perfect days together. She was grateful to David and Andy for stepping in and offering to look after Christine as well as keep an eye on James and his new family. Joey tilted her face up and kissed Charlie's cheek. Macy bounded in barking and wagging her tail.

* * *

Romeo approached the bar of the Jukebox and sank onto a stool. Xavier grinned and came to serve him. He began making his beer and wondering why his friend looked so stressed. Rubbing his temples, Romeo explained that Nicole and Ruby had been driving him crazy over babies. Xavier laughed.

"Nicole is bad," he said. "Ruby is worse. Together, they're a nightmare!"

"You got that right!" Romeo said. "I swear she wasn't this clucky over Cath."

Their first-born had just celebrated her fourth birthday and it was an amazing feeling to be a father to such a lovely little girl. When he had first arrived in town, he never would have guessed that he would have found a home there. He'd never have pictured himself as married to Nicole with two children. But he couldn't be happier – minus the overly hormonal pregnant girls he had left in his living room.

* * *

Aden and Belle arrived in their hotel room. It had been Joey's idea for Aden to take Belle away. She'd told him how special it was when she and Charlie headed off to spend some quality time together. Deciding that it was a good idea, he had surprised his wife with a treat and so far, she seemed thrilled. Life hadn't been so easy over the past few years and he realised now that they had given themselves very few treats.

* * *

"Tell me why you did it," Sarah requested.

She toyed with her salad and wished she'd ordered a jacket potato instead. Watson sighed and sipped her Diet Coke.

"I don't know," she said. "It just... happened. I guess I forgot myself for a moment. I got all flattered by her attention and you weren't there and I just... Sarah, I am so sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

"Maybe if you'd have told me, we could have worked this out but... to hear it from _her_..."

Watson reached out across the table.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I'm so sorry for everything. I love you, Sarah. I've never loved anyone the way I love you and if I could take it all back, I would. I just..."

She sighed heavily, still holding her partner's hands. She gazed into her eyes.

"Please don't let one mistake, one stupid kiss... please don't let it ruin what we have. Sarah, we are so perfect together."

* * *

Night began to fall and Charlie and Joey were enjoying lounging on deck under the moonlight. Macy was snoozing on the floor, snoring softly. Her ears were twitching and she looked like she was having happy dreams.

"It's a beautiful night," Charlie said.

Joey smiled and breathed in the fresh, salty air.

"It is," she agreed. "And I'm so happy to be spending it like this with you."

Charlie blushed. She leant over and kissed her gently. They drew away, still gazing into each other's eyes. Coming back together, Charlie pulled Joey onto her lap. Joey straddled her and ran her hands through her partner's hair. Their kiss grew in passion. They felt like the only two people in the world.

* * *

Watson flopped back against the pillows. She glanced at Sarah beside her and smiled, reaching out to hold her hand. Leaning closer, she kissed her cheek and shuffled over to hold her close.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too," Sarah replied, glad that she had made the decision to give their marriage another shot.

* * *

It was three o'clock in the morning. Zac began to wail. Sleepily and grumpily, seventeen year old Leanne hauled herself out of bed. Arriving in her son's room, she scooped him up and held him close. In her dressing gown, Martha appeared in the doorway.

"Is everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, he's just whinging," Leanne said.

Martha came closer and took the baby from her.

"You look exhausted," she said.

"I just got woken up," Leanne pointed out. "Of course I'm exhausted."

"I mean you always look exhausted," Martha said sourly. "It'd be nice if that James actually helped you out."

"If you'd let him stay over then he would!"

"I mean during the day!" Martha hissed, clutching her grandson close to her.

"James does more than enough, okay? Give him a break."

Taking Zac back, she turned away from Martha. Jack appeared in the doorway.

"Guys, it's three in the morning. Please tell me you're not fighting."

"We're not fighting," they snapped in unison.

* * *

The next morning, Charlie and Joey were up early, as was Macy. Having finished breakfast out in the sunshine, the girls pondered getting dressed but generally felt too lazy. Macy wandered around, still investigating everything in sight. She stood on her back legs and peered over the side.

"Macy," Joey called, worried that was actually dumb enough to jump off.

The dog cast her a glance but promptly ignored her.

"How can a dog be so damn cheeky?" Joey wondered before calling her back again.

Macy looked back. If she could have smiled, she would have. She promptly jumped off the side of the boat. Charlie and Joey lurched forward in panic.

* * *

Sarah was puzzled to wake up alone, not to mention disappointed. She suddenly had a vision of Watson having changed her mind about them. Feeling like a fool, she got up and wandered into the kitchen, only to find Watson singing to herself and cooking a nice, unhealthy fry up. Sarah smiled and felt a little guilty about being so suspicious.

* * *

"Macy!" Joey shrieked, leaning over the side.

She burst out laughing when she saw her dog swimming and looking like she was having a whale of a time. She looked at Charlie who was also grinning. Suddenly, the Detective stood up and decided that Macy had the right idea. Joey stared as Charlie stripped off all her clothes and jumped into the sea.

"Charlie!" Joey squeaked as the love of her life disappeared beneath the water.

She resurfaced and reached her arms out to Joey, encouraging her to jump in. Joey frowned.

"What about my shoulder?" she wondered.

She hadn't been swimming since her injury and she didn't know if she could do it.

"I'll keep you up," Charlie promised.

Joey watched as Macy and Charlie treaded water beneath her. Stripping off, she dived into the water.

* * *

"She's driving me crazy," Leanne complained.

She had taken Zac round to see his Daddy and she didn't want to ever go home. While she knew her mother had the best of intentions and she loved her and her father so much, Martha was officially winding her up. She always seemed to think that she knew best and that Leanne wasn't coping. The teenager felt like she was coping just fine and she didn't like the way her mother felt about her boyfriend. James was a good guy and he loved her and their baby. He only wanted to do the best for them that he could.

"She'll calm down," James said, putting his arm around her. "It's all new for all of us."

"I wish I had your parents," Leanne sighed. "Charlie and Joey are awesome. They're so nice and... well, Dad's okay but Mum..."

She shook her head, feeling sad. James cuddled her closer and kissed the top of her head.

* * *

Joey couldn't stop laughing as she, Charlie and Macy splashed about in the sea. Charlie ducked below the water and surfaced behind her partner, making her squeak in surprise. She wrapped her arms around her and kissed her cheek. They hugged as they kicked in order to keep themselves afloat. Macy approached, splashing them.

"How's your shoulder?" Charlie asked.

Joey nodded and told her it was okay, to which Charlie made her promise that if it started hurting too much, they would head back on board. Smiling, Joey leant back against Charlie's wet body.

"This is the life, hey?" she said dreamily. "Me and you... Macy... holidays, fun, laughter... family."

"It's pretty perfect," Charlie agreed.

**

* * *

**

December 2027

"Lee, what's wrong?" James said worriedly when his girlfriend, carrying their baby, came rushing into the house.

He glanced worriedly at his parents who followed him into the living room.

"Leanne?" Joey asked worriedly.

Christine climbed off the kitchen chair and followed her family. The nine year-old was eager to find out what was going on. Leanne looked up at James, Charlie and Joey tearfully.

"I can't live with my mother anymore," she said.

James rushed to one side and Joey and Charlie rushed to the other. Christine hovered uncertainly until Charlie reached out to cuddle her.

"She's driving me insane."

"You can stay here," James said.

Charlie and Joey looked a little startled.

"Can't she?"

"Um... well, I don't think Martha would..." Joey faltered.

"Can you ask?" James asked.

Leanne looked at them hopefully. Exchanging glances Charlie and Joey silently agreed to speak to Martha and work something out.

* * *

By the end of the next day, Leanne and Zac were all moved in. Martha had objected of course but with much coercion from Jack to give mother and daughter space away from each other in order to work things through, she had agreed. She'd been very firm that Leanne and James could not share a room and everyone had agreed, although Joey and Charlie thought it was a bit daft, considering they had a baby together. They'd decided to turn a blind eye and not make a big deal of it if they did sneak about. And secretly, Joey was extremely happy to have a baby in the house. While she would be careful not to take over, she would enjoy helping to take care of her grandson – even if accepting she had a grandson was mildly horrific. That night, lying side by side in bed, Joey turned to Charlie.

"What do you want?" Charlie asked, amused and curious about the expression on Joey's face.

"A baby," Joey said. "Well, I guess he doesn't have to be a baby but... I want to foster again. And I was thinking about us talking to Chris about adopting her."

Charlie pulled Joey into her arms.

"We can call social services and make it known to them that we want to take a new kid on," Charlie agreed. "They haven't offered us anything because of all the stuff that happened but... I don't see why we can't."

Joey nodded and smiled happily.

"And adopting Chris sounds like a wonderful idea," Charlie added.

**

* * *

**

January 2028

It had been a strange but successful Christmas. With their family being so huge these days, Charlie and Joey had organised a huge barbeque on the beach with James and his new family, including Martha, Jack, their youngest son Jake, as well as Tony, Rachel, Harry and a visiting Lucas. The twins and their partners had attended, as had Romeo and Ruby and their young families. Ross and Morag had joined them and brought recently widowed Alf. Roman, Leah and VJ had also come to join them and that meant Leah's large family also arrived. It had been rather worrying to realise just how far extended family extended these days. Joey had forced herself to invite Brett but had been grateful when he'd declined. They didn't see each other much these days and she was still hurt over his lack of support during her trial. Now, Leanne and Zac were still living with Charlie, Joey, James, Christine and their new foster child, Max. He was three years old and had already made friends with Romeo and Nicole's daughter, Cathy who was a year older. They'd had a lot of play dates and it was nice to see a young, fledgling relationship developing. Now, it was two weeks into the New Year and everyone was trying to convince Charlie to celebrate her birthday.

"Oh, come on, Charlie..." Joey whinged.

"I'm turning forty-five!" Charlie replied. "There is nothing to celebrate."

"As if!" Joey laughed, hugging her.

Charlie pouted.

"Easy for you to say," she said. "Forty-two! You're practically a toy girl!"

Joey chuckled and hugged her again. She leant in and kissed her.

"Charlie, you're forty-five," she said.

"Forty-four!" Charlie insisted.

"Okay, you're turning forty-five. It's not the end of the world."

Charlie sighed dramatically.

"I'm going to be fifty in five years!" she said. "Fifty! I mean, how on earth did this happen? We're grandparents! I still feel like a teenager."

She flopped back on the sofa and closed her eyes dramatically. Joey snuggled into her arms.

"And you're still as hot as you ever were," she promised.

Charlie opened her eyes and smiled, happily accepting Joey's kisses.

* * *

Charlie's birthday rolled around. She'd reluctantly agreed to have a party at the Jukebox. Most of the town had turned out and all the kids were bustling about together in the safety of so many adults around them. Charlie and Joey couldn't help but feel intrigued over Christine's fledgling friendship with Jake. They had teamed up to play with Cathy and Max and made a lot of fuss of Zac, who Christine in particular was growing quite fond of. Ross and Morag had flown in as a surprise and revealed that they were ready to settle back in their town and enjoy the rest of their retirement with their family close by. Brett, Zoe and Hugo were three of the only people who had not been invited to the party and Liam had agreed to perform later on in the evening. Sarah and Watson were all over each other as if they had only just met, although Charlie and Joey had always been like that so they couldn't really comment. Jack tried to keep Martha happy but she was anxious and stressed over her fragile relationship with her daughter. Ruby, who felt like she was about to explode rather than give birth, and Xavier had brought Brendan along to party and Nicole and Ruby had spent much time commiserating over how fat they felt. VJ had brought his new girlfriend, a colleague from where he worked as a lifeguard on the beach, as his Dad had done and he was struggling not to feel embarrassed about his fussy mother who was desperate to get to know her. Her name was Jennifer and VJ was beyond smitten. It definitely felt like a big deal to introduce her to his family and friends. Melissa and Mink wished Charlie happy birthday and then sloped off together and the twins were busy strutting their stuff on the dance floor when Leah and Roman brought the cake out. Just as everyone finished a fairly dire rendition of 'Happy Birthday', Ruby let out a scream. In panic, she clutched her pregnant belly. Xavier leapt out of the way as her waters broke. Nicole hurried from the bathroom in the same condition. Both women were going into labour.


	104. Chapter 104

_Here is Tuesday's update. I will be back with Save Me! This chapter is just kind of moving the story on, catching up with where the characters are before we embark on the next rollercoaster! I hope you like it. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Four**

**June 2028**

Charlie held baby Gina Eloise Austin in the crook of her arm and gently soothed her to sleep. Her niece was four and a half months old and Charlie was more than a little besotted. On the sofa, Joey was cuddled up with Zac in her arms. He was a few months older than Gina. Charlie and Joey had freed James and Leanne and Ruby and Xavier up for the afternoon. James, Leanne and Zac were still living with them, although relations between Leanne and Martha weren't exactly easy. Charlie and Joey both knew that Leanne's mother was hoping she would soon return home.

"Can I hold one of the babies?" Christine asked, appearing from upstairs.

"Sure," Joey said, welcoming her into the couch.

Christine beamed and seated herself on the sofa close to Joey. Charlie watched, smiling affectionately at the family she loved so much. Joey carefully handed a sleepy Zac over to Christine. She clutched him close in her little arms and found that she couldn't stop smiling. Their youngest, Max, who was three years old, continued playing on the floor.

* * *

Hugo stood amid his packed bags and took one last look around his pokey little apartment. Things hadn't been right since he'd left prison. He had never been the most popular man in town, having started an affair with Martha, engaged Belle into the world of drugs and then got Vinnie shot when he'd been in charge of a loan shark business. But since he'd been released from jail, he'd been doing his best to start again. But his mother was dead, his brother didn't give him the time of day and even Tony didn't really spend much time with him. Now, he'd had an offer he couldn't refuse. It was straying even further from the straight and narrow than he'd ever ventured before but he'd stopped caring. It hadn't taken him long to agree to the plan, although he was shocked by where it had come from. Still, now he was leaving town and planning to start all over again. He couldn't wait.

* * *

Irene was busy serving lunches in Crumble. Leah and Roman had taken VJ, Nicole, Romeo, Cathy and new baby, Clarissa off for a little holiday. That meant that it was down to Irene to hold the forte. She was rushed off her feet, as were the rest of the minimal staff and to make matters worse, there was a man watching her from the corner. She didn't know who he was, although she thought he was very handsome. And she didn't have any idea why on earth he would be watching her.

"Table seven," her kitchen assistant called out.

Irene took two plates and took them to another corner, setting them down in front of Brett Collins and Zoe Cruze. She couldn't help but eye them a little suspiciously. She didn't know either of them terribly well but she knew they had both been very hurtful to Joey in the past. And Joey was somebody that Irene cared very much about. She and Charlie were a central couple in their small town. Joey was a respected businesswoman and Charlie was a Detective dedicated to protecting and serving her community. They took in waifs and strays and were an example of true love.

* * *

Christine fell asleep with Zac. She'd spent so much time cooing over him and rocking him that she got sleepy herself. Charlie and Joey smiled down at her. She was adorable. Charlie rested Gina in the cot and Joey disentangled Zac from Christine's arms and lay him down next to her. Charlie flopped into the arm chair. Babies were fun but very tiring. Joey curled up on her lap and wrapped her arms around her. She kissed her cheek and rubbed noses with her, making her laugh. It had been a long road but they both finally felt complete and happy.

* * *

"So, are you really serious about this?" Zoe asked.

Brett nodded, although he looked a little unsure.

"We're not going to hurt her though?" he checked.

"No," Zoe promised. "We're just going to scare her a little bit."

She had already let Joey put her life back together. She'd left her too long and she felt bad for not going ahead and seeking more vengeance for her brother's death. But now she believed that time had paid and she had found the perfect solution. And the fact that Joey's brother was eager to help was a bonus. He hated that his sister was gay and seemed to conveniently be able to ignore that Zoe was a lesbian too. Back in the day, she and Joey had lost their virginities to each other. That all felt like a world away now. Zoe blamed Joey for killing Robbo. He had deserved to go to jail but she believed that he should have been allowed to start his life again once he was out. She did not believe for a second that he had attacked her. Everything, as far as she was concerned, was Joey Collins' fault.

"How do we get started?" Brett asked.

* * *

Ruby and Xavier headed home with baby Gina. They had very much enjoyed their day out together and were grateful to Charlie and Joey for taking their beloved baby girl off their hands temporarily. They'd stayed for dinner and were now looking forward to tucking Gina in and heading to bed themselves. Ruby couldn't help but feel surprised by just how tiring being a mother was. She was glad she had taken herself off school for the year and couldn't help but wonder how she would cope when it was time to return. Still, that was several months away and not something she had to think about yet.

* * *

Charlie and Joey fell into bed that night. Curling up in each other's arms, they got comfortable and prepared, as usual, to put the world to rights.

"Do you think Leanne will ever move back in with Martha and Jack?" Joey asked.

Charlie had no earthly idea. Her friend had always been a strong character and she was fiercely protective of her daughter and her son. She couldn't help but feel like Martha saw James as an enemy because he'd got her daughter pregnant so young. But it took two to tango and they appeared to be very much in love. She hoped that they had a future together.

"I'll miss her and Zac if they do," Joey admitted.

Charlie smiled.

"Me too," she admitted. "But they'll still be here all the time."

"Everyone's here all the time!" Joey laughed.

It was true. Like their mothers before them, the Buckton-Collins home was definitely an open house. And that was just how they liked it.

* * *

The following morning, Irene couldn't help but notice the same man enter Crumble. She approached politely and took his order before becoming flummoxed when he asked her out to dinner.

"Um..." she managed.

It had been ever such a long time since she'd been asked out. She'd thought that part of her life was over. These days, she lived for her family – specifically, Belle and Aden – and worked to amuse herself, although she was several years past retirement. His smile disarmed her. She cleared her throat.

"I don't even know your name," she said

"I'm Lou," he said, extending his hand.

She shook it uncertainly.

"I'm new in town. I'm here on a business venture."

"What kind of venture?" she asked, interested.

* * *

Joey approached the trawler at lunch time. Max was at the childminder's, giving her some free time and Macy had been sleepy so she'd left her to nap. Although she couldn't work properly on it anymore, she did like to visit and do what she could. It was a part of her life that she wasn't quite ready to let go yet. She frowned when she saw Aden, Sarah, Romeo, Liam and David looking unimpressed. James wasn't back from lunch yet.

"What's up?" she asked.

"We've got competition," Aden explained.

Joey raised her eyebrows uncertainly and then sighed as her best friend explained that there was a new businessman in town who was pitching direct competition with their trawlers.

* * *

"I think Mum's biggest problem is that we're living with your folks," Leanne ventured as she pushed the pram along the beach front.

James had escaped the trawler to have lunch with her, and with baby Zac whinging, they'd gone for a stroll.

"Do you think?" he asked.

Leanne nodded and paused her step. She turned to her boyfriend.

"What do you think of moving out to a place together?" she suggested.

James shoved his hands in his pockets, pondering their options.

"I don't think we'd be able to afford it," he admitted. "Not with just one wage coming in."

"Well, I can't work and raise Zac all at the same time," Leanne snapped.

He held his hands up in defence, quickly stating that he hadn't been criticising her.

"Maybe we can work something out," he said, backtracking, although not entirely sure it was possible.

* * *

Joey walked home in a world of her own. This new guy, Lou, had set up several trawlers and it meant that she might struggle to hold onto the contracts she had established during her years running the business she'd inherited from her father. She just hoped that loyalty would win out over a new and exciting business venture. Looking up, she saw a hooded figure coming towards her. He was running erratically and she automatically tried to move out of the way. Noticing, the runner changed direction so that he was heading right for her. She tried to dodge him but he succeeded in pushing her to the ground.


	105. Chapter 105

_DnW nagged, I mean, convinced me to put another chapter up so here is your Sunday dose in advance! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Five**

**June 2028**

"Fuck!" Joey cried, wincing in pain.

She'd fallen hard on her injured shoulder and hadn't been able to stop the guy from stealing her bag. Winded and in pain, she watched him run off.

"Joey?"

She looked up to see Melissa and Mink approaching, hand in hand. Melissa broke contact from her girlfriend and hurried over, helping Joey sit up.

"Joey, what happened?"

"I got mugged," Joey said, rubbing her shoulder.

"Are you hurt?" Mink asked, coming to crouch down in front of her.

"Just my shoulder," Joey said dismissively, as if it didn't matter. "Can one of you call Charlie for me?"

Melissa nodded and pulled out her phone, selecting her friend's partner's number quickly and listening to it ring.

* * *

Charlie hurried past Watson, Daria and Sam and into a patrol car. Having got a location from Melissa, she hung up and sped off towards the beach front. She tried not to panic about Joey being hurt but she couldn't quite help it. The last thing her wife needed right now was more trauma. She felt like life never gave Joey a break anymore.

* * *

Zoe was waiting for Brett when he arrived at her apartment, breathless and feeling more than a little guilty. He had mugged his own sister and left her lying, injured and confused on the ground. He felt guilty and he hoped she wasn't injured. But the mugging had been necessary if their plan was going to work.

"Did you get everything?" Zoe asked.

Brett nodded and dumped the bag on the kitchen table. Zoe wasted no time in going through it.

* * *

"Joey!" Charlie yelled, leaping off her bike with very little grace and rushing to where Joey was still sitting on the floor with Melissa and Mink. "Joey, are you okay? What happened?"

"Some jerk stole my bag," Joey explained.

She was trying not to show it but she felt pretty shaken up. Charlie looked worried enough as it was.

"Did they hurt you?" she asked.

"Just my shoulder," Joey said. "I landed on it."

"Okay, well I need to get you to the hospital," Charlie said.

Joey shook her head and began to protest.

"Joey," Charlie said sternly. "I am not arguing with you."

"And if she doesn't drag you there, we will," Melissa put in.

Joey sighed. Charlie smiled triumphantly and helped Joey to her feet.

"Thanks so much for calling me," Charlie said.

"No problem," Melissa said. "Joey, are you going to be okay?"

"I've got my knight in shining armour looking after me," Joey smirked. "I'll be fine."

Melissa and Mink watched Charlie and Joey bicker about the necessity of going to the hospital as they headed to the car.

* * *

"So, why is having her bag important?" Brett asked.

If he was being honest, he wasn't entirely clear on the plan.

"We need this," Zoe said, presenting Joey's diary. "And with it, we're going to mess with her head."

Brett sighed. He was starting to think this wasn't such a good idea.

"And how exactly is that going to break her and Charlie up?" he asked.

"Because you know as well as I do that when Joey freaks out or she's hurting over something, she pushes people away. And this time, she's going to push Charlie away one time too many."

"And then what?" Brett asked.

"Then they split up."

Brett nodded and took the diary from her, rummaging through it.

"You're not going to try and get her back, are you?" he wanted to know.

"She murdered my brother," Zoe snapped. "I wouldn't even consider it."

She sat back and smiled at Brett for a moment.

"Will you go after Charlie?" she asked.

"I'd love to," he admitted. "But I think that ship has sailed."

* * *

"Sorry for bothering you," Joey said to Rachel, more for Charlie's benefit than anything else.

Charlie just poked her tongue out and refused to apologise for worrying about Joey.

"That's fine," Rachel said. "It's not a bother. It's good that you came here."

Charlie grinned triumphantly and put her arm around Joey.

"How are you feeling these days?" Rachel asked, continuing to make notes on her clipboard.

Joey nodded.

"I'm a lot better," she said. "I mean, this damn thing is still pretty screwed but I've learnt to live with it."

Charlie held her a little closer. Joey's injured shoulder was a constant reminder of what had happened to Joey and specifically, who had happened to her. Between that and Zoe hanging around, looking suspicious but not technically causing trouble, was enough to feel very stressful. But she was more than a little bit proud of the way her wife was handling things these days.

"Do you still do your physio exercises?" Rachel asked.

Joey turned pink.

"She barely does them at all," Charlie said.

"Traitor!" Joey pouted.

Rachel tutted but smiled.

"My shoulder is always going to hurt," Joey explained. "So why put myself through the pain of moving it around more than I have to? I've already been told it'll never get better."

Rachel sighed and looked as stern as she could manage.

"You really need to do them," she said. "Promise me?"

Joey looked reluctant.

"Promise me?" Rachel repeated.

Joey glanced from her to Charlie who looked equally as firm. She sighed.

"Okay," she relented.

* * *

Zoe saw Brett to the door and double checked that they both knew what they were doing. They were in this for the long haul and planned on chipping away at Charlie and Joey's relationship for as long as it took.

"Are we all set?" Zoe checked.

"Yep," Brett said.

He had misgivings but he wanted his sister back. Surely if she lost everything with Charlie then she'd stop being gay and come crawling back to him.

* * *

With Joey sitting comfortably on the sofa, Charlie called work and said she wouldn't be back that afternoon. Joey protested when she hung up the phone but Charlie was quick to insist that she wasn't about to abandon her when she'd just been mugged. Handing the phone over, she instructed Joey to call the bank and cancel all her cards.

"I'll make lunch," Charlie said, heading into the kitchen to leave her to it. "And then when we're done, I am absolutely certain that we could find an absolutely delightful way to spend our afternoon."

She grinned. Joey grinned back and began to dial.

**

* * *

**

July 2028

It was a few days later and Charlie had decided that, despite being a Detective now, she wanted to go out on patrol. Dragging Watson with her, they were mooching around in the car looking for trouble. Her phone beeped. She smiled.

"Joey by any chance?" Watson smirked.

"How do you know?" Charlie asked.

"Because I've known you since we were eighteen years old," Watson said. "And there is only one person in the world that provokes that silly little smile!"

"Hey!" Charlie protested. "It's not a silly little smile."

"It's terribly cute," Watson said, still smirking.

"Shut up!" Charlie protested.

Watson grinned and turned left onto the main road.

"She's taking me out for dinner tonight," Charlie said, amazed that after all this time she still swooned.

Watson chuckled as Charlie texted back eagerly.

"I thought she lost her phone in the mugging?" she remembered.

"She got the replacement from the insurance," Charlie mused, putting her own phone away again.

* * *

Joey had been struggling to do some gardening and was now deeply regretting it. Her shoulder was officially killing her, although Macy had particularly enjoyed playing in the spray when Joey had watered the plants with the hose. Three year-old Max had also thoroughly enjoyed himself. She flopped onto the couch and closed her eyes. Macy hopped up next to her and rested her head in her lap, sharing it with Max who had exhausted himself laughing.

"Hey, darling," Charlie said, breezing into the lounge.

Joey opened her eyes and smiled. Macy woke Max by leaping off the couch and coming to greet her. Charlie crouched down to accept her excited greetings. It had taken a little bit of time but she was now very fond of the family pet.

"How was your day?" Joey asked.

Charlie came to sit beside her. Max clambered over to give her a cuddle.

"It was pretty good," Charlie said. "You look like you're in pain though. Is it your shoulder?"

"We played in the garden!" Max announced.

"You weren't supposed to tell!" Joey squeaked but kissed the top of his head.

"Joey..."

"We did play in the garden," Joey admitted. "We made it pretty."

"Do you not want to go out tonight if you're hurting?" Charlie asked.

"Go out?" Joey asked. "Are we going out?"

"You texted me to say you'd booked a table," Charlie said.

Joey looked bewildered.

"I don't have a phone."

"You said the replacement arrived this morning," Charlie told her, now as confused as Joey was.

Joey shook her head.

"I haven't even cancelled the old one yet," she said.

"Joey!" Charlie squeaked, making Macy and Max both jump.

"I meant to," Joey said lamely. "I just didn't get around to it."

"That's not like you. You could be ringing up a huge phone bill thanks to the little shit who mugged you."

"I know. But... what do you mean I texted you anyway?" Joey asked.

Charlie pulled out her phone and showed Joey the message.

_Wooho! I got my replacement phone! I've booked a table at our restaurant. Sound good? J xxx_

Joey frowned, puzzled.

"I didn't text you," she said certainly. "And I haven't made any dinner reservations."

"If you didn't text me, who did?" Charlie asked.

Joey shrugged. Max copied her. Charlie grinned and kissed him. Then she phoned the number that had sent the message. They both heard ringing in the kitchen. Standing up in sheer confusion, they left Max on the sofa and headed into the other room. A mobile phone was ringing on the table. Next to it was a delivery package and on it was Joey's signature. More confused than ever, Joey shut the phone off. She rummaged through the text messages and found sent messages, including the one to Charlie and one asking James and Leanne to stay in and look after Max and Christine. They certainly had a full house these days with three children and two teenagers, plus them.

"I have no idea where this phone came from," Joey said.

"You signed for it," Charlie pointed out.

"I didn't! I..."

Sighing, she sank into a chair. Scrolling down the call list, she saw that a call had been made to the restaurant. She called them again.

"Hi, did someone make a booking for tonight under the name Joey Buckton-Collins?"

Charlie sat down and listened to the call. Joey hung up.

"We've got a reservation and I have no idea how," she said glumly.

"Well um... you've been under a lot of stress lately," Charlie said. "Maybe you just forgot."

"I forgot a whole day?" Joey asked.

"Tell me what you did do today," Charlie suggested.

"I got up. I took the Christine to school and dropped James at work. Max stayed here with Leanne and Zac."

"Maybe she sighed for it!" Charlie said hopefully.

"She wouldn't sign my name though," Joey pointed out.

Sighing, Charlie nodded and took Joey's hand.

"Then I... I just pottered around. Did housework and stuff. I don't... really remember."

Furrowing her brow, she tried so hard to remember what she had done all day that she found herself facing a mental block.

"Oh! I took Leanne and Zac into town."

She glanced at her watch and began to worry.

"Was I meant to pick them up?"

She pulled the phone out again and called her future daughter-in-law. Charlie studied her face and they both relaxed when Leanne said she was meeting James and they would be getting the bus back together.

"I'm still confused," Joey said, hanging up.

"Me too," Charlie admitted. "You really don't remember texting me or getting the phone or making the table reservation?"

Joey shook her head.

"What's wrong with me?" she wondered. "I went to an appointment yesterday that I apparently cancelled."

"Maybe you're concussed or something?"

"Rachel checked me over and didn't say anything."

"We could go back?" Charlie suggested. "You didn't say you'd hit your head so maybe she didn't check for something like that."

Joey shook her head and felt decidedly uncomfortable.

"Well, let's go out anyway," Charlie said. "I'll go pick Christine up from her friend's house. What time are James, Leanne and Zac back?"

"She said sixish on the phone."

"Good," Charlie said. "We can leave Max and Chris with James and Leanne and we can go out and enjoy ourselves."

She smiled triumphantly and kissed Joey's hand, eliciting a small smile.


	106. Chapter 106

**Chapter One Hundred and Six**

**January 2029**

Zoe sat in the corner of Crumble with Brett. Joey and Sarah were seated nearby, deep in discussion that Zoe and Brett were eagerly eavesdropping on. It had been six months since the mugging and they'd spent a lot of time messing around with appointments and such things in order to confuse her. And she was struggling. They'd even listened in on a conversation between her and Charlie where she had been wondering if she ought to go and see someone. And Charlie hadn't quite managed to disagree. She was obviously worried. However, things were working more slowly than they had hoped. It seemed like Charlie and Joey were pulling together even more so, rather than allowing the situation to pull them apart.

"How does it feel to be a Mum, Joey?" Sarah asked.

Joey studied her face. It seemed like a strange question. She hadn't thought that Sarah or Watson had ever had an interest in kids.

"It's wonderful," Joey said honestly. "I mean, I know none of them are technically mine but..."

She smiled.

"It's a very special feeling."

Sarah nodded and looked wistful.

"What's with the random questioning?" Joey enquired.

"I'm getting broody," Sarah admitted. "And I know it's a bit late to be thinking about kids but... well, I'm forty-six now. Time's running out!"

"Does Watson want kids?" Joey asked, knowing full well that she didn't.

"I doubt it," Sarah said. "But maybe I could convince her. I mean, having kids didn't ruin anything for you, did it? I mean... like... sex wise."

Joey choked on her drink and laughed.

"Definitely not!" she said, trying not to sound smug.

Sarah grinned wickedly.

"I think that's a big concern of Watson's. She likes the whole 'only paying attention to each other' thing," Sarah said. "So, maybe if she knows you two continue to... you know... then she might come round to the idea."

Joey chuckled and polished off the rest of her lunch.

"Oh, hey, do you want to come round for a dinner party type thing on Friday?" she asked.

"For Charlie's birthday?"

Joey nodded.

"We'd love to," Sarah said.

"Cool. It's going to be you, Watson, Aden, Belle, Charlie and I. We're doing a family thing on the Saturday with Rubes, the twins and the millions of kids that seem to be bouncing around!"

"What gift have you got her then?" Sarah wanted to know.

From their table, Zoe and Brett listened in more intently.

"I've bought her some DVD's, clothes, I've reserved a beautiful eternity ring at the jewellery store in town. I'm going to pick that up on Friday. I hope. It should be ready on time. And I've booked a family portrait photograph thing for the whole family."

Brett and Zoe listened to the finer details.

* * *

James finished work and met up with Leanne and Zac. His baby boy was sixteen months old now and he was absolutely perfect. Perhaps having a baby so young wasn't ideal but he felt that he and Leanne were very much making the best of things. He was grateful to be out of school, having never been the academic type. And he felt like he was doing well on Joey's trawler although he couldn't help but feel cheated that he'd never got to work with his Mum like David had. Still, he was enjoying his job and he understood exactly why Joey loved the sea so much. Smiling contentedly, James put his arm around Leanne as she pushed the pram along the seafront.

* * *

Xavier arrived home from work to find Ruby and Nicole chatting. Cathy was watching television quietly and all but twins Clarissa and Gina were asleep in their mother's arms. Having been born on the same day as Charlie, there was due to be a happy family celebration at the weekend.

"Hey, ladies," he greeted.

They both hissed at him to be quiet. Clarissa and Gina had only just gone to sleep. He held his hands up in defence, apologised and sat heavily in the armchair. Gina immediately woke up and began to wail. Clarissa was quick to follow suit. Both women yelled at Xavier. Irritated, he stormed up to his bedroom.

* * *

Brett knocked on Zoe's door. She opened up and welcomed him inside.

"Did you do it?" he asked as he sat down.

Zoe nodded. Brett wasn't entirely sure if he was pleased or not. If he was being honest, his heart wasn't really in it anymore. He didn't like it but he was very aware that Joey and Charlie were besotted with one another. They always had been, even back when they were pretending to be straight. He wondered, not for the first time, if he and Zoe ought to leave them alone now. Tentatively, he suggested it. Zoe looked horrified.

* * *

"Hey, Harry!" James called out cheerfully.

The young boy looked up and glared at his friend and niece. Keeping his hands shoved into his pockets, he approached.

"What's up?" James asked.

"Like you even care," Harry snapped back.

Leanne noticed a bruise over his eyes.

"Harry?" she asked. "Did someone hurt you?"

"No, I walked into a door," Harry replied sarcastically.

"Hey," James said, feeling protective. "There's no need to be rude to her. It's not our fault if you got into a fight."

"Actually, it is," Harry accused.

* * *

Charlie and Joey left Christine and Max eating at the kitchen table together to sit in the lounge. The older girl was ten now and while she struggled with shyness, she was a beautiful and happy little girl with a real zest for life. And at four years old, neither thought Max could get more adorable. He smiled all the time and was definitely easy to look after. Joey sat between Charlie's legs and smiled gratefully as Charlie immediately began to gently massage her shoulder. The rule was that she got a little massage for every day she did her exercises and Joey liked to think she was doing a good job of keeping up with them. She was even toying with the idea of trying to work on the trawler again. She moaned as Charlie's talented fingers worked on her most sore spots. Then she smiled when she felt her lips on her neck. Leaning into her, Joey let Charlie hug her from behind, still softly kissing her neck.

* * *

Once Nicole and the kids had gone home to Romeo, an unhappy Xavier resurfaced. Ruby was preparing some food for Gina.

"Where did you stomp off to?" Ruby asked.

Xavier glared.

"I didn't feel very wanted."

"You woke the kids up, that's all," Ruby said dismissively.

Xavier slumped into a chair.

"Ruby, you don't seem to have any time for me anymore," he said.

She paused and looked at him. Her husband looked utterly miserable.

"Of course I have time for you," she said. "You're my husband."

He laughed in disbelief.

"You remember that, do you?" he asked.

She put her hands on her hips and frowned.

"What is with you, Xave?" she asked. "I thought everything was fine."

"Well, it's not!" he snapped. "I'm sick of you only ever focussing on Gina."

Now it was Ruby's turn to laugh.

"You're not seriously jealous of your own daughter?" she asked.

He glared further.

"Trust you to break it down to it simplest form," he accused. "I'm not jealous of my daughter. I love her. I'd live and die for her. You know that. But once in a while it might be nice if you asked me how my day was when I got home from work. Hell, even if you so much as smiled at me, I'd be happy. But if it's nothing to do with Gina then you're not interested. I feel like a stranger in my own home."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Ruby said, turning back to finish preparing Gina's dinner.

Xavier stood and left the house, slamming the door behind him.

* * *

"What are you talking about?" James asked.

Harry fixed them both with his iciest stare, tensing his arms and letting his eyes burn into both of theirs.

"You got her up the duff," Harry almost yelled. "Then you upped and left school. You left me all by myself. You just made this big decision and didn't even think about me. So I've spent the last year defending myself against all the little shits you used to protect me from. And now it's the holidays and I _still _can't get away from them!"

James felt guilty. Leanne's instinct was to pipe up that technically she hadn't left school. Her parents had forbidden it. She was, however, still on extended maternity leave. She was studying from home and it wasn't easy. She was still very tempted to quit altogether and focus all her attention on Zac.

* * *

Friday morning rolled around. Joey saw Charlie off to work and then took Christine to school before convincing Max that he really did want to go shopping with her. In a year, he would be starting school himself but for now, he and Joey were together pretty much twenty-four hours a day. Leanne had seen James off to work and was now dressed and ready to take Zac round to see her grandparents, Tony and Rachel. James hadn't thought it was the best idea but Leanne was adamant that they needed to know what Harry was going through.

* * *

Daria and Sam were both working on the reception desk at work. Things were going well between them, although they were currently in direct competition for a promotion to Sergeant. A lot of their colleagues had put themselves forward. Charlie had opted out of choosing. She believed that Daria was the most appropriate selection but she didn't want to be accused of favouritism. The Detective was in her office. She looked up when, as usual, Watson arrived without invitation and slumped into a chair, sighing dramatically.

"What's up?" Charlie asked, closing her laptop in order to give her Sergeant her full attention.

"Sarah wants babies!" Watson pointed out.

Charlie nodded. Joey had told her about the conversation they'd had.

"I don't want babies! Have you ever known me to be the kind of person to want babies? I mean... yuck! All that crying and dirty nappies and... yuck!"

She pulled an exaggerated disgusted face, making Charlie laugh.

"Babies are cute," she said.

"Yeah but you're all maternal and stuff," Watson said, still looking horrified. "I'm not! I mean, seriously, it took this long for me to get my head around marrying her. Having a family? No way!"

Charlie interlocked her fingers and leant on the desk.

"Then you need to talk to her. You need to tell her how you feel. And more importantly, you have to listen to how she feels. Work through it together."

Watson nodded and leant back in her chair, putting her feet on the desk. She promptly removed them when she heard Charlie clear her throat.

"It's times like these when I really envy you and Joey," Watson admitted.

Charlie looked surprised.

"Don't get me wrong," Watson said quickly. "I know you guys have pretty much been to hell and back. But for the most part, you've done it together. You know? You're so in tune with each other. I love Sarah so much but sometimes it feels like we're from different worlds."

* * *

"Can we have McDonalds?" Max asked as he trotted along beside Joey, holding her hand.

"Baby, it's a little bit early for that, don't you think?" Joey said, glancing down at him and smiling affectionately.

"But they do breakfast!" Max piped up.

"We already had breakfast," Joey pointed out.

Max stopped, making Joey halt also. He pouted, sticking his bottom lip out as far as he possibly could.

"Okay!" Joey sighed. "As it's a special day. But it means more shopping afterwards because I need to get something for Chris to make up for her missing out. Deal?"

"Deal," Max confirmed.

"Shake on it?" Joey said, offering her hand and then bursting out laughing when Max did a little jig in confirmation, shaking his body instead of her hand.

* * *

Ruby and Nicole sat side by side in Crumble. Leah had provided high chairs for Clarissa and Gina. Cathy was in school. Heading back into the kitchen, Leah was smiling cheerfully. Roman caught her look and wondered what she was so happy about.

"Oh, just the babies," she said. "They're so cute."

He chuckled and continued chopping vegetables. Babies had never been his thing. He'd missed out on Nicole's childhood, had never had much to do with Leanne who was completely unaware that Jack wasn't her Dad, and VJ was already growing up when he and Leah had got together properly.

"Don't go getting any ideas!" he remarked.

"Why?" she teased. "We're not too old!"

"Yes we are!" Roman said quickly.

* * *

Rachel and Tony thanked Leanne and saw her and Zac out. Both were worried about Harry and wished that their son had felt able to turn to them over his situation. Outside in the fresh air, Leanne glanced across the street at her old house. Things were better between her and her mother these days but they weren't perfect and she knew Martha was desperate for her to leave Charlie and Joey's place and come home. Taking a deep breath, she crossed the street and knocked on the door.

* * *

Joey's last stop at the shops was the jewellery store to pick up the eternity ring she'd ordered for Charlie. Approaching the counter, she made herself known to the shop assistant and handed her ticket over.

"Okay," the young woman said. "I'll go get it for you."

"Thanks," Joey said, smiling cheerfully.

* * *

"You're still not talking?" Nicole asked incredulously as Ruby explained the tale of woe between herself and her husband.

"Nope," the younger girl sighed. "He's so insensitive! I mean... of course I'm going to be focussing a lot on the baby. Of course certain things are going to be neglected. But he's making out like I don't know he exists. And believe me, I'm well aware of him!"

"What do you mean by certain things?" Nicole asked curiously.

"Well, I guess we don't get to do much together, you know, just us," Ruby admitted. "And I don't seem to have much to talk about other than Gina but..."

"What about sex?" Nicole asked bluntly.

"It's been so long I think I've forgotten how to do it," Ruby admitted.

"No wonder he's grumpy!" Nicole remarked.

"I don't have the energy!" Ruby said defensively.

"I'm not criticising," Nicole assured her, putting a gentle hand on her arm. "But maybe you two could have a romantic evening or something at the weekend."

"I'm exhausted all the time, Nic," Ruby sighed. "I'm up with Gina all night, she gets me up at the crack of dawn in the morning."

"How about me and Romeo take her for a night?" Nicole suggested.

Ruby's eyes widened in joyful surprise.

"Are you serious?" she asked, hardly daring to hope for a little break.

She loved Gina like her life depended on it but she was tired. She needed a rest. And she needed to make things better with Xavier.

"I'm totally serious," Nicole said. "I've already got Cath and Clarissa. One more won't make much difference. Then you and Xavier can have some private time."

"I just want to go to sleep!" Ruby admitted, yawning for emphasis.

Nicole laughed. Ruby suddenly looked curious.

"Are you and Romeo... you know...? Do you do it regularly?" she asked.

"Not quite as regularly as we used to but yeah," Nicole said. "But then, this is baby number two. It was very difficult to cope with baby number one. But we've kind of got the hang of it now. I hope."

"When do you think Xave and I will get the hang of it?" Ruby wondered.

"Just give it time," Nicole said with a grin.

* * *

"What on earth are you talking about?" Joey said, trying not to become irate.

"I'm sorry," the shop girl said. "But according to the computer, the order was cancelled at the beginning of the week."

"I didn't cancel anything," Joey said through gritted teeth.

Max looked up at her worriedly.

"You called the store and cancelled it. You said it was a gift but that you'd found something else. We explained that you'd lose your deposit and you said that was fine."

"Wait," Joey said. "Let me get this straight. You fuck up my order and you're charging me for the privilege?"

She was never one to swear in front of the kids but she was quickly becoming furious. She let go of her son's hand for fear of breaking it.

"Mrs Buckton-Collins, we haven't messed anything up," the shop girl said. "You cancelled the order."

"I didn't!" Joey yelled.

Most customers turned to look at her.

"It's right here on the computer," the girl said. "I don't know what else to tell you."

She looked grateful when her manager approached to take over.

* * *

Romeo, Aden, David, Liam, Sarah and James all headed in the Jukebox together on their lunch break and crowded round a table. Romeo headed up to the bar and ordered soft drinks for everyone. Xavier nodded and served him without enthusiasm.

"Are you alright?" Romeo asked. "You look like you've got the weight of the world your shoulders.

Xavier sighed and presented the first two drinks.

"Ruby and I aren't getting on so well," he admitted.

"How come?"

Xavier served the next two beverages and paused, leaning on the counter.

"Does Nicole focus all her attention on the kids and nothing on you?" he asked, unsure what kind of answer he was hoping for.

He sighed when Romeo shook his head, as if the concept were completely alien to him. He served the final two drinks and Romeo handed his cash over.

"Is that what's happening with you and Rubes?" Romeo asked.

Xavier nodded.

"Have you talked to her about it?"

"I talked. She snapped. And now we haven't spoken for days," Xavier sighed.

"Well, all I can say is that you need to talk again," Romeo said. "Properly."

* * *

The manager sighed. She'd also gone through the computer system and Joey's order had been cancelled. The person who had phoned had passed all the security checks, including all her card details. She was flummoxed over why her customer didn't seem to remember doing it.

"How about we re-order it for you?" the manager suggested politely.

"My wife's birthday is tomorrow," Joey said. "I ordered this months ago so that there wouldn't be any delay. Ordering it now isn't going to help, is it?"

"I'm sorry, Mrs Buckton-Collins," the manager said. "We've got plenty of pre-made rings in our collection. We could..."

Joey shook her head in defeat, took hold of Max's hand and left the shop, feeling close to tears.


	107. Chapter 107

_I hope you enjoy the chapter, although things are getting stressful for poor Joey. And in a bid for shameless self promotion, a new chapter of my novel is up on authonomy dot com! Thanks to everyone who reads my fics and to everyone has been following my novel. One day it might even get somewhere! One day... Love, IJKs xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Seven**

**January 2029**

"Just stop getting in my way!" Joey snapped impatiently.

James apologised and hurried away, bumping into a puzzled Charlie as she arrived downstairs from getting changed.

"What's up?" she asked her son.

"Your wife is evil!" James told her, heading to Zac's room where Leanne was trying to get their baby boy ready to go and spend the night with her parents.

Charlie headed on into the kitchen to find Joey slamming pots around.

"Hey, are you alright?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm fine!" Joey snapped.

Immediately feeling guilty, she apologised.

"Joey, we don't have to do dinner tonight," Charlie told her, stepped closer. "I'm not that fussed about it."

"Well if you don't want it then why the hell am I busting my butt to make this damn birthday nice for you?" Joey yelled.

More guilt engulfed her at how crestfallen Charlie looked. The Detective mumbled an apology. Joey sighed heavily and hugged her, apologising again.

"I was just trying to make your life easier," Charlie said unhappily.

"I know," Joey replied gently. "I'm sorry. I think I took on too much, that's all."

Charlie kissed the top of her head.

"It all looks lovely, by the way," she said.

Joey smiled and kissed her lips.

"I hope it tastes good," she said worriedly.

"It always does," Charlie said. "Everything you do is always perfect."

Joey frowned, thinking of her ruined birthday gift. None of it made sense and now she had hardly anything to give her tomorrow morning. She couldn't help but feel like a total disappointment.

"Joey, what's up?" Charlie asked.

"Nothing," Joey said, putting a brave face on.

She hugged and kissed her and then sat her down with a bottle of wine to open in preparation for the arrival of their guests.

* * *

Daria and Sam had offered to take Max and Christine for the night and despite herself, Daria was having a lovely time playing Mum. She helped four year-old Max into his pyjamas and then tucked him into bed.

"Is Mummy Joey okay?" Max wondered sleepily.

"Yeah, she's fine," Daria assured him. "She and Mummy Charlie are just having an evening with their friends, that's all."

"But she was sad today," Max told her.

Daria perched on the edge of the bed.

"Was she?"

He nodded.

"She cried the whole way home and she yelled at the woman in the jewellery store," Max explained.

He'd been worrying about it for most of the day.

"Why did she do that?" Daria asked. "Do you know?"

She too felt concerned.

"They didn't have the present she wanted or something," Max said. "Is she okay?"

Daria kissed the top of his head.

"She's fine," she promised. "It was just a misunderstanding, that's all."

* * *

Macy was grumbling in her basket, having been banned from the kitchen while Joey finished up cooking and Charlie made the dining table pretty. Watson and Sarah appeared with gifts, a card and two bottles of wine. Macy leapt up to greet them excitedly and they gave her some fuss before Joey instructed her to go and sit back down.

"Ooh, you're strict!" Watson teased. "I bet Charlie enjoys it!"

Charlie snorted. Joey looked unimpressed but managed a small smile.

"Happy birthday," Sarah said, offering a card and present out to Charlie who accepted it happily.

Joey busied herself back in the kitchen. Presents were still a sore subject. She was just checking her seafood bouillabaisse when Aden and Belle arrived and the whole merry greeting fiasco started again.

* * *

Ruby and Xavier sat side by side in frosty silence in the living room. Gina was asleep in bed and they listened to her little snuffles on the baby monitor as they watched television. Husband and wife suddenly felt worlds apart and neither quite knew what to do about it.

* * *

James, Leanne and Zac headed out of the house, pausing to say goodbye to Charlie, Joey and their guests.

"Oh, that Zac is such a cutie," Sarah cooed when they were gone.

"He's pretty adorable," Charlie agreed.

She held Joey's hand tenderly under the table before they began to tuck into their starters.

"This is delicious, Joey," Watson said, changing the subject.

The last thing she wanted to talk about was babies. Sarah had suddenly decided that she wanted them and Watson was adamant that she did not. She was grateful only that they didn't have that many fertile years to argue about it.

"Thanks," Joey replied.

"Although I think everything you've ever cooked is delicious," Aden added with a grin.

Joey blushed.

"That's what I said earlier!" said Charlie. "She's pretty amazing, isn't she?"

Joey blushed more as her wife and friends began to discuss how wonderful she was.

* * *

Jack finished cooking dinner and chatted to James in the kitchen while Martha, Leanne and Jake played on the floor with Zac. He was due for bed but Martha clung onto him, not getting as much time with her grandson as much she was had intended to when her daughter was pregnant. This wasn't how she'd expected life to turn out for her family.

* * *

"Do you find it hard to handle Max?" Sarah asked.

"No," Joey said, sipping her wine. "He's a dream. He's such a good boy."

She smiled, trying not to feel guilty about him witnessing her tantrum in the shop today. She was determined to make it up to him.

"So, your age doesn't matter?" Sarah asked.

"Are you calling us old?" Charlie cracked.

"No," Sarah said. "I'm not. I think mid-forties is a perfectly acceptable time to have kids."

She looked pointedly at Watson who glared at her. The other four exchanged uncomfortable glances before Aden attempted to change the subject.

* * *

"So, how are things at home?" Martha asked.

Zac was sound asleep and Martha, Jack, James, Leanne and Jake were seated round the dinner table. Leanne was more than a little aware of how sad her mother sounded. She didn't think she'd been forgiven for moving out of home and in with James's parents.

"Yeah, they're pretty good," she said. "Although Joey was in one hell of a mood."

"How come?" Martha asked.

James and Leanne both shrugged. Neither knew what was going on with their parents.

* * *

Joey was feeling frustrated as she cleared plates away from their main course. Every time the six of them got a conversation going, it seemed to turn into a sniping session about babies between Watson and Sarah and Joey was growing particularly tired of it. She slammed a few plates around as she listened to Sarah and Watson argue.

"For fuck's sake!" she finally snapped.

She cringed as everyone stared at her. Gathering the last of the plates, she hurried into the kitchen and began slamming around preparing dessert. Charlie looked uncertain for a moment before standing up.

"I'll be right back," she said, hastily approaching Joey in the kitchen.

"Sweetheart?" she said tentatively.

Joey promptly burst into tears.

* * *

"Hey, um, Romeo said that he and Nic could have Gina one night next week if we wanted," Xavier ventured.

Ruby looked at him, puzzled.

"Why would I give my daughter away to my friends?" she asked, opting to keep quiet about Nicole's constant offers.

"Well, I thought it might be nice if you and I had a night to ourselves or something," he said brightly but awkwardly.

"There's no such thing as a part-time parent, Xave," Ruby snapped.

She grabbed the remote and changed the channel, even though she knew full well he'd been watching something specific.

* * *

Charlie had got rid of Aden, Belle, Watson and Sarah as tactfully as possible. She'd packed up dessert for all four of them and seen them out while Joey hid tearfully in the bedroom with the dog. Locking up for the night and shaking her head at the way Watson and Sarah were continuing to bicker, Charlie headed upstairs to see Joey. She wrapped her arms around her and held her close. Macy stayed close but didn't interfere.

"What's going on, sweetheart?" Charlie asked gently.

"I've messed everything up," Joey sobbed, clutching Charlie close. I ordered you an eternity ring. But I went to collect it today and they had no record of my order. They said I cancelled it or something. But I didn't. I don't understand what's going on, Charlie. I feel like I'm losing my mind! I'm so sorry. I've completely messed it up and let you down."

"Of course you haven't," Charlie assured her.

"I have! I wrecked this evening! And I've fucked up your gift and..."

She struggled for breath as she cried and apologised.

"Listen to me," Charlie said seriously, drawing away and cupping Joey's face. "You haven't messed anything up, alright? So, you lost your temper? I was getting pretty pissed with them too. And it doesn't matter if the ring got lost or misplaced or something. It doesn't matter. The thought was there. That means as much to me."

"But I keep making all these dumb mistakes, Charlie," Joey said desperately. "The phone... the ring... appointments. It's driving me crazy. I don't understand what's going on."

"Maybe you should... I don't know... see someone?"

"You think I'm crazy too!" Joey accused, standing up.

Charlie stood too and held onto her.

"Of course I don't think you're crazy," she said firmly. "But I do think you've been pretty stressed out. And why wouldn't you? After everything you've been through..."

"Charlie, when is all this going to end?" Joey asked seriously. "When am I going to be able to move on with my life?"


	108. Chapter 108

**Chapter One Hundred and Eight**

**January 2029**

The following morning, Joey woke up still feeling stressed but she was determined to be cheerful and make a fuss of her wife on her forty sixth birthday. Creeping out of bed undetected, she wrapped her robe around her and headed downstairs to begin making breakfast for Charlie. Knowing her partner enjoyed indulging in the odd fried breakfast, Joey set to work, singing to herself as she did so. She felt guilty for how she had behaved the previous night and knew she had to apologise to Watson, Sarah, Aden and Belle. She had been an unforgivably bad hostess and she felt ashamed of herself. Cracking an egg into the frying pan, she winced when she burnt her hand on the side. Sucking her finger, she headed over to the sink to run it under cold water, cursing but telling herself not to let it ruin her mood, which always felt so unstable these days.

* * *

Harry looked anxiously between his parents as they sat down at the breakfast table with him.

"What's going on?" he finally asked.

"Are you having problems at youth club, Harry?" Rachel asked worriedly.

Harry's eyes widened and he quickly began to protest and deny it.

"We've heard otherwise," Tony said.

"Who's been talking about me?" Harry demanded.

"It's nothing to be ashamed of, Harry," Tony said gently. "But if you are having problems, you need to talk to us about it so we can help you."

"Well, I'd rather not keep going," Harry admitted. "I don't really like it there."

"But you've always enjoyed it before," Rachel said. "Haven't you?"

He nodded and sighed.

"It's just... different now," he explained. "I feel so left behind."

* * *

Sarah and Watson woke up side by side. Kissing each other good morning, Watson slid out of bed to make coffees. The tension between them had been temporarily suspended after Joey's outburst the night before. Returning to bed with their drinks, Watson propped herself up on the pillows.

"I wonder if Joey's feeling any better," she said.

Sarah nodded and hugged her mug.

"We should probably apologise," she said.

Watson raised her eyebrows.

"Us apologise?" she asked. "She practically threw us out!"

"Yeah, because we were bickering," Sarah pointed out.

Watson nodded and sighed.

"I guess," she mumbled.

Silent tension returned.

* * *

With a sore finger and the dog for company, Joey carried the breakfast tray up to hers and Charlie's bedroom. Just as she opened the door, Christine and Max appeared from behind their bedroom doors, eager to join in with the birthday celebrations.

"Come on then," Joey whispered.

She nudged open the door and she, the kids and the dogs entered, wishing Charlie good morning. She woke somewhat reluctantly, her hair on end and sleep in her eyes. She grinned at the sight before her and welcomed everyone onto the bed.

* * *

"I just feel like Leanne and James have left me behind," Harry said, hating the sound of his own voice. "They're not at school and they're parents and... and VJ's a grown up now too. And I'm seventeen, going to a dumb youth club and I've got no friends."

He sighed heavily and was grateful when his mother hugged him. Glancing at her husband, Rachel wondered how they could make things better for their son.

* * *

Aden glanced at the clock. Belle was usually awake by now. Taking the nearly cold tea he'd made her, he headed upstairs and into the bedroom. His wife plastered a sleepy smile on her face. He slipped back into bed beside her and handed her drink over. She smiled her thank you.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly.

"Yeah," Belle replied. "Just a bit tired."

He nodded and reached for her hand.

"It was a weird night, hey?" he said.

"Yeah," Belle agreed.

He was concerned by the weakness in her voice but he forced himself not to show it.

"I hope Joey's okay," Belle continued. "She seemed pretty stressed last night."

Aden lay on his back and looked up at the ceiling.

"I've known that girl since I was a kid," he said unhappily. "I've seen the best and the worst of her. She was my first love... sort of. We weren't _in love _as such but we loved each other in our own way and... I know her so well. But she hasn't been the same since what happened with Robbo. It's like she's broken and she can't fix herself."

Belle nodded and sighed heavily.

"It's a big trauma," she said. "I mean, who even really knows what happened when she was inside? Let's just hope that in time we'll get the old Joey back."

Rolling over, Aden cuddled her and kissed her cheek.

* * *

Charlie felt elated as she was showered with gifts and cards. Max and Christine had worked on a card together and they'd decorated a photo frame as a gift. There was no photo in it but the way Christine beamed at Joey made Charlie curious.

"That links on pretty well to my present," Joey said.

She handed over an envelope. Propping herself up a little more against the pillows, Charlie opened it and grinned. Joey had organised a family photo shoot for them all.

"Joey, this is awesome!" Charlie said.

"You just need to ring that number to book it," Joey said. "I figured it could be us, James, Leanne and Zac, Romeo, Nicole, Cathy and Clarissa, the twins, plus Sam and Andy, Ruby, Xavier and Gina. What do you think?"

Charlie smiled affectionately at how excited Joey was. She leant over and kissed her.

"This is perfect," she said honestly. "I'll call them today and book."

Joey smiled broadly. She still felt upset about the ring but she hoped to make that up to Charlie eventually.

"Now, can I have my breakfast before it gets cold?" Charlie asked eagerly.

Joey grinned and presented her with the tray. Charlie frowned when she caught sight of the burn on her partner's finger.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Eggs," Joey replied.

* * *

Later that afternoon, having been invited over by Rachel and Tony and with Martha and Jack looking after baby Zac, James and Leanne were sitting down to lunch with Harry, VJ and Jennifer. Harry was torn between feeling mortified and pitied, and pleased that his parents and his friends had made such an effort with him. He just hoped he could hang onto them. Perhaps then he would stop feeling so lonely.

* * *

With Joey and the kids making a mess in the kitchen in a quest to bake Charlie a birthday cake, the Detective stepped into the lounge to call the photo place.

"Just one moment," the woman who answered the phone said. "I'll just look you up in the system."

"Thanks," Charlie said politely.

She waited a few moments.

"Sorry, did you say it was in the name of Charlotte Buckton?" the woman asked.

"Yes, that's right."

"I don't have a booking here."

Charlie's heart sank as she pictured Joey's face.

"Maybe it's under the name of Joanne Collins?" Charlie suggested hopefully.

"Let me just take a look," the woman replied.

Charlie held on for a few moments but was disappointed when the woman had no record of that booking either.

"But I've got the details right here," Charlie protested, flicking through the things in the envelope that Joey had given her.

"Do you have a booking confirmation and number?" the woman asked.

"I have a welcome pack," Charlie told her.

"We send that out to anyone who makes an enquiry," the woman explained.

Charlie's heart sank. She peered into the kitchen to check that Joey was busy and then slipped out the back door.

"Well, can I book and pay for it now then please?" she asked, hoping she'd get away with Joey never knowing what had happened.

* * *

Ruby had somewhat reluctantly sent Gina off to spend the day with Nicole, Romeo, Cathy and Clarissa. Xavier wanted to spend quality time with his wife. If she was being really honest, she wasn't as keen. These days, all she wanted to do was spend time with her daughter. But she knew she owed it to Xavier to make the effort. He was her husband and they loved each other after all. The plan was to pop in and see Charlie for a bit on her birthday and then head out into town to spend some proper time together.

* * *

"Ready, kids?" Romeo said.

Cathy nodded eagerly while Nicole finished getting Clarissa and Gina ready for their day out on the beach. The one year-old girls were already the best of friends. They cried every time they had to say goodbye to each other and crawled around in unison. Ruby had commented that they weren't dissimilar to how she had heard Charlie and Joey described when they were little. Nobody could quite help but wonder how life would turn out for their babies. Cathy was five going on fifteen now and she was growing up so fast. Once upon a time, neither Nicole nor Romeo could have imagined starting their little family. Cathy was certainly the best accident they'd ever had. Nicole had never seen herself as someone who wanted to be a mother and Romeo's home life had always seemed so fractured that he had always worried about not being able to step up and be a good husband and father. He'd never had an example to follow. But he hoped he was doing a good job now. He hoped they would be happy together for the rest of their lives.

* * *

The following week, Charlie, Joey, Romeo, Nicole, Cathy, Clarissa, David, Andy, Daria, Sam, James, Leanne, Zac, Christine, Max, Ruby, Xavier and Gina all headed down to the studios in order to have their excessively large family photo taken. Charlie hadn't let on about the mix up and Joey seemed thrilled to be doing something nice for her. She took her hand as they waited around in the waiting room together. Everyone was creating a lot of noise with their chatter and excitement but everything felt still and silent to Charlie as she gazed at her beautiful wife. She smiled lovingly at her, thinking herself the luckiest woman in the world to have her.

* * *

Aden and Belle walked through town together, enjoying their Saturday afternoon, although both were very aware that Belle's tiredness hadn't improved. She was paler and Aden was concerned. He wanted to take her to the Doctor's or at least to see Rachel but he was afraid of disturbing the peace. Both of them had one thing on their mind and neither of them could bear to voice their fear that Belle was becoming sick again, even though they knew that if she was, time was of the essence.

* * *

Everyone was in a good mood after the shoot. Lots of pictures had been taken and everyone had had fun posing together. Even Ruby felt more relaxed and had been very affectionate with Xavier.

"How about one last picture of the birthday girl and her partner?" the photographer suggested, noting that there was still some film left.

Charlie and Joey took each other's hands and, cheered on by their family, posed for more pictures.

* * *

"We need to up our game," Zoe decided.

Brett looked startled. He shifted in his seat at her kitchen table, wondering what else they could do.

"I don't know!" Zoe snapped. "Why do I have to think of everything?"

"Because I don't want to do this anymore!" Brett exclaimed.

She glared at him.

"Don't you dare think of backing out now after all the work we've done," she warned.

"But we've been messing with Joey for ages and she and Charlie are still together!" Brett said.

He stood up and began to pace. "They're not breaking up!"

"Then we need to try harder."

Brett sank back into a chair.

"I don't want to," he said. "I want my sister back. Even if she is a dyke. I love her. I want to be back in her life. Every time I catch a glimpse of her these days, she's totally stressed out. Can't we just leave her alone?"

"I'm not leaving her alone so you and your sister can rebuild a perfect relationship," Zoe snapped bitterly. "Funnily enough, sibling relationships aren't something I can really relate to. I sacrificed my relationship with my brother for her, because I thought I was doing the right thing. And then she killed him. There's no chance of me reuniting with Robbo so why the hell should I let you rebuild something with Joey? Why shouldn't I be intent on destroying her? I hate her."

Brett studied her face and realised perhaps for the first time that she meant it.

"You loved her once," he pointed out quietly.

"I was an idiot," Zoe said. "There's nothing in Joey Collins to love."

**

* * *

**

February 2029

"Hey, are you ready for lunch?" Daria asked, poking her head around Charlie's office door.

"Yeah," Charlie said, closing a hefty looking folder. "Just a sec."

Daria moved further into the room, worried about how stressed Charlie looked.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Nothing," Charlie lied.

Sitting in a chair, Daria leant forward and looked her mother directly in the eye.

"It's Joey, isn't it?" the younger woman said.

Charlie looked more than a little startled.

"What makes you say that?"

"Because of how stressed and forgetful she's been," Daria said. "Even Max was telling me that she freaked out in a jewellery store before your birthday."

Charlie sighed heavily and invited Daria to come and sit around the other side of the desk.

"Something's wrong," she said. "I just don't know what it is."

"What do you think it is?" Daria asked.

"I don't know."

She opened the folder.

"I've been looking into the medical side of things," she said. "Just in case there's actually something wrong with her memory or something. But I've also been trying to track all the missed appointments and things... you know, just in case there's something else going on."

Daria nodded and peered closer at the file.

"I haven't really come up with anything yet," Charlie admitted. "And I don't want to tell Joey in case she gets more stressed out. But something has to change. If someone is... doing whatever theh ell it is they're doing to her... then I'm not going to stop until I find out who and put an end to it."

* * *

Joey sat in the living room frowning over two credit card bills. Hers did not include the bill for the photo shoot, of which, two of the pictures adorned the room. There was the group shot hanging on one wall and the picture of just her and Charlie on another. They'd lived together far too long for either of them to fuss about names on letters. They opened each other's mail all the time. So when she had opened her bill, she'd opened Charlie's too. The photo shoot was on Charlie's statement. The birthday girl had paid for her own birthday present.

"Knock, knock," a voice called through the house.

It was Ruby. Joey looked up and the younger girl appeared within moments. Macy raced up to greet her.

"Hey," Ruby said.

She had Gina on her hip and came to sit down. Studying her sister in law's face, she asked her what was wrong. Surprising both of them, Joey launched into a rant about Charlie and the credit card bill and her own fear that she was somehow losing her mind. Gina looked bewildered.

"Joey!" Ruby said, holding up a hand to silence her.

Joey looked tearful.

"Firstly, I'm sure you're not losing your mind," Ruby said firmly.

"So many things like this have happened, Rubes..."

"Well, why do you think that is?"

"Because I'm losing my damn mind!" Joey said desperately.

Popping Gina on the floor and handing her some toys, she came to perch beside Joey, putting her arm around her.

"If you really mean that... well, I'm sure we can get you looked at," she said gently. "We can get help."

Joey promptly burst into tears. She wiped her eyes. Macy came to sit at her feet, which delighted Gina who immediately wanted to play with her.

"Why would Charlie lie to me?" Joey asked.

Ruby kept her arm around her.

"Because she loves you," she said. "She must have known that the mix up or whatever it was, would upset you. She would have wanted to protect you, make you feel like you did something nice for her."

"But I didn't!" Joey said sadly.

"You did," Ruby insisted. "The thought was there."

Joey sighed and tried to feel comforted but it was almost impossible.

"I just wanted to give her a nice birthday, Rubes and I messed all of it up. She ended up paying for her own gift," she said.

"It doesn't matter though, does it?" the younger girl asked. "Your finances are all shared and everything, aren't they? And it really is the thought that counts."

Joey nodded and sighed heavily.

"I just feel like I always mess everything up," she said. "How long is Charlie going to stay with me if I keep on letting her down?"


	109. Chapter 109

**Chapter One Hundred and Nine**

**May 2029**

Charlie, Joey, Christine, Max and Macy had taken the boat out for a nice Saturday afternoon together. The sun was shining and everyone was having a nice time. Christine was eleven now and in her first year of high school and she was proving to be quite the academic. Both Charlie and Joey were proud of her, especially since once a week, she helped Jack and Martha's son, Jake with his school work. The two children were in the same class but Jake wasn't taking to harder work as easily as Leanne was. It was nice to see the friendship building and that Christine was really proving herself at school. Max was four and went to nursery for the morning, five days a week. That was when Joey took the time to get her work done. She still missed the trawler and had tried to go back on several occasions but it hadn't worked out. So, she settled with accounts and visits. The boat that Charlie had bought her for her last birthday definitely helped. Even if she wasn't sailing it, she quite often liked to go and sit on her boat with Max and Macy of an afternoon, enjoy the sunshine and play games. Privately, she was still struggling with her memory playing tricks on her. She had eventually managed to buy Charlie the ring she'd planned and she let Charlie think she was none the wiser about the photo shoot. Aside from her fears and insecurities about herself, she was happy. Charlie was working hard and playing the perfect wife. James was becoming an amazing father to Zac and relationships between him, Leanne, Martha and Jack were definitely improving. Daria and David had packed themselves off on holiday with their boyfriends. They were thirty now and had certainly matured into beautiful adults. Much of their teenage angst had healed. They were professional and capable and Charlie and Joey were certainly proud of their twins. Gazing out over the side of the boat, Joey breathed in the fresh, sea air. Charlie left Christine and Max playing with Macy and stepped up behind her. She wrapped her arms around Joey's narrow waist and rested her chin on her shoulder. Joey smiled and touched her hands, breathing her in and relaxing against her.

"Are you having a happy day?" Charlie asked.

She knew Joey was having a hard time. Whatever was going on, was something she was struggling terribly with. Charlie wasn't entirely sure what she ought to do to help her so for now, she was settling for being as supportive as she could. She comforted her when she became stressed and did everything she could to reassure her. And on the quiet, she was tracking every incident as far as she could. But she wasn't coming up with anything tangible. And for that, she felt like a failure.

"I'm in your arms and out on the water with my family," Joey said. "What wouldn't be happy about that?"

She smiled and kissed her wife's cheek. Charlie held her closer and they continued to gaze out at the horizon.

* * *

"Okay, ready, set... let's go!" Romeo said.

With Cathy beside him, father and daughter shot off along the sand in a race. Cathy giggled so much she nearly fell over. Romeo did everything he could to slow down and not beat her. From their blanket, Nicole watched and laughed with Clarissa and Gina, who were all enjoying the show. Reaching the finish line first, six year old Cathy was more than a little jubilant as her father crashed onto the sand behind her, admitting defeat. Flopping onto his back, he squeaked as Cathy jumped on him, yelling proudly that she was a faster runner than he was.

"You are," he agreed, chuckling. "You, my Cathy, are the Queen of Everything!"

Leaping to his feet with his daughter in his arms, he swung her around, making her laugh more. Putting her on his shoulders, Romeo charged around the beach, declaring her the winner. Out of breath, he returned to his wife on the blanket and let Cathy down. Stealing a kiss from Nicole, he proposed that they all sat down to a well earned picnic lunch.

* * *

Brett's face fell when he pulled open his front door. Zoe stood there with a notebook, pen and mean expression.

"I told you last night," he said tiredly, trying to close the door again.

She forced her way inside.

"You are not backing out now," she said, putting her stuff down and making herself at home by putting the kettle on.

"Zoe, I don't want to do this!" Brett insisted. "This is too much! It's too far!"

"It's just far enough if you ask me," Zoe said, pulling two mugs out from the cupboard.

Brett sank into a chair and buried his face in his hands, wondering how things had got so complicated. It had started as a game, at least in part. He didn't think he'd ever quite forgiven Charlie for so obviously dating him in order to fight her feelings for Joey. And he held her responsible for his sister not being normal. And he was jealous. He was jealous of the life Joey had built, the love she experienced every day. He'd never had a long term relationship, he didn't feel like he had achieved anything he'd planned, except travelling. He'd seen a lot of places and enjoyed that side of his life. Returning to his hometown had been a bid to rebuild things with Joey and now he was bitterly disappointed. But he wanted to try again. He didn't want to destroy her anymore. But according to Zoe, it was all too late.

* * *

Xavier checked the table looked perfect and lit the candles in the middle. He brushed down his clothes, hoping he looked smart enough and fiddled with his hair. At thirty-six, he felt like he ought to be satisfied with his life. He had a good job managing the Jukebox, he had a good bunch of friends, especially Romeo, his baby girl was more beautiful than he could ever have imagined and he was desperately in love with his wife. But the more time passed, the more he worried that she was no longer in love with him. Ever since Gina had been born, Ruby's whole world had revolved around their daughter. And he understood that, at least to a degree. He knew he would live and die for Gina. She meant everything to him. But he struggled with Ruby loving her to the detriment of their marriage. He was grateful now that once a week Romeo and Nicole took Gina off for a while so that Xavier and Ruby could spend time together. It was usually on a weekday evening but so far, their quality time had still been marred by Ruby being tired after work. She was only working part time, still as a teacher at the local high school, but she claimed exhaustion between work and the baby. Xavier had pretty much forgotten the last time they'd had sex. Bitterly, he wondered if it had been the night Gina was conceived. So Romeo had offered to take Gina out for the day today, giving Xavier and Ruby proper time together. He looked up when his wife came downstairs, looking beautiful and dressed up.

"Fancy!" she commented, noting the table.

He grinned and hugged her, placing a gentle kiss on her lips.

"Only the best for you," he said.

* * *

Aden drove randomly through the streets with Belle in the passenger seat. They held hands and listened to the radio, not really needing to speak. It had been months of tests, appointments and chemotherapy that had been even worse than before. Irene had been the perfect mother and taken Belle out to buy various zany wigs. On Monday, they would find out whether it had worked or if this was the end of the line.

* * *

Mink and Melissa were strolling along the beach hand in hand when they spotted Romeo, Nicole and the kids on the beach. Smiling, they headed over to say hello.

"Hey," Romeo greeted cheerfully.

"Hi, guys," said Nicole. "Do you want to join us?"

She gestured to the picnic they'd laid out.

"Oh, we wouldn't want to intrude," Melissa said, at the same time as Mink readily agreed and began to dig in.

"What?" she asked with a mouthful of sandwich.

Romeo laughed and patted her on the back.

"My sister," he said. "The epitome of class."

"I'm totally classy!" Mink insisted, her mouth still full.

"Yes, dear," Melissa teased.

* * *

James and Leanne were eating popcorn on the couch together watching a kid's film with Zac who had long since fallen asleep. He would be turning two in September, the same day Joey would be turning forty-four and they were surprised by how quickly their little boy was growing up.

"What time are Charlie and Joey and everyone back?" Leanne asked.

"About five, I think," James replied, putting his arm around her.

"It's nice having the place to ourselves for the day, isn't it?"

James nodded and smiled. It was definitely nice. They'd been invited to go out on the boat with the family but the couple relished the alone time it meant they got to spend together and so declined.

"What do you think about... having the place to ourselves all the time?" Leanne asked.

James was confused.

"We can't throw them out of their own house!" he remarked, prompting Leanne to laugh.

She turned to face him and held his hand.

"I want to leave school," she said.

"But, your Mum..."

"I don't care about my Mum!" Leanne exclaimed. "I mean, well obviously, I do. But I don't care what she thinks. I'm struggling at school. I reckon I could get a part time job. I'm sure we could get some kind of childcare. And with the money from your job and mine, if I can get one, perhaps we could find a place of our own to live. What do you think?"

James grinned and kissed her.

"Does this mean we'll be proper grown ups?" he laughed.

* * *

"Let's do it."

Sarah looked up sharply to find Watson standing over her, looking pale. She furrowed her brow.

"Do what?" she asked.

Watson sank into the seat opposite her wife and held her hand across the table.

"Let's have a baby," she said.

Her heart was pounding just at the thought and she'd agonised over it for a long time but she felt she was making the right decision. Sarah continued to stare, bewildered.

"But, you said..."

"I said that I would do anything it took to make you happy," Watson said earnestly. "I said I'd live my life proving that you made the right decision to come back to me. And if you want a baby, who I am to object?"

Sarah felt the disbelieving smile spread across her face. Her heart raced and she squeezed Watson's hand.

"Do you really mean this?" she asked.

"I really mean it," Watson promised.

* * *

"Mum! Look at me! Look what I'm doing!" Christine chirped.

Charlie took Max's hand and approached her wife and daughter who were jointly steering the boat. Christine's hands were on the wheel and Joey, who had been proudly teaching her to sail for a good few months now, hovered behind her, just in case she got into trouble. But so far, she was doing extremely well.

"Maybe I can get my licence soon!" Christine grinned. "How awesome would that be? Then I can be just like you!"

She beamed up at Joey who hugged her and told her how brilliantly she was doing.

* * *

With Clarissa and Gina fast asleep, having worn themselves out from the day, and Cathy indulging in her small daily allowance of video games, Romeo entered the kitchen. Nicole was seated at the kitchen table, looking a little unwell. He sat beside her and took her hand.

"Are you okay, Nic?" he asked. "You haven't seemed yourself these last few days."

She nodded and assured him that she was okay but he wasn't convinced.

"Are you getting sick?" he asked. "Maybe we should get an appointment with the Doctor."

"I'm fine," Nicole insisted.

She kissed him.

"Don't worry about it."

Secretly, she continued to muse over her missed period.

* * *

Xavier pulled himself up out of bed. He cast a glance at his sleeping wife and sighed heavily. They'd eaten lunch, made out and then cuddled before she'd fallen asleep. He couldn't help but feel disappointed. Pulling his shirt back on, Xavier headed out of the house, figuring that he may as well go and collect Gina if that was the extent of their quality time together.

* * *

Aden and Belle entered Crumble holding hands, only to find Irene bouncing up and down giddily.

"Belle!" she bellowed.

Curiously, Belle approached and then grinned when she saw her foster mother waving her newly ringed finger at her. Irene and Lou, Joey's business rival, had been dating for quite some time and now it appeared he had proposed.

"Oh my...!" Belle said, breaking away from Aden in order to hug Irene.

Leah, Roman and Aden joined in happily with the celebrations, very pleased for their friend.

"Have you set a date yet?" Belle teased.

"As soon as possible," Lou said. "And then I'm afraid I'm going to whisk her off on a nice, extended holiday."

"How extended?" Belle asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, love," Irene said. "I will see you through your chemo. We'll get you to the other side and then we'll head off. When you're back to perfect health."

Belle struggled not to become emotional. She hugged her mother again and plastered a smile on her face.

"What's all this then?" said a voice.

They all turned to find Ross and Morag saunter into Crumble. Roman shifted his expression. Even now, at fifty-one years old, he was still a little anxious around the retired Detective. He had, however, always been fond of Morag.

"You're back!" Leah exclaimed, rushing around the counter and hugging them both.

They had made a brief return home from their travels during Joey's trial but soon headed off again.

"Are you here for good or just visiting?" Irene asked as everyone else welcomed them in turn.

"We're back for good, actually," Morag said. "We've seen everything we wanted to see and now... well, this is where our home is."

"Charlie and Joey are going to be so happy to see you," Aden said. "Did they even know you were coming?"

"It's a surprise," said Ross.

* * *

Mink and Melissa returned to the beach. They'd gone surfing for a while and then swimming and now they were stretched out on towels, drying off and relaxing. They held hands in the sunlight.

"Romeo has got it pretty good, hasn't he?" Mink mused. "You know, wife, kids, all that stuff."

"You're not getting broody on me, are you?" Melissa teased.

Mink turned on her side.

"No," she said. "But well, we've been dating a while now and... well, I never thought I'd ever say this to anyone but I... well, I love you and um... what do you think about moving in together?"

Melissa stared at her for a few moments before breaking into a big smile.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," she said. "And for the record, I love you too."

* * *

Charlie, Joey, Christine, Max and Macy arrived home. Zac was in bed and James and Leanne stood up to greet the family.

"Did you have a nice day?" James asked.

"Brilliant!" Christine announced before scampering off to the living room to sit down.

Sailing was exhausting work. Max waddled off after her and Charlie set about making coffee.

"Mum... and Mum..." James ventured, getting both Charlie and Joey's attention. "Lee and I, well, we were talking and we uh... we've made a decision."

Charlie and Joey exchanged uncertain glances. James's tone was far too serious.

"We're going to start looking for a place of our own," he said a little too quickly.

Joey paled.

"Okay," she squeaked.

Charlie put her arm around her. Joey never took the departure of one of her chicks very well.

"That's a big decision," the Detective ventured. "Are you sure?"

"Well, I'm working and saving up and stuff," James said.

"And I'm going to get a part time job," Leanne added.

"What about Zac?" Joey asked.

"We'll figure out some kind of child care," James said. "But we feel like this is the right time to move out. Is that okay?"

Joey nodded and hugged both of them, mumbling that she was happy for them but would miss them and Zac terribly. Charlie hugged them too and congratulated them sincerely.

"Knock, knock!"

The foursome turned to find Ross and Morag at their door.

"Dad!" Charlie exclaimed, rushing forward to hug him.

She hugged Morag too and then Joey took her turn.

"What are you doing here?" Charlie asked.

"We've come home," Ross announced.


	110. Chapter 110

_Brett and Zoe's nasty plot is reaching is climax...! I hope you enjoy the chapter... if that's right word. Love always, IJKS_

**Chapter One Hundred and Ten**

**May 2029**

It was Monday. Max was at nursery and Christine was at school. James was at work while Leanne took Zac out to buy a paper in order to look through the job and property sections. Charlie had just headed to work, leaving Joey to look through Lou DeBono's proposal for them to combine and expand their businesses. He wanted to extend the trawlers all along the coast line and start suppling produce further afield. It was definitely a good idea, if only Joey felt capable of performing. With everything that had been happening with her memory, she was worried about messing up. She had inherited the business from her father, the one thing that had truly connected them. But she'd only seen herself as a small businesswoman. It was the work itself that she had always cared about and now she couldn't do that. Being competitive and branching out was a somewhat worrying prospect. She jumped when Macy began barking loudly, racing towards the back door as someone knocked. Hauling herself to her feet and nearly tripping over the dog in the process, she opened up and was surprised but pleased to find Ross standing there.

Belle and Aden sat side by side in the hospital waiting room for the Doctor to see them and give them the official results to the tests they'd had done the previous week. Belle's throat was dry and Aden's palms were sweaty. Neither could bear to entertain the thought that something was wrong again. How many times could Belle get sick and recover?

With Romeo at work, Nicole was busying herself with housework and keeping an eye on the children. Cathy was attempting to teach Clarissa to sing. Unfortunately, the youngest Smith had not yet mastered vocabulary and was therefore frustrating her sister. Opening the draw, Nicole toyed with the pregnancy test she'd bought. The symptoms were obvious enough, although Romeo had yet to catch on. But she was going to take the test this afternoon and if the results were positive, the plan was to tell Romeo in the evening. She was confident at least that he would be happy about another addition to their household. The first time she'd got pregnant was still something she broke her heart over. It had been a case of making an error with one of her ex-boyfriends, Geoff. She'd lost her baby and it had been the end of the world as far as she was concerned. Still today, she pictured him being an older brother to Cathy and Clarissa. She wondered what he would be like and what he would be doing now. Getting pregnant with Cathy had been scary to say the least. It had been after a one night stand with Romeo but it had bonded them. She'd been able to carry Cathy to term and now they were so happy. While a new baby would certainly stretch their finances, she couldn't help, now that she had the idea in her head that she was pregnant, feeling excited. Even though Clarissa was still so young, another daughter or perhaps a son, would be perfect.

* * *

Joey made some lunch for herself and Ross, wondering what had brought him here and where Morag was. Avoiding the topic, Ross sighed and looked around at the kitchen.

"We've had some happy times here, haven't we?" he said.

Joey nodded and put their food down in front of them.

"We really have."

"And it's been a happy home to you and Charlie and your family?" he asked.

Joey smiled.

"It really has," she said. "Charlie spent her whole life here and let's face it, so did I!"

Ross grinned and nodded.

"You certainly were a permanent fixture!" he said. "But it was nice. I know I wasn't around as much as I should have been but I did love coming home to Elsie and Clara gossiping in the kitchen and you, Charlie and Brett playing in the lounge. And then when Ruby was born..."

He sighed and Joey struggled to read his expression.

"I used to really enjoy those weekends when we'd all have dinner together or... do you remember that holiday on the boat when you were a teenager?"

Joey grinned.

"I certainly do," she said.

She couldn't help but picture that first kiss with Charlie. It had sparked a lifelong love affair that she couldn't live without. Silence fell between them as they ate.

"Ross, what's up?" Joey finally asked.

* * *

"Of course we'll do the catering!" Leah shrieked.

Roman stepped up beside his partner as she confirmed the catering with Irene for her wedding. The date was set for three weeks time and the woman who had very firmly believed that that side of her life was over, was excitedly planning all the finer details. Belle was to be her maid of honour and now Leah and Roman were catering the reception.

"Thank you so much, love!" Irene said, pulling her friend and boss into a tight hug.

She felt so over the moon about everything and she thought Lou was the most wonderful man she could ever have met.

* * *

Silent tears rolled down Aden's cheeks as he listened to the all too familiar diagnosis the Doctor was offering. His wife just nodded and stared, swallowing hard and trying with great difficulty to get her head around things. She had pancreatic cancer. It was advancing through her body and while chemotherapy would delay things, it was really only a matter of time.

* * *

"Do you ever feel like you're losing control of your life, Joey?" Ross asked.

Joey sighed and nodded. She pushed her plate away and rested her elbows on the kitchen table. It was a feeling that had been plaguing her for quite some time. Ross looked surprised and almost hopeful.

"Really?" he asked.

Joey nodded.

"Do you?" she wondered.

He nodded too and rested his hand atop hers.

"Sometimes I... I don't even know who I am anymore," he admitted. "I get these horrible moments of confusion and... and I just don't understand what's going on."

Joey gazed compassionately at him. She couldn't help but wonder why he was telling her and nobody else.

"I don't want to upset anyone," Ross said, as if reading her mind. "I've tried to talk to Morag but it... it just doesn't come out right. And Charlie and Ruby... well, I know they're grown up now. I mean, they're forty-six and thirty-five. But they're still my girls. You're my girl too but... it's different."

He looked at her directly in the face.

"Does that make sense?" he asked.

"It does," Joey said. "It does. I... I know how you feel. I don't know what's wrong with me either."

"I need... I need to go to the hospital," he said. "I booked an appointment for later this afternoon. Would you... I'm so sorry to ask but would you...?"

"I'll come with you," Joey confirmed. "Max is going round to his friend's after nursery to have dinner and stuff so I don't need to pick him up until six. I can put Chris in after school club at short notice so that'll be fine too."

Ross looked grateful.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" he asked. "I didn't know where else to turn."

"Of course I don't mind."

She sighed heavily.

"What do you think is wrong?"

"I dread to think," Ross said. "All I know is that I keep forgetting the dumbest things. I'm losing track of myself. I don't know who I am anymore."

* * *

Watson and Sarah sat on the beach together, holding hands and gazing out at the sea. They had gone to see a consultant who had turned them down for IVF on the basis that they were in their late forties. It made Sarah curse herself for not realising she wanted kids earlier and Watson felt guilty for saying no until now.

"What do we do now?" Sarah wondered.

Watson sighed heavily and put her arm around her wife.

"I guess there's always the DIY route," she suggested.

Sarah raised her eyebrows.

"You know... find a guy... turkey baster..."

Watson shrugged and felt awkward. Sarah nodded and rested her head against Watson's shoulder, turning ideas over in her mind.

* * *

Nicole reappeared from upstairs with her heart racing. The kids were watching cartoons. She smiled affectionately and picked up her phone to call her husband and tell him to get home as soon as he could. She couldn't stop smiling.

Aden and Belle sat opposite Irene in her living room. They clutched each other's hands and wondered how they were going to break the news. The silence was deafening. Irene stared between them, knowing what was coming and desperately wishing it wasn't true.

Joey followed Ross into the consultant's office. They had done some tests and now they were going to deliver the results. Joey couldn't help but feel she was betraying Charlie but then, Ross didn't want to worry her and Joey could see his point. And it was better that he had someone with him at least. Surprising them both, Ross clutched Joey's hand as the Doctor braced himself to tell him what was wrong.

* * *

"What are you looking so chipper about?" Liam asked as he stepped off the trawler with Romeo.

They, David and James had finished for the day and all of them were looking forward to getting home. These days, Liam was working hard on his music in the hope that he might become a recording artist again, David was happily living with Andy, James had promised to view some properties with Leanne and Romeo was eager to get back to Nicole.

"Nic called to say she had something she needed to tell me," the blonde boy explained.

Liam raised his eyebrows.

"Usually when a chick says something like that, don't guys get scared?"

Romeo grinned.

"I don't know," he said. "But she sounded pretty happy."

* * *

Brett and Zoe sat in the car near the police station. Brett drummed his hands on the steering wheel and looked and felt uncertain. He looked at his partner in crime.

"It's not too late to back out," he said.

"It's been too late for a very long time," Zoe replied.

He sighed heavily, certain that they were going too far.

"You'd better not wuss out on me, Brett," Zoe warned.

He gripped the steering wheel tighter.

"I just don't know if I can..."

"Swap side with me," she instructed.

He looked startled but reluctantly climbed out of the car. Zoe replaced him in the driver's seat. He considered walking away but ended up in the passenger seat feeling tense and afraid.

* * *

Belle held on tightly to Irene. Both they and Aden wept feeling like all joy and hope had been sucked from the world. Sitting back down and taking her husband's hand again, Belle looked at the only real mother she had ever known.

"I'll still be your maid of honour if you want me to," she offered with a smile.

"You'd better be," Irene said, trying to laugh. "Nothing is going to get in the way of you being with me on such an important day."

Belle smiled.

"Absolutely nothing," she confirmed.

* * *

Joey swallowed, shocked by the news.

"What... what does that mean exactly?" she asked in a small voice.

Ross just stared at the Doctor, uncomprehending.

"Well, Alzheimer's is a degenerative disease," the consultant said awkwardly. "Which means it won't improve. But on the upside, there are plenty of things that can be done to help you live as normal a life as possible, Detective Buckton. And it looks like you've got a good family..."

He glanced at Joey who put her arm around her father in law.

"We'll do everything we can to help you," the Doctor said.

Ross continued to stare.

* * *

"Okay, I'm off," Charlie said to Jack as she passed him at the reception of the police station.

It had been a long day and she was looking forward to going home and spending the evening with her family.

"It's alright for some!" her friend and colleague commented. "Some of us have a long night ahead of us!"

"I started before you did!" Charlie pointed out, zipping her jacket up.

Waving, she headed out of the building and approached her bike, pulling her helmet on as she walked.

* * *

Joey sat with Ross outside the hospital to accompany him while he got some fresh air. She'd called Daria and asked that she go and pick Max and Christine up and take them to her house until further notice. Xavier and Ruby were already embarking on a difficult, muted evening. They were grateful for Gina's presence but were aware that she would soon be needing to go to bed. David and Andy headed out for dinner at Crumble. They were served by Roman and Leah who appeared to be enjoying a private joke. James, Leanne and Zac had found a modest and affordable apartment that they were keen to try and rent. Martha sat at the dining table with Jake and helped him with his homework. Mink and Melissa continued to move their stuff into their new home, squabbling about what the first meal in their new home ought to be. Watson and Sarah scanned through their friends on Facebook looking for some kind of enlightenment as to who would be their eligible man. Aden, Belle, Irene and Lou all supported each other through their tragedy. Zoe and Brett started the engine and began driving down the road. Romeo sang along to the radio as he drove home. He knew Nicole would be irritated with him but he'd wanted to stop and buy dinner, flowers and chocolates for his wife. She either had good or bad news for him and he hoped he was prepared for both.

Charlie rode down the road in her leathers. Her tummy was rumbling and she hoped that Joey would have some dinner on the go already so that she could eat quickly. It had been a very long day. Watching the road ahead of her and offering her full concentration, her eyes widened when she saw a car coming towards her on the wrong side of the road. She moved a little to the side, hoping to creep past the car with the bad driver and wondering if she ought to follow them and give them a warning. She narrowed her eyes when the car shifted. It was heading right for her.

* * *

"What about the kids?" Ross wondered, suddenly alarmed. "You know... um..."

He struggled to remember their names.

"Christine and Max," Joey said gently. "Don't worry. Daria's picking them up."

"Daria..."

He took a few moments to place a face to the name and then nodded when he managed.

"So, you're not in a hurry?" he asked.

"I've got all the time in the world," she promised.

* * *

Charlie looked to one side. There was nothing was a sharp, grass verge beside her. Jerking across the road in order to avoid the car hurtling towards her, she skidded into the other lane, just as another car appeared from round the corner. All three vehicles crashed.

Nicole waited at home, feeling irritated at her husband's tardiness. Cathy and Clarissa had gone ahead and eaten their dinner but Nicole was too nervous about her news to sit or eat. Joey continued to sit in the lamp lit garden with Ross. On the road, away from their loved ones, Charlie and Romeo lay unmoving and broken. Brett and Zoe just about managed to gather their senses. They drove away.


	111. Chapter 111

__

Sorry that I didn't update yesterday. I wasn't very well but it means you get two updates today! This chapter is a bit sad, just to warn you. But I hope you like it anyway. Love, IJKS xxx

**Chapter One Hundred and Eleven**

**May 2029**

Alf Stewart sang along to the radio as he drove towards his sister's house. His wife had recently passed and his kids had long since flown the nest. Now that Morag and Ross had returned from their travels, Alf's sister had suggested that he moved to be closer to them and their family. He had been reluctant at first but the more he'd thought about it, the more it seemed like a good idea. Morag had also confided very privately that she was growing worried about her husband. His memory wasn't so good and he was more irritable than usual. That was part of the reason why they had come home. Alf needed the distraction and he wanted to help, to be closer to family, to feel cared about again. Suddenly, he slammed on the breaks when he saw a commotion ahead of him. Pulling up short, Alf hurried out of his vehicle. A motorbike lay discarded at the side of the road, its rider, unmoving, beside it. A dented car with a blaring horn, sat still in the road. Its driver was unconscious, resting against the steering wheel. Pulling out his mobile, Alf called for an ambulance before hurrying to check on both casualties.

Frustrated, Nicole hung up the phone. She'd got the kids ready for bed, read them no less than three stories and tucked them both in. But Romeo still wasn't home. She worried about where he was and was desperate to tell him that he was going to be a father again. All she could hope now was that he would be happy about it, although she was fairly confident he would be. Falling in love with Romeo had taken her by surprise. It had begun as a one night stand. Who could have known what a love affair it would lead to?

* * *

Daria and Sam busied themselves with making dinner for Christine and Max.

"I wonder what distracted Joey," Sam said.

Daria smirked.

"I don't think we want to know!" she remarked.

Sam laughed and shook his head.

"No way," he said. "They wouldn't..."

"They so would," Daria told him. "They even sloped off to do it during a birthday party they held for me and David!"

* * *

Joey and Ross headed back into the hospital so that Ross could see the Doctor again and figure out what to do and where to go next. The retired Detective was grateful that Joey was there with him, keeping him safe and sane. He wondered how he would manage to tell his wife and daughters what was going on. He couldn't even comprehend it himself.

* * *

Jack and Watson sped towards the crash site, arriving just as Charlie was being stretchered into the ambulance. Carol was the paramedic in charge. Watson raced up to her.

"What happened?" the terrified police officer asked.

"It looks like Charlie's bike crashed into Romeo's car," Carol said. "I don't know anything else. I'm sorry."

Watson looked down at Charlie. She had lacerations to her hands and was unconscious. There was an oxygen mask over her mouth and her arm appeared to be bent at an odd angle. She was in a neck brace and looked deathly still. Jack left her to it and hurried over to Romeo. The young man was a bloodied mess. He had cuts all over his face and a deep looking head wound. His legs looked like they had been crushed. He too was in a neck brace and had an oxygen mask on but he didn't appear to be breathing properly.

"Will he be okay?" Jack asked the other paramedic.

"I can't say," the man told him, leading him, via stretcher, to the other ambulance.

Watson met back up with Jack as they surveyed their complicated, heartbreaking crime scene, wondering where on earth they should start.

* * *

Ruby appeared downstairs, having settled Gina for the night. Xavier smiled but didn't look up from the sofa. He was too tired to try and make an effort with his wife anymore. While he hoped that things would eventually improve between the two of them, he wasn't entirely sure what was left for him to do. Ruby was about to come and sit next to him when there was a knock at the door. Heading towards the front of the house, she pulled open the door and was surprised to find Morag standing there. Smiling, Ruby greeted her step-mother and welcomed her inside. Morag didn't move. She looked deadly serious.

* * *

"I don't know what to tell you, love," Alf said, rubbing his forehead and trying to get to grips with what had happened as Watson interviewed him. "I was just driving along and I found them like that."

He exhaled loudly. The sight of Charlie and the blonde boy would stay with him for a long time.

"You didn't see anyone else?" Watson asked. "No other cars?"

"No," Alf said. "Nothing. I'm sorry."

* * *

Ross headed up to make another appointment at reception. Joey watched him go but hung back, turning to the Doctor.

"Is there something on your mind, Joey?" the man asked.

Swallowing uncertainly, Joey shoved her hands into her pockets and cleared her throat.

"How um... how old would you have to be to get Alzheimer's?" she asked uncertainly.

"Generally you have to be over sixty," the Doctor told her. "There are exceptions but generally..."

Joey nodded, not sure whether she felt relieved or more confused.

"Are you worried about someone?"

Joey shook her head.

"No," she said quickly.

"Joey, if you've got concerns..."

"I don't," Joey lied. "Thanks."

She hurried out to catch up with Ross, ready to take him home.

* * *

Xavier put his arms around Ruby and held her close as she attempted to regulate her breathing. Morag looked close to tears also.

"We need to call Joey," the younger girl said, wiping her eyes.

"I've tried," Morag said, her voice heavy and sad. "Neither she nor Ross are picking up."

"What about Nicole?" Ruby suddenly asked. "And Mink? We have to..."

"I'll go round and talk to Nicole," Xavier offered. "You guys go to the hospital."

"What about Gina?" Ruby wondered, her voice catching on every word.

"She'll be fine," Xavier said. "I'll take her with me. You know the world could end and she'd sleep through it."

Ruby wept harder and fell against him.

"If something happens to Charlie, the world would have ended," she sobbed.

* * *

"There had to have been another car," Jack concluded, looking at the conflicting tire tracks on the road.

Standing beside him, Watson nodded and put her hands on her hips.

"There were at least three vehicles," she agreed.

"I've got paint on the bike," an officer called from across the road. "It doesn't match the colour of Romeo's car."

Watson and Jack hurried over to inspect. The motorbike was extremely mangled. It looked to have smashed into one car, then another before sliding under Romeo's wheels and back across the road again.

"Okay, we need to try and find who else was involved in this," Watson said.

She turned to the junior officer.

"Set up a team?"

He nodded and hurried away. Watson sighed heavily and looked at Jack who looked just as worried as she felt.

* * *

Carol and her colleague brought Charlie into the emergency department.

"Female, age forty-six, crashed her motorbike into at least one car, unconscious at the scene," Carol reeled off as Rachel, a fellow Doctor and a couple of nurses approached.

"Charlie?" Rachel exclaimed worriedly.

"Detective Charlie Buckton," Carol confirmed. "Query neck injury and fractures to the left leg and left arm. She's got lacerations to her hands as she wasn't wearing gloves. But it looks like her helmet and jacket mostly protected her."

* * *

The second ambulance pulled up outside the hospital just as Romeo's heart stopped beating. The driver rushed out of the vehicle, bursting through the doors and calling for help. A Doctor and two nurses raced after him to work on Romeo in the back of the ambulance, each one eager to save his life but afraid of failing.

Xavier saw Nicole to the taxi and then headed back inside the house. He'd just about managed to break the news to his friend that her husband had been in an accident. Now his job was to look after Cathy, Clarissa and Gina and hope that Romeo would pull through, not to mention Charlie. Sinking onto the couch, he closed his eyes, trying to stay positive for the ones he loved.

* * *

Joey and Ross had got themselves a little lost as they tried to find their way out of the hospital. Joey paused when she saw Morag and Ruby sitting in the reception of the emergency department. Confused, she headed over. Ross followed.

"What are you guys doing here?" she asked.

Ruby and Morag leapt to their feet. It was obvious that Ruby had been crying.

"What are _you _doing here?" Morag asked, staring at her husband.

"I just... um..." Ross faltered.

"Charlie was in an accident," Ruby told Joey.

Joey blanched and stumbled into a chair. Her heart raced and she struggled for breath. Ross looked on helplessly as Ruby sat beside Joey and held her hand.

"What happened?" Joey asked weakly.

"She was in a car crash... her bike... it skidded into a car... into Romeo's car..."

"Romeo?" Joey asked.

She looked up just as her first attempt at foster care was hurried past her and into surgery. Tears began to fall.

"Where's Charlie?" she asked. "Is she okay? What happened? She's always so careful on the bike. She..."

Ruby put an arm around her. Morag sat on the other side.

"We don't know anything yet," her step-mother-in-law said gently, pulling Ross to sit down too.

The older man looked bewildered and at a loss as to what to do and say. He felt completely unable to comprehend what had happened to his daughter.

* * *

Brett's heart was still pounding as he and Zoe finally arrived back at his house. His head was spinning as he tried to understand what they had just done.

"What if we killed her?" he asked, sinking down at the table.

Zoe sat opposite him, alarmingly unfazed.

"That was the point," she said. "All this has been child's play so far, trying to mess with Joey's head. What better way to destroy her than taking away the person she loves most? For good?"

* * *

An hour and a half later, Ross, Morag, Ruby, the twins, Nicole, Mink and Melissa were all piled into the waiting area of the hospital, desperate for news on their loved ones. The corridor was deathly silent. Nobody could talk. Nobody could breathe. Ross and Morag held hands. Joey cried into her own palms. Ruby stared at the ceiling. The twins rested against each other. Mink paced while Melissa tried to calm her down. Nicole sat still, staring ahead of her as tears flowed and she clutched her tummy, trying to hold onto her husband through the tiny life growing inside her.

Watson and Jack had examined every inch of the crash site. They'd sent a team out to look for red cars with scratches on them. Romeo's car and Charlie's bike had been taken in as evidence. Alf had gone to the station in order to make a written statement about what he had seen, although it was very little. Watson tried to keep her mind on the job instead of panicking about the welfare of her best friend. She knew Charlie would want her to help by getting justice for what had happened. Both Watson and Jack doubted that Charlie had just lost control. Something untoward had definitely happened here and they were both determined to find out what it was.

After thirty minutes, the unhappy group looked up. Rachel and a relatively new Doctor, Sid Walker approached. Rachel had worked on Charlie and Sid had worked on Romeo. Both professionals looked grim as they separated the group into two different relative rooms in order to break the news about their loved ones to them.

* * *

"What's wrong with Mummy?" Christine asked in a small voice.

Sam looked up, a little frightened. The eleven year old had been in bed for an hour. He wondered what she was doing up and how he was going to handle things. Daria hadn't told him what to say to her if she asked questions. She and David had just raced out in a panic.

"Um..."

The little blonde girl came and sat beside him in the sofa, gazing at him imploringly.

"Uh..."

"Is she sick?" Christine asked. "I heard Daria rush off. And my Mums both promised that they'd help with my homework tonight so it's not like them to send me to someone else instead."

"Uh... yes, Charlie isn't feeling so well," Sam managed anxiously. "But she's gone to the hospital and she'll be better soon. The Doctors are looking after her."

"And my other Mum?" Christine asked.

Sam nodded.

"Of course," he said. "Your Mums always look after each other, don't they?"

* * *

"We've managed to stabilise Romeo," Sid told Nicole.

Mink and Melissa sat to her left, holding hands.

"But he's not out of the woods yet. He sustained a lot of injuries and it's a very dangerous situation."

"So, you can't tell me if he's going to be okay?" Nicole asked timidly.

Sid sighed.

"I'm afraid I can't make any promises," he said. "But I can take you to see him. He's very groggy but he is awake. He's been asking for you."

Nicole attempted to stand up but fell apart, breaking down in Mink's arms.

* * *

"Charlie has a lot of injuries," Rachel began awkwardly.

"Just tell me she's going to be okay," Joey begged as tears continued to sting her eyes. "Please, Rachel?"

Rachel reached out and held her hands. She nodded slowly.

"It looks like she's going to pull through," she said.

Joey, Ruby, Ross, Morag, David and Daria breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

"Don't get carried away," Rachel requested. "She's got a long way to go before she's healed properly. She has a lot of fractures and cuts. We're still a little worried about her neck."

"Her neck?" Ruby asked.

"She fell off the bike at an odd angle," Rachel said. "We're going to have to take her for a scan to check that there's no spinal cord damage."

"Spinal cord damage would mean a wheelchair?" Daria worried.

"It could," Rachel admitted. "But let's not panic about that yet."

"Please can I see her?" Joey requested.

* * *

Nicole tentatively entered the room her husband lay, almost lifelessly in. Shaking, she approached the bed, just about managing to hold his hand.

"Nic?" he breathed.

"It's me," she said tearfully. "I'm here."

He managed a weak smile.

"Sorry I was late getting home."

She managed a soft laugh and offered a gentle kiss to his forehead. Her tears dripped onto his face. He begged her not to cry.

"What... what did you want to tell me?" he asked.

His breathing was laboured, like everything was an effort. Everything _was _an effort.

"I'll tell you later," Nicole told him. "When you're feeling better."

He gently squeezed her hand.

"I might not get better, Nic," he said.

"Don't say that!" Nicole begged. "Of course you will. You're my husband. You're... you're my everything."

Romeo cried softly and winced in pain.

"I'm sorry," he said.

She clutched him a little tighter.

"Don't you apologise," she told him. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

"Can you... can you tell Charlie not to be sorry?" he asked. "I think it was her. On the bike?"

Nicole nodded and confirmed it was.

"Is she okay?"

"I don't know," Nicole admitted. "But I'll find out and tell you."

His smile was full of gratitude and pain.

"Tell her it's not her fault," he asked. "If anything... bad... happens."

Nicole nodded. She kissed his hand, wanting nothing more than to hold him properly. But there were too many wires in the way.

"I love you," Romeo whispered.

* * *

Joey hurried to Charlie's side, finding her on her back in a neck brace, staring, almost unseeing up at the ceiling.

"Charlie!" Joey burst out.

"Joey?"

Joey moved so that she was in Charlie's line of vision. They held hands and Joey gently pressed her lips against her wife's.

"Charlie, I'm so glad you're okay. I..."

"I love you," was all Charlie managed.

That was the thing that seemed most important to say.

"I love you too," Joey said tearfully.

She kissed her again.

"What happened?" Joey asked.

"I was on my way home," Charlie said. "There was this car... I... I pulled into the other lane. But there was another car. Oh, God, the other car! I recognised it. Who was it?"

Joey tried to soothe her as panic took over Charlie's body.

"Charlie, it's okay," Joey said gently.

"Who was it?" Charlie asked anxiously.

"It was Romeo's," Joey admitted.

Tears began to cascade down the Detective's cheeks. Joey held her a little closer.

"Is he okay?" Charlie sobbed. "I didn't mean to... I'm sorry."

"I'll find out for you," Joey promised. "I don't know yet. We got your news at the same time the Doctor was telling Nicole."

Charlie tried to nod but she couldn't. She was too tightly strapped in. She clutched Joey's hand and told her she loved her over and over again.

* * *

"I love you too," Nicole said.

She listened unhappily to Romeo's laboured breathing, wondering why there wasn't a member of medical staff trying to do something for the man she loved so much.

"I bought dinner for us," Romeo ventured. "Take away. And flowers. I bought you flowers."

Nicole smiled softly.

"I guess they'll be crushed now," he said sadly. "And wilting. They would have been out of water too long."

Nicole nodded and told him it was okay.

"What was your news?" Romeo asked.

She studied her husband's face, wondering if what she had to say would upset him or give him more of a reason to fight for his life.

"I'm pregnant," she finally said.

He stared, his eyes lighting up just a little as she smiled.

"Seriously?" he asked.

"Seriously," Nicole replied. "So you have to get better real quick in order to look after him."

"Him?" Romeo asked.

"I think this one's a boy," Nicole said. "The son you always wanted."

"I'll get better for him," Romeo promised. "For you. For my girls."

They smiled lovingly at each other.

"I love my girls so much," he said.

She kissed his hand, refusing to let go as she watched him cry.

"I never... I never thought I'd have a family," he told her. "I didn't... didn't have much of one when I was a kid. Mink and I... we tried but Mum... It was so hard. I was afraid of failing my kids the way my parents failed me."

He looked longingly at Nicole.

"I haven't failed them, have I?" he asked.

"No," Nicole said immediately. "Of course you haven't. Romeo, you've been the best husband and father anyone could ask for. You're perfect. I love you so much. So do the girls. They worship you."

He smiled.

"Tell them that I love them," he said. "When you get home... you tell them that I love them."

"I will," Nicole said. "I'll tell them every day until you're home safe and you can tell them yourself, okay?"

More tears flowed from both of them as they clutched each other.

"I love you, Nic," he said. "You're the best thing that has ever happened to me."

He sighed audibly and closed his eyes. Nicole called his name several times, panicked and distressed. She pressed the emergency alarm and the Doctor and his team rushed in but everyone already knew it was too late.


	112. Chapter 112

_This is your last update of Interwoven for until I return from my holiday. Thank you all for your well wishes, by the way. I am very much looking forward to it! Anyway, this is the aftermath of the crash but don't worry, things will definitely get better soon! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Twelve**

**June 2029**

A long, agonising three days had passed. The town was still in shock. Charlie had escaped the crash with a fractured arm and crushed leg. There was damage to her neck but Rachel had assured her that it was nothing that would last for long. Since her release from hospital, the Detective had called in sick to work and told them not to expect her back for a while. She had then proceeded to hide away at home and be nothing more than monosyllabic. Friends had come by to see her but she'd told Joey she couldn't face them. She was terribly afraid of everyone blaming her for Romeo's death. She blamed herself.

Ruby made Nicole and the kids some lunch. Her best friend was slumped on the sofa looking at old home movies that she and Romeo had made of their lives and their family. Cathy was aware that Daddy had gone to Heaven and had told her that she felt very sad and missed him but mostly she was able to carry on playing. Clarissa was oblivious and Nicole was torn between feeling glad about her lack of pain, and sad that she might not remember her father. As for the baby growing inside her, she broke her heart for him and all that he had already lost.

* * *

Crumble was subdued to say the least. Romeo had been more than a firm fixture of their town and to lose him, especially when he was only thirty-seven years old, was too sad to comprehend. And with Irene's wedding due the following week, the sixty year-old restaurant worker felt more than a little guilty and tempted to call things off, at least temporarily.

"Don't be silly," Leah said in the kitchen of the restaurant.

Irene sighed and continued to look torn.

"Romeo wouldn't want you to cancel your wedding because of this," Roman agreed. "He'd want life to move on. Perhaps what we all need is to celebrate something after what's happened."

Irene didn't look convinced.

"You and Lou deserve a special day," Leah said. "Don't throw it away out of a sense of duty. You've sent all the invites out and everything now."

Irene nodded. She had family coming from far and wide to see her get married to the man she loved so much. The honeymoon was firmly on hold while Belle was sick. And half the reason they were rushing the wedding in the first place was because if the worst happened, Irene couldn't bear to get married without her foster daughter.

"You're right," she finally said. "We'll go ahead and make the best of it."

Losing Romeo was terrible but losing Belle, but especially before the wedding, would be worse.

* * *

"Watson, we've got something!" Jack announced as he charged into the police station.

His colleague immediately stood up and followed him into Charlie's office. The Detective had left Sergeant Watson in charge of the station in her absence and while Watson wished Charlie was there, the prospect of having the big office all to herself was more than a little exciting.

"What have we got?" she asked when Jack had shut the door.

"We found a car," he said. "It's scratched up, the colour matches and it's obviously narrowly escaped a serious collision."

"Well, who does it belong to?" Watson asked.

"Brett Collins."

* * *

Joey crawled onto the bed beside Charlie who was tucked up beneath the blankets staring at nothing. She didn't move when Joey attempted to snuggle.

"Charlie?" Joey said.

"Yes?"

Charlie's voice was void of all emotion. Joey swallowed uncertainly. For the longest time, Charlie had always been in touch with her emotions. This broken mood she was in was reticent of their teenage years when she was denying her feelings for Joey or worse, when they'd temporarily broken up after a misunderstanding. Joey sighed and held Charlie's hand.

"I love you," she said.

Still there was no response.

* * *

"So, why were you at the hospital the other day?" Morag asked.

She and Ross were sitting in the sunshine in the garden. It was a subject she had tried to broach several times in the last few days but to no avail. Her husband wasn't keen on talking. But he looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. She watched him sigh and close his eyes.

"I just haven't been feeling so well lately," he finally said. "Joey took me to the see the Doctor."

"But you were at the hospital," Morag pointed out. "You would have needed a referral."

Ross stood up, a little exasperated and begged his wife to leave him in peace.

* * *

Watson and Jack were in their patrol car, heading over to Brett Collins' house.

"What do we do if he's not there?" Jack asked.

"We get a couple of officers to wait," Watson said. "And we'll get photographic evidence of the car. Then you and I get to go and hunt him down."

Jack sighed and looked out of the window as his colleague drove along the coast road.

"Do you think it was an accident or...?"

"I have no idea," Watson admitted.

* * *

Roman left Irene and Leah discussing wedding plans at Crumble and headed over to see his daughter. He felt so sad for her. Once upon a time, Nicole had been a rebel tearaway who was always getting herself into trouble. She'd always done the wrong thing and picked the wrong boy. She and Geoff had been a disaster and her relationship with Trey had cost Gina Austin her life. Even Romeo had begun as a temporary fling. But then she'd realised she'd found her soul mate. She was married and in love, happy. She had a family. And now it was all over.

"Knock, knock," he said, tapping on the front door before walking through.

His daughter was curled up on the sofa. Ruby was next to her, trying and failing to engage her in conversation.

"I brought some dinner from Crumble," Roman said. "All you have to do is heat it up."

"Why is everyone so intent on feeding me?" Nicole complained.

"Because we love you," Ruby told her.

She stood up, gathered Gina together and they left father and daughter to it.

* * *

"Do you know when the funeral is?" Charlie asked.

She and Joey were still cuddling in bed, holding hands in what was definitely a muted atmosphere.

"Monday," Joey replied softly. "The funeral is on Monday."

Charlie nodded and wiped her constantly wet eyes. Joey held her a little closer.

"Listen, I have to go out this afternoon," Joey said. "Will you be okay?"

"I don't need to be baby-sat," Charlie snapped with little energy.

Joey apologised. Charlie sighed heavily.

"Ruby said she'd pick the kids up from school," Joey said.

"Okay," Charlie replied.

Nodding and feeling more than a little awkward, Joey slipped out of her embrace and began to get ready to go out. Charlie didn't say goodbye.

* * *

Brett walked from work to Zoe's apartment. He felt uneasy, as if he was being watched. Zoe had told him to stop being paranoid for fear of giving the game away. But Brett felt guilty. He had been uncertain enough about trying to kill Charlie. But to have killed Romeo, an innocent bystander was almost too much for his conscience. And yet he hadn't put a stop to things. The crash had happened. Romeo was dead and by all accounts, Charlie was the broken shell of the person she had once been. Zoe had been pleased with it. If Charlie was shutting Joey out then perhaps it would spell the end for them after all. And then everything would have been worth it.

Having photographed the scratched up car and left Daria and Sam outside Brett Collins' house in case he came home, Watson and Jack began to drive around town in order to try and find the man who might have been responsible for the accident that had shaken their town to its core. They were heading in the direction of where he worked, hoping that even if he wasn't there, they might be able to catch him heading somewhere else.

* * *

Belle looked and felt weaker every day. She struggled to get around and on worse days, she was bound to a wheelchair. She tried not to let it get her down but knowing that her future was coming to an end, made it very hard to face the present. Aden wheeled her into Crumble so she could have lunch with Irene and discuss wedding plans. Irene smiled broadly at them both and ushered them to a table. Leah nodded that Irene could take her break and they settled down together to continue to plans for the wedding. Aden left them to it and headed over to the Jukebox. Finding Martha and Xavier behind the bar, he pulled up a stool. They immediately asked how Belle was.

"Bearing up," he said. "I guess we're just trying not to think about... it."

He sighed heavily. Martha offered him a drink on the house. He thanked her and looked around. "Is it just me or is there genuinely a black cloud hanging over this town right now?" he wondered.

"Black cloud," Xavier confirmed.

He swallowed, trying hard not to think of Romeo. Nicole's husband had been his best friend. They had been a foursome for a while and now one of them was gone.

* * *

"Well, I can confirm that there's nothing wrong with you," the Doctor said.

Joey tried to smile but she wasn't entirely sure how she felt about the news. Twisting her hands together in her lap, she looked at the Doctor, wondering how to formulate her questions.

"Joey, excuse me for saying but you don't seem very happy about it," the Doctor said.

She was the same woman who had seen Ross. Joey had phoned a couple of days before to see if she could have an appointment also. Remembering her, the Doctor had squeezed her in. Joey was grateful.

"I am," Joey said. "It's just... if there's nothing really wrong with me... why is this happening? I don't understand."

"Well, your memory issues could easily just be stress."

"No," Joey said quickly, sitting back in her chair. "Don't dismiss me with the stress thing. Please!"

"I'm not dismissing you. Stress is a very real..."

"Let me tell you something," Joey said. "I lost my mother when I was a child. I came home as a teenager to find my father dead in the kitchen. I was assaulted, I was nearly raped, I was nearly killed, I went to jail, I battled with self injury... I've done the stress thing. I can handle stress."

"Well, maybe it's all suddenly got too much," the Doctor suggested.

"It has," Joey confirmed. "My wife was nearly killed three nights ago. If anything was going to make my head explode, it's that. This memory stuff... it's something different."

"What do you think it is, Joey?"

The patient sighed.

"I don't know," she said. "I'm terrified that there's something wrong with me. Or... well, at the risk of sounding even more insane... I can't help but wonder if someone is out to get me."

* * *

Charlie wandered around the house alone. She felt numb and tired. Her body hurt from the impact of her injuries but her heart hurt more. Romeo had come to her and Joey as a waif and stray. Ruby had found him sleeping rough and they had taken him in. He had been the person who kick started their life as foster parents. And now he was dead and Charlie was sure it was all her fault. Yes, there was another car to blame but that didn't alter her sense of responsibility. Sighing, she looked up at the big print of the whole family that had been taken for Charlie's birthday. Romeo smiled back at her with one arm around Nicole and the other holding baby Clarissa close. Charlie sank onto the couch and wept.

* * *

"What are we meant to do if Brett comes home?" Daria asked.

She drummed her fingers anxiously on the steering wheel. Sam grimaced at the constant, frantic sound.

"You let me handle it," he told her.

She looked at him sharply. He tried not to cower. Generally, Daria wasn't the kind of girl to mess with.

"I'm serious, Dar," he said, trying to be strong, although they both knew that she was the boss in their relationship.

She continued to glare.

"You're too close to this," Sam said. "You can't go in all guns blazing. If Brett caused the crash we can't be anything less the professional. Okay?"

She sighed heavily and nodded somewhat reluctantly.

* * *

"Fin and Damian are really coming to the wedding?" Belle asked.

Irene nodded proudly. She had never had the best relationship with her two biological children. Although they had made things up in the end, their childhood had consisted of Irene being drunk and disorderly. It had taken a long time for them to get things back on track so it wouldn't have been a massive surprise if they had declined the invitation.

"I'm so happy for you," Belle enthused, although her voice and body were weak.

Irene touched her hand gently.

"If... if you wanted Fin to be your maid of..."

"Don't even finish that sentence, girlie," Irene said firmly. "You are the only maid of honour I could ever want. And that is final."

Belle smiled lovingly at the only mother she had ever truly known.

* * *

"There he is," Watson said, pointing up ahead.

They slowly followed Brett as he walked down the street. His head was down and his hands were stuffed in his pockets. Even the outline of his body looked stressed, as if he had something on his mind. Watson hoped it was a guilty conscience.

"Where's he going?" Jack wondered as Brett opened a garden gate and headed up to a front door.

They pulled up outside. Jack phoned the station to check the address. Watson watched the house intently as an unseen figure opened up and let Brett in.

"Who lives there?" Watson asked when Jack hung up.

"Zoe Cruze," Jack replied.

* * *

Roman held Nicole tightly in his arms, trying to think of something to say that would make it better. What could he say? How could it get better?

"I know it doesn't feel like it now," he began. "But time is a healer and everything..."

Nicole pulled away and wiped her eyes.

"Please leave your clichés at the door," she requested. "I don't need them."

"I'm just trying to help, Nic."

"Well, you can't!" his daughter snapped. "Nobody can help! Romeo is dead and nobody can bring him back. Therefore, nothing will ever help!"

Roman hugged her again while she continued to sob.

"I'm sorry," he said gently.

"I just can't believe he's gone," Nicole wept. "Just like that. He had so much to live for. He..."

Another wave of tears hit her.

"He would have held on if he could have," Roman said. "He loved you and he loved the girls. You three were his world."

"Four," Nicole said quietly.

Roman studied her, trying to work out what she meant.

"The last thing I said to him before he died was that I was pregnant," Nicole explained.

* * *

Watson and Jack knocked on Zoe's door. After several moments, she pulled it open, blanching when she saw their uniforms.

"Zoe Cruze?" Watson said.

"As if you don't know," Zoe remarked.

Watson ignored her.

"Can we come in?"

"No."

"We're here to speak to Brett Collins," Jack told her.

Zoe folded her arms and told them to go to his house then.

"We've got officers at his house already," Jack said. "But we know that he's here."

"What do you want?" Zoe snapped.

"Just to talk," Watson said.

Realising she had no choice, Zoe let them in. At the kitchen table, Brett's guilt cascaded from him in waves.


	113. Chapter 113

_I promise that everything will be fixed by the next chapter! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirteen**

**June 2029**

"What were you doing on the night Romeo Smith was killed?" Watson asked, getting right to the point.

Brett blanched. Watson noticed.

"I was here," Zoe said quickly. "Brett was with me. We watched a movie."

"Oh, yeah?" Watson asked. "What did you watch?"

"_Sex and the City_," Zoe said.

"_Inception_," Brett said at the same time.

They both looked extremely guilty.

"Interesting," Watson said, nodding. "Were you in different rooms?"

"We compromised," Zoe lied. "I watched _Inception _as a reward to him for sitting through _Sex and the City_."

Watson smirked.

"The thing is, we've got reason to believe that one or both of you were involved in the car accident," she said.

"We weren't," Brett told her. "We were here."

* * *

Joey drove around aimlessly after she left the hospital. She knew she ought to get back to Charlie but it felt like her partner didn't want her around anymore. It was hard to take. But she tried to tell herself that Charlie was just trying to process a terrible tragedy. Joey was desperate to be there for her in whatever capacity she needed, even if it hurt.

Charlie took her cup of coffee and sat outside in the back garden. She perched on the swing bench and looked at the lawn and flowers that Joey so tenderly looked after. Then she smiled for the first time in days. No matter the situation, thinking of Joey always made her smile. But she felt bad for the way she was behaving with her. She didn't want to shut her out and she didn't want to be sullen and moody. But she felt like she was being pulled down by some kind of undertow. She was sinking and struggling and she had no idea how to break free. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Romeo, laughing and enjoying his life. Then she remembered that he was dead. And it felt like the world had ended.

* * *

"Okay, well, thank you for your time," Watson said casually, getting to her feet.

Jack looked confused but she ignored him. He, Brett and Zoe stood up too and Watson led the way to the door.

"Oh, can I use your bathroom please?" the Sergeant asked. "I'll be quick."

Zoe looked more than a little reluctant but agreed and pointed the way up the hall. Catching on, Jack suggested that the rest of them go back into the kitchen and have another cup of coffee.

* * *

With Clarissa asleep and Cathy playing in her bedroom, Nicole and Roman sat at the dining table together drinking coffee. Nicole surprised herself by finding that now she had started talking about losing Romeo and the impending arrival of their third child, she suddenly couldn't stop. Words and tears poured out of her and it felt good to be able to unburden herself just a little. She didn't think anything would ever take away the pain she felt over losing the man she loved, but talking so openly and honestly with her Dad, helped.

* * *

Watson flushed the toilet that she didn't use and listened out to make sure Jack was keeping Zoe and Brett busy. She took the moment to look around the house. Poking her head around one door, she saw a simple bedroom with a few lesbian icons on the walls. She opened an airing cupboard but found nothing terribly interesting in there either. She wasn't entirely sure what she was looking for exactly, but she knew there had to be something tangible that could further the link between Zoe, Brett and the crash. Pushing open the door at the end of the corridor, Watson audibly gasped. All across one wall were pictures of Joey. There were a few pictures of Charlie but mostly the room was centred on Joey Buckton-Collins. Stepping further into the room, she saw receipts, phone bills and card details. Her mind spinning a little, Watson hurried out of the room and into the kitchen.

"Right," she said firmly. "I think you two need to come with us to the station."

* * *

Joey walked down to the docks and was pleased to find her trawler coming back in. Seeing David, James, Liam and Sarah troop off without Romeo made her sad but she forced herself to pull herself together. She plastered a smile on her face and went to greet them.

"To what do we owe the pleasure?" Sarah asked, hugging her friend.

"I just fancied coming to say hi," she said. "And maybe treating you all to an after work drink?"

"Sounds good to me!" James enthused. "We have the best Mum in the world, don't we, Dave?"

His older foster brother nodded and the group migrated towards the Jukebox.

* * *

Watson sat in one interview room with Zoe and Jack sat in another with Brett. Both suspects were being interrogated while Sam was trying to get a warrant to officially search Zoe's house. Watson hadn't so far let on what she had seen but she knew Zoe was uneasy and unsure.

"Why did you cause the car accident?" the police officer asked.

"I didn't," Zoe lied.

"Come off it," Watson said, pacing the room. "I know you were involved."

"How?" Zoe demanded. "There's no evidence to support it!"

"Trust me, I'll find some," Watson said darkly.

The two women glared at each other.

"You know, I much prefer you when you're cheating on your wife with me," Zoe commented.

Watson forced herself not to lose her temper.

"Did you cause the crash on purpose?" she asked.

"I wasn't involved in the crash," Zoe insisted.

Watson leant her hands on the table and looked Zoe directly in the eye.

"I don't believe you," she said.

* * *

"Slacker," Joey commented with a grin when she saw Aden sitting at the bar chatting to Xavier and Martha.

He laughed and hugged her.

"Where's Belle?" Joey asked. "Is she doing okay?"

Joey had offered Aden long-term leave in order to care for Belle during her sickness. And now with Romeo gone, Joey had made the decision to stop trading on one of the trawlers and just send out the other one. She just didn't have the crew, which was difficult considering she was meant to be discussing business plans with Lou. She wasn't sure he wanted to touch her business now, although she continued to live in hope.

"She's at Crumble," Aden explained. "Discussing weddings with Irene."

Joey nodded and offered him a drink and to join the crew at the table. He accepted happily and helped her take the drinks over once they had ordered.

* * *

Charlie began to pace the house. She was very aware of the time and was becoming agitated. Where was Joey? Why had she been gone so long? _Where _had she gone? She chewed her nails and considered calling her several times but held back. What if Joey got annoyed with her for fussing? Her mind spun into overdrive as she tried to figure out where she might have gone and she cursed herself for not caring when she said she was going out. Tears stung her eyes and threatened to overpower her. All she wanted was to be in Joey's arms.

* * *

"Look, Brett, it's pretty obvious that Zoe's the one in control here," Jack said reasonably.

He sat down opposite Joey's brother in a bid to get on a level with him and convince him to talk. Brett just glared.

"Why don't you just cut your losses and tell your side of things?" Jack suggested.

"I've got nothing to say," Brett told him flatly.

"Right now, my officers are proving that your car was involved in the crash," Jack said. "So, was it deliberate or an accident?"

Brett said nothing.

"Were you under the influence of anything?"

"No!" Brett said.

Then he blanched. Jack tried not to smile as he sat back in his chair.

"So, you were there?" he challenged.

"I was at Zoe's house," Brett replied.

* * *

"Right, I'm heading off," Aden said, getting to his feet. "Belle will be wondering where I've got to."

He had left his wife in Irene's capable hands for long enough. Leah was lenient with her staff but he doubted that even she wouldn't mind the extended lunch break. Four hours to be precise.

"Yeah, I'm going to head home too," Joey said, also standing up.

Waving goodbye to the others, Joey and Aden headed out together. Aden wandered in the direction of Crumble and Joey towards her car in order to go home. All she hoped was that Charlie was ready to start communicating.

* * *

Roman sent Nicole upstairs to get the children while he began warming dinner up. He had agreed to stay and eat with them and keep his daughter company for longer. He doubted that Leah would mind. Roman was determined to be there for his daughter now, no matter what. He felt that he had missed out on a lot of her life but he wanted to take care of her now. It made him feel a little sad over his lack of relationship with Leanne. He'd always intended to be a father to her but his presence had damaged Jack and Martha's relationship to significant proportions. He'd taken a step back and never quite stepped forward again, although he was grateful to at least be able to see how she was doing from afar.

* * *

"Can we go home via the beach?" Belle asked when Aden collected her.

The sun was slowly dying and Belle was keen to watch the sunset. She was getting weaker and weaker as the days dragged by and each night she was afraid of it being her last. It made her sad to think of the mistakes she'd made and the things she would miss out on. She was only forty-three. She had so much life left to live and yet she was running out of time.

"Of course we can," Aden said gently as he pushed her wheelchair towards the beach front.

He kissed the top of her head and told her that he loved her.

* * *

Charlie had worked herself up into a significant frenzy. No longer feeling numb and mute, she felt her emotions threatening to spill over. She was losing control fast and she didn't know what to do. Pausing her pacing, she looked up when she heard the front door open. Joey appeared within moments.

"Joey!" Charlie said desperately.

"Charlie? Are you okay?" her partner asked worriedly.

She moved forward and reached out to hold Charlie's hands but the Detective jolted out of the way.

"No, I'm not okay!" Charlie snapped. "You left me! You left me for ages!"

"I told you I had to go out..." Joey said helplessly.

"You left me and I didn't know where you were!" Charlie said.

Tears flowed and she began to shake.

"Charlie," Joey said gently.

She reached out for her again but Charlie burst out of the house and ran down the street.

* * *

Half an hour later, the warrant had been granted and officers had swarmed Zoe's apartment, collecting evidence of a long term vendetta against Joey Collins. Daria was fuming. Sam was trying to calm her down. Watson volunteered to ring Joey and explain what had happened. Heading into Charlie's office she picked up the phone.

"Charlie?" Joey squeaked down the line when she picked up.

"It's Watson."

"Oh."

The Sergeant tried not to take it personally.

"Have you seen Charlie?" Joey asked.

"No. Should I have?"

"She stormed out of here," Joey said. "I didn't know whether to go after her or..."

"Joey, I need you to come down to the station," Watson said evenly. "I can send someone out to look for Charlie if you want but I need you to come down here now."

"Why?"

"Please, just come."


	114. Chapter 114

_I hope you enjoy the chapter. Thank you to everyone who is still reading this. And reviews go a long way! Was that hint subtle enough! Hehe. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Fourteen**

**June 2029**

Daria left the station by herself in order to find Charlie. It was partly a work duty but mostly, she just wanted to make sure that the only mother she had ever known was alright. She'd been worrying about Joey all this time. They had all called her mental health into question. And then they'd feared for Charlie's life. Now Daria hardly knew which way to turn. For the longest time, their family had been fractured. Love still flowed between all of them but too many things had been going wrong and caused them heartache, not least the death of Romeo. The funeral was in a few days and the whole town was dreading it. How could they bear to cremate such a wonderful man, a husband, a father, and someone so young? He was only seven years older than she was and she still felt like a teenager. She met horrified realisation every so often when she remembered she was now thirty years old.

* * *

Joey and Watson sat opposite each other in an interview room.

"What's going on?" Joey asked desperately.

Her mind was fully focussed on Charlie. Was she alright? Where had she gone? Did she still love her? Would she forgive her for whatever it was that she might have done wrong?

"Okay, so I know some strange things have been happening to you for a while," Watson began.

"Forgetting stuff," Joey confirmed, glancing a little nervously down at the folder Watson had in front of her. "What what's that got to do with the police? I don't understand."

"I don't know if Charlie told you," Watson ventured. "But she's been compiling a file to track everything that's happened."

Joey felt bewildered. She furrowed her brow. Charlie certainly hadn't mentioned anything. Watson invited her to come and sit beside her as she opened the file.

"She's tracked everything you've told her about," Watson said. "Missed appointments, this jewellery thing, the photo shoot..."

Joey was still confused.

"She's been researching mental health and memory disorders," Watson said. "But she's also been investigating other reasons why these things could have happened."

"How else could they have happened?" Joey asked, still none the wiser.

"Well, that's the thing," Watson said. "Charlie wasn't really getting anywhere with her case, although she was working damn hard on it, as you can tell from the thickness of the folder. She's contacted banks and companies involved in each incident, she's tracked where phone calls were made and everything like that..."

"Watson, just tell me where you're going with this," Joey cut in. "Please?"

* * *

Charlie was sitting on the beach in tears. Heaving sobs wracked her body and she couldn't see properly through her blurry eyes. It felt like the world was ending and she had no idea how to save herself. Or Joey. Joey was the person she wanted to save first. But she had no idea how she could. Either there was something mentally wrong with her or, as she had feared, there was something more untoward going on. She felt like a failure for not reaching the bottom of the problem. But Joey never seemed to want to talk about it. And now, after the accident, Charlie wasn't in the headspace to figure anything out.

"Hey," said a voice.

Tearfully, Charlie looked up and was surprised to find Martha hovering nearby. The girls had been friends for most of their lives but since Leanne had got pregnant and then decided to move in with Charlie and Joey instead of living with Martha and Jack, things had been a little tense. The fact that Charlie had physically lashed out at her during an argument over the kids when Joey had been in jail, also hadn't helped matters.

"Mind if I sit?" the bar manager asked.

Charlie shrugged and nodded, remaining in the same huddled position.

"I was sorry to hear about the accident and everything," Martha said. "How are you bearing up?"

"I'm on the mend," Charlie said, gesturing vaguely to the cast on her arm. "My neck's a bit sore."

"And emotionally?"

"I just killed a man who was essentially a son to me," Charlie said sadly. "How do you think I am?"

Martha apologised gently.

"It wasn't your fault, Charlie," she said.

Charlie just cried harder and insisted that it was. Martha put a gentle arm around her.

"Romeo wouldn't want you to blame yourself," she said. "It was just an accident."

"No, it wasn't," said a voice behind them.

They turned to see Daria in uniform, looking extremely stressed.

* * *

Joey's eyes were wide and felt like her head was going to explode.

"Are you serious?" she asked.

Watson nodded. She'd awkwardly explained that Zoe and Brett had been behind everything all along. They'd mugged her, they'd stalked her, they'd fraudulently arranged and unarranged things, they'd cancelled the eternity ring and the photo shoot. And Zoe had proudly used her spare room to celebrate the whole thing. Watson explained the photographs and the receipts, even the transcripts of various conversations. There had been a long list stuck on the wall along with everything else, detailing everything they had done and another detailing the things they had planned on.

"I'm so sorry we didn't work anything out sooner, Joey," Watson said.

"How could you?" Joey said, not wanting to assign blame. "It's not like I had any idea either."

"It looks like Charlie did but..."

Watson sighed and closed the file. Joey buried her head in her hands.

"Has anyone heard from her?" she asked through her fingers. "Charlie, I mean?"

"I can check," Watson offered.

Joey nodded and her friend headed out of the room to ask after Charlie at reception.

* * *

Martha made herself scarce while Daria awkwardly explained everything to Charlie.

"Zoe and Brett did this all along?" Charlie asked. "Everything that's been going on with Joey? And the accident?"

Daria nodded.

"They're in custody now," she said. "When I left, they weren't really talking but Zoe was dumb enough to leave evidence all over her apartment."

"Where's Joey?" Charlie asked, suddenly panicked. "Is she okay? Does she know?"

She moved to get up but Daria put a hand on her arm.

"She's fine," the younger girl said. "She's at the station now. Watson's looking after her."

"I need to..."

They both got up and headed to Daria's car.

* * *

Two hours later, Brett and Zoe had been charged with stalking, fraud and death by dangerous driving. Watson was eager to find any extra charges she could possibly lay on them and she was determined that they would both be going down for a long time. Daria had driven Charlie and Joey home and told them to look after each other. She arranged to send James, Leanne and Zac over to Martha and Jack's place and she and Sam were taking Christine for the night. At home, Charlie and Joey had ordered pizza and were indulging in fat coke. They hadn't talked very much about everything but their silence was comfortable. Finally, finishing the last of her share of pizza, Charlie sat back on the sofa and sighed. Joey turned to gaze her, offering her full attention.

"I'm so sorry about everything, Joey," Charlie said.

Joey looked surprised. Charlie became tearful as she took Joey's hand in her one good one.

"I've been so horrible for the last few days," she said. "And I let you down before that. Brett and Zoe were attacking you and I didn't even know."

"Charlie, you've just been in a huge accident," Joey said reasonably. "Of course you haven't been in a good space."

She squeezed Charlie's hand gently.

"I feel so guilty about what happened," Charlie admitted. "I... well, I know that Brett and Zoe caused the accident but I..."

She swallowed a few times and broke contact with Joey to wipe her eyes. Joey moved forward to hold her.

"I feel so guilty," Charlie said tearfully. "I... I had a choice that night. I could have swerved off the grass verge or into the other lane. I should have gone for the verge."

"It was a huge drop, Charlie," Joey protested. "Of course you shouldn't have! You would have been killed!"

"And instead, Romeo was killed," Charlie pointed out.

Joey hugged her tighter, also becoming tearful. She took a deep breath as she prepared to admit something she was ashamed of.

"I love Romeo," she said. "He meant so much to me right from the first moment he showed up homeless in our house. But... you're my soul mate. You mean more to me than I could ever explain or describe. I hate myself for saying it but... if it was a choice between him or you... I'm glad it's you that survived."

Both women cried harder.

"Do you think I'm evil for saying that?" Joey asked meekly.

"Of course I don't," Charlie said, kissing the top of her wife's head. "You couldn't be evil if you tried, Joey."

Joey tilted her face towards Charlie, gazing at her.

"I have loved you since before you were even born," Charlie said honestly. "I love you and I know I couldn't live without you. Every day, I wake up and I thank God that I wake up with you. I fall more deeply for you every moment we're together. I am so sorry for the way I've let you down. I'm sorry I haven't supported you more, that I didn't get to the bottom of what was going on. I'm sorry that it took a car accident and Romeo's death to make the truth come to light. But I hope... I hope we can put this behind us now."

Joey nodded. She stroked Charlie's face and kissed her.

"That sounds like a good idea to me."

They kissed again.

"Why do you think we have so much bad luck, Charlie?" Joey asked.

Charlie sighed, chewing her lips as she thought about it.

"I think it's because we've got each other," she said.

Joey looked puzzled.

"So many people spend their lives searching for their soul mate. And some people don't even find them. But you and I... whatever troubles we've been through, we've always had each other, haven't we? We've never really had to face anything alone because we always knew, no matter the situation, even those months that we were broken up..."

She frowned. Joey squeezed her hand, encouraging her not to dwell.

"Even then," Charlie said. "We knew that we'd always be there for each other. The love between has never died. It can't. So maybe... maybe having something that pure, that wonderful, that good... maybe it's sent the balance of the world into a spin. Maybe the bad stuff had to happen to even it out somehow. Because we're so lucky. Because we're so in love."

Joey smiled tenderly.

"I like that," she said. "That makes me feel very lucky."

Charlie kissed her gently.

"We're going to be okay, Joey," she promised. "Everything is going to be alright."


	115. Chapter 115

_Hi everyone. I haven't focussed that much on Romeo's funeral, as I think the story has been a bit too sad for too many chapters in a row. So we'll say goodbye to Romeo and then celebrate Irene and Lou's wedding, to which you are all cordially invited. Sweetandlovely, you could get a new hat if you like! I hope you enjoy the chapter. Oh, and in a bit of shameless self promotion, I just finished a new CJ music video if you would like to watch it. It's on YouTube, with the web address ending in /watch?v=x68YmJYrSjM_

_Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Fifteen**

**June 2029**

The day of Romeo's funeral arrived and most of the town turned out to say their last goodbye. Nicole's mother, Natalie had uncharacteristically come to support her daughter and take Cathy and Clarissa for the day. A funeral service was no place for kids. Alf had agreed to take Christine, Max and Zac so that Charlie, Joey and their clan, including Ross and Morag could also attend. The idea was that they would bring the kids back for the wake where, although the mood wouldn't exactly be jubilant, it would be easier than the service. Charlie had found the day particularly difficult so far but a stronger, more capable Joey had been determined to help her through it. She had emotionally and sometimes even physically held her up. Now, at the wake, Nicole was graciously accepting the love and support offered to her by her friends and family. Roman and Leah had done the catering and Martha had offered the Jukebox as a free venue. Sitting in a corner, Charlie was talking to Jack and Martha. Across the room, having gone to get drinks, Joey watched her partner sadly. She looked so broken. Moving across the room, she came to sit beside her, putting their drinks on the table and her arm around the woman she loved. Charlie smiled gratefully, clutching Joey's hand. At the next table, Aden and Belle looked set to leave. Belle looked particularly fragile. She'd had to attend the day in a wheelchair and Joey doubted the idea of her own funeral was far from her mind. She'd done everything she could to fight the cancer, this time and every other time it had attacked her but as the days passed, she seemed to be losing her battle. Nobody spoke about it but everyone was aware. Mink had already walked out and a reluctant Melissa had obeyed instruction by leaving her girlfriend to it in order to clear her head.

* * *

As the afternoon became early evening, most people began to leave. Nicole for one looked absolutely exhausted. Charlie wasn't fairing much better.

"Sweetheart," Joey said gently. "I think it's time we headed out. You look shattered."

Charlie nodded slowly but didn't take her eyes off Nicole. She hadn't felt brave enough to offer her condolences. They seemed hollow somehow. She still felt terribly guilty and she was terrified that Nicole would confirm where the blame lay. News of Zoe and Brett's arrest had spread like wildfire but it had only made Joey's guilt increase instead of Charlie's lessen.

"I'm going to..." the Detective said, taking a deep breath.

"Do you want me to...?" Joey offered.

She had already spoken to Nicole but she was prepared to support her partner no matter what.

"I can do it," Charlie said, standing up.

Joey turned her attention to rounding up the kids. Christine and Jake were playing cards in the corner and Ruby had set up something resembling a nursery with Gina, Clarissa, Cathy, Max and Zac. Xavier had been propping up the bar for most of the day. Ruby had been supporting Nicole and as usual, neglecting her husband. He had hoped that if a good thing could have come out of such tragedy, it might be that Ruby would realise the value of what she had. But so far, nothing had changed and he was getting tired of trying to make things work.

Nicole looked up as Charlie approached without confidence or certainty. The strong, capable cop was trembling slightly and she looked like she hadn't slept since the accident.

"Nicole," she ventured. "I just wanted to say I'm sorry."

Nicole stared at her for several excruciatingly long moments. Charlie's eyes were wide as she tried to figure out whether Nicole would accept her apology gracefully or scream and shout at her.

"I'm so sorry," Charlie added.

She chewed her lip until it bled. Silently, Nicole moved forward. Charlie closed her eyes, ready for anything Nicole might dish out. She was surprised when the blonde hugged her. Relief flooded Charlie and she burst into tears, clinging onto any sense of salvation she could find. Nicole found herself crying also. People watched as the women held each other for the longest time. Across the room, with Max on her hip, Joey watched.

"Charlie, I know we haven't spoken but..." Nicole began, her voice tight with tears. "I need to tell you something."

"What?" Charlie asked.

"Romeo told me to tell you that... that it's not your fault," Nicole said.

She wiped her eyes, not caring about her smeared mascara. Charlie looked like she might collapse at any moment. Handing Max to Daria, Joey hurried over and took her wife's hand.

"I know you blame yourself but it wasn't your fault," Nicole told Charlie. "It was just an accident. At least on your part. And Romeo would hate it if you took responsibility."

Charlie closed her eyes and leant against Joey, thanking Nicole for granting her peace.

* * *

It was the eve of Irene and Lou's wedding and, eager to recover from the pain of losing Romeo, the town were eager to celebrate in style. Irene still worried that she was being tasteless but Lou insisted that the day had been set long before the accident and they shouldn't put their happiness on hold. Lou had opted to go for drinks with the friends he had made since arriving in town. Ross, Alf, Tony, Jack, Roman and Aden had all headed to the Jukebox to celebrate with him while Irene had invited Charlie, Joey, Morag, Ruby, Nicole, Daria, Rachel, Martha, Mink, Melissa, Leah, Watson, Sarah and Belle round to her house for drink. Irene had been elated when her daughter Fin, foster daughter Selena and unofficially adopted daughter, Kirsty arrived. Nicole had been reluctant but Ruby had encouraged her to try and get out and doing things. She'd volunteered Xavier to look after Cathy, Clarissa and Gina while David and Andy had invited Sam round while they babysat Christine and Max. The only person who hadn't shown up was Mink. By the time Melissa had returned from the wake, her girlfriend had upped and left town completely.

"I'm so touched that you're all here tonight," Irene said, looking a little emotional. "Thank you."

"Where else would we be?" Belle said affectionately.

Nicole smiled sadly, thinking about her own hen night and the life she had planned with Romeo. Charlie snuggled into Joey's arms and Selena lifted a glass to toast the only mother, like Belle, that she had ever known.

* * *

The following morning was busy to say the least. At Irene's house, Fin, Selena and Belle were helping the bride get ready when there was a knock at the door. Irene was elated to see Annie and Jai at her door. She hadn't seen them in a long time, since they had gone off travelling together and then settled long term in Japan. It was touching that they had made the effort to come and celebrate Irene's special day with her. Irene was over the moon. She stepped back to marvel at how much they had grown up. They were both thirty five now, working as teachers of English, married and homeowners. Annie's hair was shorter and she had definitely kept in shape while Jai had filled out and looked muscular rather than the skinny boy they had once known.

"I can't believe you're actually here," she said, ushering them inside.

"It's so weird being back!" Annie admitted. "And it's so wonderful to see you again."

"And we have an extra surprise," Jai revealed.

Irene looked confused. The door opened again and Geoff breezed through, smiling broadly. Squeaking with joy, Irene rushed to hug him. He spun her around in a circle, laughing happily and pleased to be reunited.

* * *

Everyone filed into the church. Lou stood up front. He'd asked Aden to be his best man, having got to know him well in the lead up to the wedding. With Irene and Belle so inseparable, the men had also bonded. Charlie and Joey filed into a pew with Christine and Max, followed by Daria, David, Sam, Andy, James, Leanne and Zac. Ruby and Xavier slipped into the row behind them with Gina, Nicole, Cathy and Clarissa. Ruby's attention was suddenly caught by surprise arrivals. Not only had Annie and Jai arrived and seated themselves near the front on the other side of the church, but Geoff had also arrived. Wondering what his wife was looking at, Xavier's heart flooded with disappointment as he also spotted Ruby's ex-boyfriend.

* * *

The service had been lovely and now everyone was enjoying the party. Lou and Irene had spared no expense in the celebration of their big day. With the speeches done and the music loud, everyone was keen to let their hair down and enjoy themselves. As a slow song came on, Irene and Lou took to the dance floor to share their first dance. Partway through, Irene hollered for everyone else to join them. Charlie and Joey eagerly got up, looking forward to letting their troubles float away. They were determined that life wasn't going to keep hurting them the way it had been over the last few years. Christine remained in her chair, looking uncertainly at Jake. Noticing, Jack nudged his son to go over and asked the little girl to dance. Hesitantly, he got up and led his friend to the dance floor.

"Shall we?" Morag suggested to Ross.

He looked at her and shook his head. The room was spinning and he didn't feel very well. Disappointed, Morag sat back down and poured herself some more wine. She exchanged a sad glance with Alf. Even he had noticed that there was something not quite right with the retired Detective. Taking a deep breath and trying to overcome his jealousy, Xavier shot a glare at Geoff and then led Ruby up to dance. She went happily with him, leaving Gina in Nicole's care. David danced with Andy while Daria danced with Sam. With Zac asleep in his pushchair already, Leanne and James also stood. Other couples followed suit including Rachel and Tony, Jack and Martha, Roman and Leah, Watson and Sarah and Annie and Jai.

"Would you like to?" Aden asked Belle softly.

She looked uncertain for a moment but then nodded. Taking his wife's hand, Aden supported her completely as they stepped up to the dance floor, holding each other like their lives depended on it.

* * *

"What do you think about renewing our vows?" Charlie asked, surprising herself.

She'd only meant to muse it to herself, not say it out loud. They were still dancing together, although the music was much more up tempo. Joey grinned as Charlie spun her around. It wasn't the easiest thing with Charlie's arm in a cast but they had learnt to adapt and at least nothing was hurting anymore aside from some neck twinges. Pulling Joey back to her so that they were chest to chest, Charlie kissed her.

"So?" she said, deciding to go with her train of thought. "What do you think?"

"Getting married three times?" Joey remarked with raised eyebrows.

Charlie nodded. It felt like a way to start afresh and draw a line under the sorrow that had befallen them ever since that awful day Robbo had been released from jail. Reading her thoughts, Joey smiled.

"I'd love to," she said, kissing her to confirm it.

* * *

Christine and Jake had continued to dance together and tried to ignore the way the adults seemed to be cooing over them. They were good friends and both were starting to become aware of the opposite sex and each other in particular. They were shy but the whole thing was really quite exhilarating.

* * *

With the music too loud and his thoughts in a jumble, Ross hurried out into the fresh air. Alf and Morag exchanged worried glances before Morag followed her husband. She found him leaning against the wall, taking deep breaths.

"What's going on, Ross?" she asked quietly.

She'd been asking for days, if not weeks but she never got anywhere.

"I've got Alzheimer's," Ross replied honestly.

She stared at him in disbelief.

* * *

Xavier sat at the table, feeding Gina who was becoming a little grizzly. Pondering taking his daughter and his wife home, Xavier looked up. His heart sank when he spotted Ruby on the other side of the room chatting animatedly with Geoff. She looked more cheerful than she had in months and her ex-boyfriend appeared to have her undivided attention.

* * *

Nicole looked up when Alf approached her and sat down, offering her a glass of orange juice.

"How are you feeling, love?" he asked.

Nicole wasn't someone he knew well but he could empathise with her situation. His wife had only recently died and, having been together for forty six years, a wedding wasn't the easiest situation to be in. Nicole smiled at him and cuddled Clarissa a little closer. Cathy and Max were dancing together, laughing and enjoying themselves.

"I'm okay," she said quietly.

"It's hard, isn't it?" he said.

She nodded.

"I lost my wife, Ailsa a few weeks ago," Alf explained. "I miss her."

"How long were you married?" Nicole asked.

"Forty six years," Alf said.

Nicole put a hand on his shoulder, her heart going out to him. She and Romeo had only been in a relationship for six years but it felt like forever. And her life without him was only going to feel longer.

* * *

"It sounds like you've been having the most amazing time," Ruby enthused.

Geoff smiled and nodded. He'd been working as a Christian missionary, travelling the world and becoming an aid worker in war torn or famine plagued areas.

"It's not been easy," he said. "But I like to think I've been living a useful life."

She nodded, struck by just how handsome he was. He was even better looking than he had been before he'd left town, back when they had been in love.

"So, tell me about you," Geoff encouraged. "I see you've got a baby and..."

"Yeah," Ruby smiled. "Gina's a year and a half old now."

"And you and Xavier..."

"We're married," Ruby confirmed, although she wasn't smiling quite as much.

"I'm happy for you, Ruby," Geoff said. "You deserve great things to happen to you."

* * *

The twins sat round a table with their partners. Daria was pondering more food while David was eager to get up and dance again. Glancing over at Charlie and Joey, Daria smiled. They looked more relaxed than they had in a long time. It made her happy. They deserved some joy.

With Zac growing sleepy, James and Leanne opted to say their goodbyes and head home. They had a long day ahead of them tomorrow when they finally moved into a home of their own. It was a small two bedroom place, twenty minutes away from Charlie and Joey's. The teenagers were still a little nervous of fending for themselves but they were excited too to be growing up. Jack had offered to help them do the hard moving stuff and while Martha still wasn't terribly impressed with the whole idea, she was doing her best to be supportive. Joey had made it very clear that she would miss them. She missed every child that flew the nest and was glad that Christine and Max had good many years to go until it was their time.

Melissa approached Irene and Lou in order to say goodbye. She'd had a nice time at the wedding but, with Mink having abandoned her the week before, being around too much love was a little painful and she was eager to escape. Not that going home alone was a nice prospect. She'd tried so hard to contact her girlfriend but it appeared that Mink was long gone.

VJ was feeling a little shy. He and Jennifer had been dating for a little while now and while she had already met his mother and step-father, dancing with her and holding her hand in front of them was more than a little cringe-worthy. He was also preparing to move out of home and in with Jennifer and was a little anxious about how to tell his mother what the plan was. For now though, he was keen to enjoy the day and have fun celebrating Irene's wedding. As his Mum and Roman's employee, he had spent a fair bit of time with Irene and he liked her, although he did think getting married in your sixties was a little bit odd. Her certainly hoped he didn't have to wait that long.

* * *

Watson and Sarah held hands as they chatted to Irene's son, Damian. He was good looking and had a nice personality. He was also the son of a very nice woman. Having been turned down for IVF on the basis of age, the women were considering DIY options and they wondered if Damian might be the answer.

"So, how long are you here for?" Watson asked.

He sipped his drink.

"I don't know," he said. "I've actually been working with Geoff for a while doing missionary work."

"Oh, really?" Sarah said with interest. "So, are you religious or...?"

He nodded.

"I'm a reverend," he said. "We've got a team out in Africa at the moment. I'm kind of second in command."

"How did you end up working with Geoff?"

"Mum put us in touch."

"And... do you have a family or...?"

Damian shook his head.

"No," he said. "I guess I'm cutting it a bit fine to find the one but... my work has been my life for a while."

"No kids then?" Watson asked.

"Nope," he said. "No kids."

* * *

Aden came to sit down beside Belle. She looked pale and tired but she was smiling and enjoying watching other people have fun.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

She nodded and held his hand.

"Irene's having a nice day, isn't she?"

Aden looked. Irene was cuddling Lou. She looked elated.

"I think she's having the best day of her life," he said. "Just like we did."

Belle smiled affectionately as she remembered their wedding day. She felt like she had been in love with Aden all her life. From the very first day they'd met, they'd been besotted. And although they had had their problems and made their mistakes, she was proud that they had made it through, survived everything and would love each other for the rest of their lives and beyond.

* * *

Liam approached Selena and offered her a glass of punch.

"Thanks," she replied.

"I haven't seen you round before," he said.

"Oh, I'm one of Irene's foster kids," Selena explained. "I don't live round here."  
He nodded.

"But you seem kind of familiar," she admitted. "Where would I know you from?"

He tried to look humble as he explained his former career as a rock star.

"Oh, wow," she said. "Yeah, I recognise you now. So, what do you do with yourself these days?"

He frowned.

"Um... I work on a fishing trawler," he said. "That girl over there..."

He pointed in Joey's direction.

"She's my boss. I wasn't really very employable but she took a chance on me."

He smiled again. She smiled back.

"So... um, what do you do?" Liam asked.

"I work with people who have learning difficulties," Selena said. "I've been doing it for a few years now. I left Irene's when I was twenty and went travelling for a while. Then I settled down and got married..."

Liam's heart sank.

"But we got divorced a couple of years ago."

He tried to look sad instead of pleased but he already knew that he liked her a lot.

"So, you're single now?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied. "You?"

"I'm single," he confirmed. "I um... well, I don't know if you're sticking around after the wedding but... would you like to go to dinner sometime?"

Selena smiled.

"I'd love to," she said.

* * *

Annie and Jai sat in a corner, not feeling entirely comfortable. Annie was convinced that Nicole had been glaring at her. Irene had called after the accident to let them know that Romeo had died. They'd thought about coming back for the funeral, as both had history with him. But they'd already bought their ticket for the wedding and it was too difficult and expensive to change it. But now, Annie was sure Nicole was annoyed with her. She kept glaring. And Annie's own guilt over breaking Romeo's heart all those years ago, was weighing heavily on her mind.

"Look, stop fretting," Jai said. "Nicole can't be angry that you broke up with Romeo. If you hadn't, they would never have got married, would they?"

Annie nodded a little uncertainly.

"Maybe I'm just being paranoid," she said.

"I think you are," Jai said.

"We don't belong here anymore, Jai," Annie told her husband. "Life has moved on and so have we. The sooner we get back to Japan, the better."

* * *

"Who is that guy talking to Selena?" Fin asked Kirsty, who was trying to relax while keeping an eye on her five year old son, Ollie.

He was running around with a couple of other kids and seemed to be having a good time, although he was becoming more hyper as the minutes passed.

"I don't know," Kirsty said. "He does look kind of familiar though."

"And he's hot!" Fin laughed.

Kirsty chuckled. They knew each other well. Irene hadn't been the best mother in the world to Fin and Damian. She'd had them young and had battled with alcoholism during the beginning of their lives. But by the time they had become teenagers, she had sorted herself out and that's when she had begun trying to make up for her errors by taking in kids that had had a rough ride. Selena had been the first and then Belle. Kirsty hadn't officially been fostered. She'd been too old. But after sacrificing a life with her own family in order to marry a somewhat dodgy character, who had ended up in jail, Kirsty had been lost and trying to raise Ollie alone. She'd met Irene who had taken her in as a waif and stray. Fin, Kirsty, Belle and Selena had always referred to themselves as Irene's girls. And they were proud of it.

* * *

As the evening came to a close, people began to flit home. Leah and Roman abandoned clean up duty until the morning and the guests joyfully waved Irene and Lou off. They were only going to their house as the honeymoon was postponed but tradition was tradition after all. When Irene had thrown the bouquet, Daria had nearly taken a few people out in order to catch it, which had sent Sam a little pale.

* * *

At home, Charlie and Joey tucked Christine and Max into bed for the night. They met again the hallway and hugged. Joey ran her hands through Charlie's hair and brushed her lips against hers.

"I am so in love with you," she said softly.

Charlie smiled, returning her kiss.

"Then I am the luckiest woman on earth," she replied.


	116. Chapter 116

_This is especially for Drowningnotwaving. I hope everyone enjoys it. After all the tragedy, we're heading for more romance! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Sixteen**

**June 2030**

Charlie arrived home from work, pulling into the drive and cutting the engine. Stepping out of her vehicle, she looked a little sadly at her bike, parked at the top of the drive, near the house. She'd had it fixed after the crash last year but she'd not ridden it again. She missed it. It had become her 'thing' a long time ago and after her initial worry and concern, Joey had found it to be quite the aphrodisiac. They'd had many a good time stripping Charlie out of her leathers. Charlie felt sad that it was all over now. Sometimes, she craved going out on it, speeding through the streets and losing herself in the momentum. But she was so afraid of getting hurt or, more specifically, hurting someone else, that she couldn't get on it again. She wondered why she hadn't just got rid of it but something always held her back whenever she was close to making that decision. So now, the bike sat, shiny and tempting as it tormented her, stationary in the drive. Tearing her eyes away from it, Charlie headed on into the house. Macy charged up to her in her usual excitable manner, alerting Joey to her presence. The businesswoman closed her accounts book and stood to greet her partner, pulling her in close and kissing her.

"How was your day?" Joey asked cheerfully.

"Yeah, it was pretty good," Charlie said. "Caught some bad guys, drank too much coffee..."

"Gobbled some doughnuts?" Joey teased.

"I am the official cliché," Charlie said, laughing along with her.

They had come a long way from the pain of the previous year. With Brett and Zoe now serving the beginning of a nine year jail term, Joey felt free. She was confident and far more sure of herself than she had been in recent years. She finally felt like she was leaving the past behind her and she was happy to focus on a future with Charlie and their family. Christine was twelve now and doing very well at school. Max, aged five, was just starting his educational journey. He was still a shy kid but he was coming out of his shell a little bit more each day.

"Where are the kids?" Charlie asked, realising they were alone.

"Max has gone round to his friend's house for tea and Christine is up in her room doing her homework."

Charlie moved in for another kiss, nudging Joey back into her chair and straddling her. They had a week to go until they were due to renew their wedding vows. The original plan had been to do it soon after Irene and Lou's wedding but the twins had insisted that it be a bigger affair. Charlie and Joey had objected but lost so more planning had been needed to go into the day. Then Belle had passed away so celebrating their love hadn't felt appropriate anymore. In part, it still didn't feel that appropriate but they had decided to press on. Aden was a mess and Nicole wasn't fairing much better, especially now she had baby Todd to take care of, as well as Cathy and Clarissa. But Aden had taken Joey to one side and said he regretted not doing something like that with Belle until it was already too late. He'd told her not to waste a single second of living with and loving her soul mate. So now, they were preparing for their big day and the naughty honeymoon they'd decided to indulge in afterwards.

* * *

Ruby left Nicole's house with Gina in tow and headed over to the Jukebox to see Xavier and find out what time he would be home. She'd worked in the morning, still only doing part time hours, and then collected Gina and Clarissa both from nursery. Then, as usual, she'd headed round to see her best friend, drop Clarissa home and see how the family were doing. Cathy was doing well at school but Nicole was still struggling with life as a single mother. Her grief over losing Romeo had not lessened and the fact that her four month old son, Todd was the spitting image of her late husband, both helped and destroyed her all at the same time.

"Hey," Ruby greeted, getting her husband's attention.

Xavier smiled and stepped out from behind the bar to kiss his wife and daughter.

"This is a pleasant surprise," he said.

Things had definitely got better between the two of them. It might have been a delayed reaction but after Nicole's tragedy with Romeo, Ruby had realised just what was important to her. She loved Xavier. She'd loved him for as long as she'd known him and she didn't want to lose him, especially due to her own lazy neglect.

"We just thought we'd stop by and see if you'll be home for dinner," Ruby said, putting Gina on her lap as she sat on a stool and Xavier moved back behind the bar.

"I finish at six," Xavier said. "So... if you can wait for me..."

"Well, this hungry girl will have eaten already," Ruby said. "But I reckon I could have something nice on the table for me and you when she's gone to bed. You might even get dessert."

She grinned. Xavier grinned back.

* * *

"Okay, I'm going to pick Max up from his friend's house," Joey said, hauling herself off the sofa.

"Why don't Chris and I come with you?" Charlie suggested. "It's Friday. I reckon we could do with a night off cooking. Does Crumble sound okay?"

Joey grinned and pulled her wife into a hug. She kissed her.

"That sounds perfect," she said, before calling Christine down from her room.

* * *

Irene and Lou approached Lou's boat. They were preparing, at long last, to go on their honeymoon. Neither had set a deadline on their return and both were hoping to be gone for at least a year. They wanted to enjoy their life together and their retirement. Irene had been sad to leave Crumble and her colleagues there but she also didn't want to work in the restaurant for the rest of her life. Selena, Kirsty and Ollie had all moved to town permanently and it had taken a lot of thinking on Irene's part and discussion with those she loved, in order to leave them behind. Both women had assured her that they would be fine. She knew Selena would. She was a good girl with a sensible head on her shoulders and she'd been in a stable relationship with Liam for almost a year now. While Irene had judged the reformed bad boy just as much as everyone else had but he'd proved his worth over the years and he did seem smitten. Irene wasn't entirely sure that Kirsty would be okay though. She was a single mother, struggling to make ends meet and the temptation to go back to her less than savoury ex husband was always strong. But she hoped her girls would look out for each other. And now that Belle was gone, Irene was struggling to recover and she knew it would do her some good to get away.

"Ready?" Lou asked.

Irene took a breath and nodded.

"Wait!" called several voices.

The couple turned to find Selena, Kirsty, Ollie, Aden, Leah and Roman racing down the wharf to see them off. Irene smiled.

"What are you guys doing here?" she wondered.

She'd already said her goodbyes.

"We couldn't let you go without saying another goodbye," Selena said.

Irene hugged everyone in turn. Aden was last. He clutched her tightly. Part of him felt like he was losing Belle all over again. Irene had supported them to the end. She'd taken care of Belle almost as much as Aden had and in the wake of losing her, she'd done a damn good job of taking care of him too.

"I'm going to miss you so much," he admitted.

Irene hugged him again.

"I'm going to miss you too. I love you like my own, Aden."

* * *

Charlie couldn't quite help but cast a glance at her bike again as she, Joey and Christine headed to the car. As Charlie started the engine, Joey put a hand on her arm.

"Why don't you start riding again?" the younger girl asked gently.

Charlie shook her head and began to back out of the drive.

"I can't," she said.

"You obviously miss it, Charlie," Joey pointed out, although it was a conversation they'd had many times.

"I do," Charlie admitted, concentrating on the road.

"I really think you should try again," Joey urged, wondering how hard she could push it this time.

"I can't," Charlie said more firmly. "How would Nicole feel if she saw me riding around town like I didn't care?"

She swallowed unhappily and sighed heavily. Joey kept a hand on her thigh.

"Everyone knows how much you care, Charlie," she said. "Everyone knows how broken up you've been over everything. And nobody is judging or blaming you but yourself."

Charlie nodded but she wasn't convinced. Life was better now, despite her Dad being so unwell. But she still held herself responsible for Romeo's death. She'd even agreed to go for counselling to try and come to terms with it. And she and Joey had made a joint and conscious decision to help Nicole out with whatever she needed, as much as they could without crowding her.

* * *

Morag said goodbye to the day nurse who came in each day to keep an eye on Ross so that the pressure wasn't solely on his family. Since his secret diagnosis the previous year, things had been difficult to say the least. And Ross's lucid moments were getting fewer and further between. He'd wanted to retreat, away from his family but they had refused to let him. This town was his home and his wife and children were determined to support him through his illness. It wasn't easy for anyone but everyone was making the effort.

"How are you feeling?" Morag asked, approached his husband as he sat in his chair.

"Pretty tired," Ross admitted. "I might go for a sleep. Is that okay?"

"That's fine," Morag said. "Do you need help?"

He shook his head as he hauled himself out of the chair and into their bedroom.

* * *

Charlie, Joey, Christine and Max arrived at Crumble just as Leah and Roman were arriving back.

"Been anywhere exciting?" Charlie asked cheerfully.

"We just went down to see Irene and Lou off," Leah explained. "I miss her already."

Roman put his arm around his girlfriend and then headed into the kitchen.

"I forgot they were leaving today," Charlie admitted. "Did you get everything sorted?"

Joey nodded and assured her she had. Ten months ago, she and Lou had pooled their businesses together and pretty much taken control of the industry in their area. Rather than Lou ruining Joey's business, as she had feared, he had helped her expand and between them, they ran twelve trawlers all along the coastline. It made it that little bit easier for Joey to step back and work from land. If it wasn't a small, family run fishing business, she didn't need to be on it every day so desperately. And the fact that Charlie had bought her a boat of her own, intended only for pleasure and leisure, also made things much easier to bear. Joey could go out on the water as much as she wanted, without having to do extensive physical labour that her shoulder just couldn't put up with. She continued to do her exercises, although she couldn't help but find them tedious and boring. Charlie had long since devised a reward system that meant Joey generally always got them done.

"I hope they have a good time," Leah said, joining the family at the table.

"Me too," Joey said. "They deserve it. Especially Irene."

Charlie put her arm around her.

"That's what we hope to do in our retirement, isn't it?" she said with a smile.

Joey nodded. Once upon a time they had planned on leaving school and then going off sailing for a year. It hadn't happened back then but they hoped that when the time came for Charlie to hang up her Detective hat and Joey to let someone manage the business on her behalf, they could sail off into the sunset together and see some of the world they felt they had missed out on thus far.

"It certainly is," Joey said dreamily.

"What about me?" Christine squeaked in alarm.

"You'll be well grown up by then, sweetheart," Charlie assured her.

"We'd never leave you or Max until you were ready," Joey promised.

* * *

Aden walked back from the wharf and round to Nicole's house. He went over to her pretty much every evening now. After work, Nicole usually had his dinner on the table and they spent their nights chatting and keeping each other company. Aden missed Belle and Nicole missed Romeo. They understood each other and what they were going through. And Aden hoped that he could be active in the children's lives. Romeo had been such a good father and Aden knew Nicole was worried about her babies not having a proper father figure in their lives now that he was gone. Only Cathy would ever truly remember her Dad and even her memories would soon prove sketchy. Clarissa wouldn't really have a clue how amazing her father had been and Todd would never have even met him. Aden certainly didn't want to step on toes or take anyone's place but, having never been able to have kids with Belle, he hoped he might be of some use to Nicole's children instead.

* * *

Charlie, Joey and the kids were just finishing their food when Watson and a very heavily pregnant Sarah walked in. Nobody knew the identity of the baby's father. Even Charlie and Joey hadn't been party to the man's name. But Sarah looked about ready to drop any moment and surprisingly, Watson looked elated about the whole thing.

"Mind if we join you?" Watson asked.

"If you answer our question," Charlie teased.

Watson merely poked her tongue out and pulled up two chairs anyway.

"How are you feeling?" Joey asked Sarah.

"Fat," she replied.

Charlie snorted. Watson put her arm around Sarah and reminded her that she was the one desperate to get pregnant. Then she told her rather hurriedly that she was beautiful. Sarah was placated and smiled. She picked up the menu.

"I am so hungry I could eat a horse!" she declared.

Max's eyes widened in horror. Charlie quickly hugged him and assured him that auntie Sarah didn't mean it.

* * *

The following morning, Charlie woke up with a start. Sitting up, she rubbed her face, puzzled. Beside her, Joey yawned and stretched.

"Joey, was I singing?" Charlie wondered.

Joey smirked and kissed her cheek.

"Yes, dear, you were... singing," she said.

Charlie turned to her, studying her face with intrigue.

"Joey...?"

"You were singing," Joey insisted, leaning forward and kissing her.

Charlie merely pouted. Sighing, Joey took her partner's hand.

"You weren't singing," she said.

"Talking?" Charlie asked hopefully.

Joey shook her head.

"I was snoring wasn't I?" Charlie frowned.

Joey smiled and kissed her cheek.

"I snore?" Charlie asked, sounding heartbroken. "When did this happen? I've never snored! Do I snore?"

Chuckling, Joey hugged her and kissed the top of her head.

"Little bit," she admitted.

"Since when?" Charlie asked.

"Since the accident," Joey said quietly.

Charlie's eyes widened.

"What?" she screeched. "That was a year ago!"

"I think it was something to do with your neck injury..."

"But I've been lying here snoring my head off for a year and you never said anything?" Charlie asked in alarm.

Joey shrugged.

"I don't care," she said.

"But... don't I disturb you?" Charlie asked unhappily.

Joey smiled and held both of her hands.

"Generally it's not a bit snore," she promised. "And I'd rather sleep with you snoring than not sleep with you at all."

Charlie grinned, despite her horror at the new information about herself.

* * *

Later that morning, Joey found Charlie jogging round the garden and singing along to her iPod. Standing at the back door with her mug of tea in her hand, Joey couldn't quite resist checking her out.

"She really is so beautiful," Joey said to herself.

Charlie stumbled when she saw Joey looking at her. Pulling her earphones out, she caught her breath and asked how long Joey had been watching her.

"Long enough to get turned on," Joey teased.

Charlie blushed and jogged up to her wife.

"You're all sweaty!" Joey protested when Charlie hugged her.

The Detective hugged her tighter and pressed her lips against her neck. Joey moaned.

"I like it!" she decided.

Charlie nudged her back inside the house, quickly pressing her against the wall and dumping the mug on the nearest surface. Leaning into Joey, she kissed her, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her in close. Their lips parted as their intimacy deepened. Joey ran her fingers up Charlie's back, inside her t-shirt, making her tingle.

"Geez! Get a room!"

The couple turned to find Daria had waltzed into the house.

"We have a whole house!" Joey remarked, still holding onto Charlie. "And so do you!"

"I'm out of cereal," Daria said. "So, I thought I'd stop by and eat yours!"

"We're so lucky!" Charlie said sarcastically.

They moved into the kitchen and Charlie began making breakfast, although she was more than a little disappointed to have been interrupted. She could easily have made love to Joey right there and then. It still excited her that they still found each other so attractive, even after all their years together.

"So, where's Sam?" Joey asked, plonking herself down with her tea in a kitchen chair while Charlie fussed around with cereal and toast.

Daria shrugged and looked a little despondent.

"Are things not going well?" Joey asked worriedly.

Daria shrugged again. She was happy with Sam, at least to a degree. But she also felt like they weren't going anywhere. They'd been dating for years now and Daria had believed that Sam was the love of her life. They lived together but she was keen to progress that little bit further. She definitely didn't want children but she did like the idea of getting married. And so many other couples seemed to be getting hitched and she felt left out. She'd been dropping more than a few hints but so far, Sam had either not noticed or ignored them and it was starting to annoy her.

"What's wrong?" Charlie asked, dumping a bowl and a glass in front of her daughter.

She sat down next to Joey.

"Nothing's wrong, really," Daria said awkwardly.

"But?"

"But... do you ever feel like your relationships not going anywhere?"

Charlie and Joey exchanged glances.

"Ugh, who the hell am I talking to?" Daria said, throwing her hands up in the air. "You two have been married from the day you were born! Of course you have no idea what I'm talking about!"

Joey giggled and held Charlie's hand.

"I've felt like that about other people I've dated," Charlie admitted. "I mean, Angelo and I were never going to go anywhere. I mean, that was mostly because I was desperately in love with Joey but..."

"Why did you even date him?" Daria asked. "I mean, he was pretty hot but..."

Joey pulled a face.

"I was a little misguided back then," Charlie said. "Anyway, the point is that if things aren't working with Sam, you can't just ignore it. You have to talk to him about it, find a way forward."

"What if there isn't a way forward?" Daria asked.

Charlie looked awkward.

"Then you need to figure that out together," Joey said helpfully.

Charlie nodded her agreement, glad that like with everything else, she and Joey were a team.

* * *

Sarah woke up in agony and worried for a moment that she had wet the bed.

"Watson!" she yelled at the top of her lungs.

Her partner dashed up the stairs in a panic.

"What's going on?" she wondered.

"Get me to the hospital," Sarah begged. "Now!"

* * *

It was the afternoon. Daria had gone home in order to try and talk to Sam and after another make out session with Joey, Charlie had headed upstairs to get showered. Arriving back downstairs in jeans and a white sleeveless top that showed off the toned arms she was very proud of, she was perplexed to find her helmet, leather jacket and gloves on the kitchen table.

"Joey?" she called uncertainly.

Joey appeared behind her with her own biking equipment.

"David and Andy came round to collect the kids when you were in the shower," Joey said. "So me and you are free to go for a ride this afternoon."

"Joey, I'm not ready..."

Joey stepped forward, put her stuff down and held Charlie's hands, looking her fully in the eye.

"Charlie, you either have to get back on the bike and reclaim your life," she said. "You either have to get back on and do something you love... or you need to say goodbye to it once and for all."

Charlie sighed and chewed her lip. She didn't want to get rid of her bike but she was afraid to get back on it.

"I'll be with you," Joey promised.

"What if I crash?" Charlie asked. "What if I hurt you? Or someone else? Again."

"Charlie, you only crashed because Brett and Zoe forced you off the road," Joey said. "You know I hated that thing when you first brought it home but you're good at riding it. You're aware, you're safe. Honestly, it's your choice but I really think it'd be silly to let this go."

Charlie searched Joey's eyes and nodded silently.

"Okay," she said.

Joey's eyes lit up. She smiled and squeezed Charlie's hands.

"Sure?" she checked.

"Yep," Charlie said. "Now, let's go quick before I change my mind."

* * *

David and Andy were playing catch on the beach with Christine and Max. The five year old wasn't doing quiet so well at catching or throwing but the other three were being patient. David and Andy were particularly having a nice time. It was fun playing happy families, laughing and joking in the sunshine. David also hoped that Joey had managed to convince Charlie to tackle her fear of riding her motorbike again. He thought it would be the final step in his mother recovering from the events of the previous year.

Joey rested her hands on Charlie's thighs as they headed out of the drive together and down the road. She was glad that Charlie had opted to take the bike for a spin again and she hoped that her wife would get back into the swing of it all again and let the past go. Charlie, for her part, was concentrating hard on the road, careful not to have an accident, but already enjoying the rush going through her. Having Joey wrapped around her also helped. The safest place in the world was in Joey's arms and she gave her the confidence to keep going.

* * *

"Marry me," Andy blurted out.

David looked startled. He stared at his boyfriend in silence for several long moments.

"Excuse me?" he finally said.

Andy moved closer, falling onto bended knee in front of the sofa, clutching David's hand and cursing himself for being spontaneous and not getting a ring. David's eyes widened.

"Do you mean it?" he almost squeaked.

They'd had a nice day with Christine and Max and dropped them home to Charlie and Joey a few hours ago. It seemed that the motorbike ride had definitely been good for Charlie and already she was walking with more confidence. Also, the twigs and leaves in her hair suggested that they'd had more fun than was originally intended. With Charlie and Joey being his parents, it was a little freaky. But at the same time, he was happy that they were still so desperately besotted. He hoped he and Andy could sustain the same kind of relationship.

"I do," Andy said. "I love you so much, Dave. Will you marry me?"

David smiled and pulled Andy into his arms, accepting with joy.

* * *

One week later, Charlie and Joey stood in church, holding hands. When marriages between couples of the same sex had first been allowed by law, they'd been called Civil Partnerships and were not allowed to be conducted in a church building. But with the renewal being a blessing, it had just about been allowed. Charlie and Joey were happy to see their family and friends there, happy to support them, including Watson and Sarah who were taking their baby boy, Matthew, on his first outing into the world. Daria and Sam, however, were sitting on opposite sides of the church. Since David and Andy had announced their engagement, Daria had been dropping hints every moment of the day to Sam, until he had finally said he didn't want to get married. Being the spontaneous and somewhat firey woman she was, instead of trying to talk it through, Daria had snapped a few insults, dumped him and moved into Charlie and Joey's spare room. Still, today, the focus was on the lifelong love affair between Charlie and Joey – soul mates forever


	117. Chapter 117

_As our characters celebrate Christmas, I thought I'd let you know that Monday will be my last update. I'm off on a family holiday (haven't been abroad in years!) so I won't update for a week. But I will be back on Wednesday 20__th__ with. You have a good few chapters to go before I'm off but I thought I would let you know in advance. I hope you enjoy the chapter. I guess it's kind of a filler, to let you know where everyone is at. The next chapter will bring a birthday, a fight and sex on the beach! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Seventeen**

**December 2030**

Christmas was approaching and the whole town were abuzz with preparation, just as they were every year. Feeling much more confident in herself, Joey was eagerly taking over gift buying, decorations and food. She wanted Charlie to have the most relaxing Christmas possible and was determined to let her relax and put her feet up. This year, they were entertaining Max, Christine and the twins as usual, plus Ross, Morag and Alf. They were a little disappointed that James, Leanne and Zac were spending the day with Martha and Jack and their family and that Ruby, Xavier and Gina were also heading over there too. But still, Joey figured they couldn't all have everything every Christmas.

* * *

Xavier and Martha were busy serving drinks at the Jukebox. Their little town was always busier during the holidays and business was thriving to say the least. Martha had toyed with the idea of opening up on Christmas Day but Jack had protested too vocally, insisting that if, as a cop, he had managed to get out of working, then his wife shouldn't either. Christmas was a time of family and happiness, not working tirelessly behind a bar all day and night.

"What can I get you?" Xavier asked when Miles Copeland approached the bar.

He had been teaching at the high school for a while but had always lived out of town so nobody had really got to know him properly. Now, with his circumstances having changed, Alf Stewart had taken him in as a lodger and slowly, he was ingratiating himself with the community. Xavier thought he was a nice guy. At fifty, he was closer to the age ranges of the likes of Roman, with whom he had become good friends. He had started dating Kirsty and had already stepped in as a good father figure to her seven year old son, Ollie. And with Kirsty and Selena being so close, Miles had automatically become friends with Liam.

"Just a beer please, mate," he said, plonking himself on a stool.

Xavier nodded and set to work.

"What are you up to for Christmas?" he asked.

It was already well known that Miles didn't have any family so Xavier felt a little awkward asking, in case it was a sore subject. To his relief, the older man smiled.

"I'm actually spending it with Kirsty and Ollie," he said. "Liam, Selena, Damian and Geoff are joining us too."

Xavier nodded but felt his heart sink. Damian and Geoff had moved back to town to live, at least temporarily. They'd taken over as the leadership of the local church and Xavier hated it. He didn't have a problem with Damian. He didn't even know him. But he despised Geoff, the man who had once stolen Ruby away from him. His presence brought out a side to Xavier that he didn't like about himself. He was jealous and suspicious and it was starting to cause rows between himself and Ruby again. Ruby was intent on being friends with her ex and it was driving Xavier crazy.

* * *

Nicole and Ruby walked along the beach together. They'd offered to babysit Max for the day and he and Cathy were running ahead chasing each other. Clarissa and Gina were both happily waddling in front of their mothers, debating catching up with the older kids and playing. Ten month old Todd was in Nicole's arms as they wandered along together.

"How are you feeling about Christmas?" Ruby asked.

Last year's celebrations had been more than difficult for Nicole. She'd only forced herself to do anything for the sake of the kids. Roman, Leah and VJ had been on hand to support her as best they could. This year, they were doing the same thing but Aden was joining them. Last December, Belle had been unwell but still alive. This year, she was gone and Aden's heart was breaking all over again.

"I'm hoping it'll be easier than last year," Nicole said. "Although, I guess it'll be harder for Aden."

Ruby nodded.

"We'll all look after him like they all looked after me last time," Nicole said.

She and Aden spent almost every day together these days. They took a lot of comfort in each other, seeking solace in their similar situations. But every day remained difficult.

* * *

Brett sat alone in his cell, staring at the calendar on his wall. It was Christmas Eve and he was spending it in prison. Again. He counted down the days but they were passing too slowly. He longed for those days when he'd been a kid. His family and the Bucktons' would all get together and celebrate. Back then, he'd had no cares in the world. His biggest concern had been puzzling out how to get Charlie into bed. And he'd never succeeded. He felt like he'd never succeeded in anything. His life was a mess and it was only ever going to get worse.

* * *

Watson was rushed off her feet trying to clear her paperwork before she disappeared for Christmas Day in order to spend the holidays with her wife and six month old baby boy, Matthew. Things were going well, although now that Damian was back in town, Watson and Sarah were both a little nervous that he would suddenly change his mind and want to be part of his son's life. They'd never told anyone who was the father of their baby. They'd hoped nobody would ever know, not unless Matthew asked when he was older. But while Damian hadn't said anything about it, the girls worried that he might turn out to be a threat. His decision to donate sperm had been spontaneous to say the least and they worried every day that he regretted it and would act on his regret.

"You look like you've got the weight of the world on your shoulders," Jack commented as he walked past her desk.

Watson looked up and grinned.

"You know me," she laughed. "I'm never too serious about anything!"

Jack chuckled.

"You got that right!" he said. "Looking forward to Christmas?"

"My first Christmas with my baby boy?" Watson smiled. "What do you think?"

Charlie breezed through the doors with coffees for everyone. She handed them round and told them to count themselves lucky that their Detective was humble enough to fetch and carry.

"Oh, we know we're lucky!" Watson said. "Best boss in the world, isn't she?"

"You bet!" Jack said.

Charlie handed the last coffee to Watson.

"You're not getting a raise," she told her.

* * *

Irene enjoyed sunbathing on the deck of Lou's boat. Her husband lay beside her, enjoying the tranquillity of the day. They held hands and sipped fruit juice. This was definitely going to be the best Christmas either of them had ever had.

Christine and Jake felt terribly naughty as they sloped off to Joey's boat for the afternoon. Jake had attempted to coax Christine into taking it out but she was afraid of getting into trouble. Joey had been teaching her to sail but she hadn't finished her lessons yet. She was thirteen now and had already decided that she wanted to go to University but after that, she wanted to work with boats or water or some such thing. That world was very exciting to her and she hoped she would make her parents proud. She loved the way Joey got so excited about teaching her and watching her take the helm on day trips. And she hoped she'd get the chance to steer tomorrow. They were taking the boat out for Christmas Day with the family and Christine was very much looking forward to it. For now, she and Jake were eager to exchange presents. And perhaps a few kisses.

* * *

James, David, Aden, Sarah and Liam were eager to finish work on the trawler for the next week. Joey was always generous with time off over Christmas, even though it was during a time of roaring trade. James was a little regretful that he, Leanne and Zac were spending Christmas with Martha and Jack instead of Charlie and Joey but they had agreed the previous year that they would take it in turns who they celebrated the holidays with. The fact that David had been showing off about the family boat trip tomorrow hadn't helped. David was still on cloud nine as he and Andy made preparations for their wedding. It would take place in a couple of months and the couple were sickeningly happy about it.

"I'm off to pick Matthew up from Leanne, do you want a lift?" Sarah asked, patting James on the shoulder.

"Oh, that'd be great, thanks," James said.

She hurried off, eager to see her baby boy. He jogged after her, trying to keep up. David disappeared in the direction of the Jukebox.

"Happy Christmas," Liam said to Aden before they parted, although it felt hollow.

They got along well but were hardly the kind of people to talk about their feelings with each other. However, it didn't take a genius to figure out that Aden was unlikely to be having a happy anything right about now. Still, he nodded, wished Liam the same and then took off for home. He definitely wasn't looking forward to Christmas without Belle.

* * *

Zoe fell back against the uncomfortable bed in her cell with her arms wrapped around her new girlfriend. Relationships between inmates weren't exactly allowed but as long as none of the guards found out, it was okay. If they weren't obvious about things, then most of the staff turned a blind eye. Life in prison wasn't turning into the absolute hell that Zoe had feared. It wasn't a barrel of laughs and she hated the loss of her freedom but she prided herself on very much making the best of things.

The following day, Charlie insisted on helping Joey with preparations for their meal together. Christine and Max were racing around with the joy of their presents, much to Macy's delight. They met Ross, Morag, Alf and the twins on the boat, ready to spend the day with them. They'd also invited Melissa along. Since Mink had walked out on her and everyone, she'd gone back to feeling mostly lonely and neither Charlie, nor Joey could see her spending Christmas Day alone.

Things were hectic to say the least at Martha and Jack's house when James, Leanne and Zac arrived. Tony and Rachel had gone to collect Brendan the day before and come home to find Lucas waiting on their doorstep as a surprise. Tony was more than a little elated. Xavier's bad mood was obvious but Ruby was busily focussing on Gina and having a nice time while Harry and Jake battled each other on a video game.

Roman and Leah were glad to have worked together in a busy kitchen for so many years when it came to Christmas. They were amid merry cooking when there was a knock on the door. VJ welcomed Nicole, Aden and the brood of children inside, ready to make the best of another difficult Christmas.

In Indonesia, Hugo was working over Christmas. But with work, came a lot of pleasure, especially in the form of his wife and business partner. He had far from returned to the straight and narrow, but life was most definitely good.


	118. Chapter 118

__

Hello! I'm baaaaaaack! And I missed you, although my holiday with my family was awesome. And it was a bit of a shock to come home (after a severely delayed flight) to such cold weather after the burning sun of Lanzarote! I do not, however, miss the mosquitoes! Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter. Much love, IJKS xxx

**Chapter One Hundred and Eighteen**

**April 2031**

It was Daria and David's thirty second birthday and they had decided to have a party at the Jukebox. With David's recent marriage to Andy, he felt like he was flying high, although his twin was generally in a less excitable mood. She missed Sam but remained adamant that breaking up had been the right decision. However, the tension between them remained. Charlie had asked Watson to haul them into her office in order to tell them off for being unprofessional at work. Watson hadn't enjoyed doing it but it was her job. And with Daria being Charlie's daughter, the Detective hadn't really wanted to get involved herself. Now, with the party in full swing, Daria was determined to let her hair down and have a good time. Stepping onto the dance floor with her brother, Daria began dancing with him and with her friends.

* * *

Xavier was trapped behind the bar and not in a good mood. After a brief period of grace after Romeo's death, things only seemed to be getting worse between him and Ruby. And he knew it was largely his fault. He remained suspicious of Geoff and it appeared his jealousy also applied to other men. If Ruby so much as looked at anyone, against his own will, Xavier found himself starting a fight. And tonight, work was torture. Ruby was there, having fun at the party and enjoying being away from him while he was stuck serving drinks. He growled in frustration when he dropped a bottle.

"Hey, it's okay," Martha said, bending to help him clean up. "Don't panic."

"I'm just annoyed," he said, looking and sounding extremely irritated.

Martha touched his shoulder.

"Look," she said. "Why don't you take a break for a bit? Go and dance with Ruby. Have a good time."

He looked uncertain. She assured him that she could cope. Nodding, Xavier got to his feet and escaped the confines of the bar. Looking around, he attempted to find his wife. He clenched his fists in frustration when he saw her on the other side of the room, chatting to Geoff.

* * *

Charlie and Joey were dancing together, enjoying the music and having lots of fun. Joey moved forward and touched her hands to Charlie's waist. She smiled, leaning in closer for a kiss. Charlie returned her affection with passion, wrapping her arms around her and pressing their bodies close together. Joey trailed her lips down to Charlie's neck and shoulder, resting her hands on her backside and pulling them even closer together.

* * *

Selena, Liam, Kirsty and Miles were all seated round a table together. Liam was on orange juice while the others were all drinking alcohol. He wished, during times like these, that he hadn't messed up and developed a dependency on alcohol. Then perhaps he would be able to relax with a beer or a glass of wine on nights like this. But still, he was having fun anyway and he was happy to have fallen in love with Selena. She was a nice girl. Noticing the empty glasses, he stood and offered to buy more. Miles went with him, leaving the girls to chat.

"So, how are things going with Liam?" Kirsty asked. "Is everything still perfect?"

Selena nodded happily.

"Even though Damian's back?"

Selena looked a little guilty.

"You have told him that you and Damian used to date, haven't you?"

"What?"

The women looked up to see Liam standing over them, having returned to double check their orders. He looked confused and a little hurt.

"Sorry," Kirsty said.

"Um..." Selena managed.

"You and Damian were together?" Liam asked.

"It was a long time ago," she said quickly.

Liam sat down beside her. Kirsty escaped and hurried up to the bar to find Miles.

* * *

Xavier marched up to Ruby and Geoff and pulled his wife roughly away from her ex-boyfriend.

"Xave!" Ruby cried out in surprise.

"I've already told you I don't want you being friends with him!" Xavier said angrily.

Geoff held his hands up in submission.

"Honestly," he said. "We were just talking. Ruby and I are just friends."

"Well, I don't want you being friends with my wife," Xavier yelled. "Because I know exactly where that can lead! She broke my heart for your sake last time..."

"That's not true!" Ruby said, tired of the same old argument.

Yes, she had dated Geoff after Xavier, but that relationship had grown over time. She hadn't ended things with Xavier for him. She'd been away at University and they'd drifted apart. That was all.

"I'm sick of you winding me up all the time, Ruby," Xavier said.

"How am I winding you up?" Ruby demanded. "I was just having a conversation."

"Well, don't," Xavier snapped.

He turned to walk away, suddenly aware that a good few people were watching them, including fiercely protective Charlie and Joey.

"Xavier, you can't control Ruby," Geoff said.

Xavier turned back to him.

"She's her own person. You have to let her live her life."

"Don't tell me how to handle my marriage," Xavier warned.

"I'm just..."

Xavier punched him.

* * *

Sam sat home alone feeling more than a little sorry for himself. He wondered for the millionth time if he should have handled things differently. While he hadn't wanted to get married, it was now blindingly obvious that that's what Daria wanted. Should he have just given in and done what would make her happy or should he have stuck to his guns? Doing the latter just meant that instead of celebrating a birthday with the woman he loved, he was stuck at home, excluded from the party and her life. He sighed heavily, wondering how he could fix things and make them work again.

* * *

With Jack having dragged Xavier away from Geoff, Rachel having taken Geoff into the bathroom to fix up his cut lip and Charlie and Joey consoling a humiliated Ruby, Daria and David's party had officially descended into chaos. Watson followed Jack outside as he saw Xavier off and told him to go and calm down.

"You're actually chucking me out?" Xavier exclaimed. "I'm at fucking work!"

"Well, you shouldn't have bashed one of your customers then!" Jack said.

He folded his arms, looking distinctly unimpressed.

"What the hell were you playing at?" Watson asked.

"It's got nothing to do with you," Xavier snarled. "I want to see Ruby."

"Well, I don't think she wants to see you right now," Jack said. "Go take a walk. Calm down. Pull yourself together and come back when you can keep your fists under control."

* * *

"Damian wasn't the guy you were married to, was he?" Liam checked.

"No," Selena said calmly.

They'd ignored the fight and kept on talking. Their relationship was more important to them than anyone else's.

"That was Steven."

"How many people have you been with?" Liam exclaimed.

"How many people have _you _been with?" she challenged.

He sighed and fiddled with his beer mat. She had been very good about not judging him on his past. He wanted to do the same for her but now, all he could think about was every time Selena and Damian had been alone together over the past few months. He'd noticed how close they were and now the idea that they'd once been an item horrified him.

"Look, it's not that big a deal," Selena said. "Everyone has exes. I mean, you don't see me getting all bent out of shape over you dating Nicole."

"It's hardly the same thing!" Liam said. "She's been married since then!"

"So have I!"

"Not to me!" Liam snapped.

He stood up, shoving his hands in his pockets and wondering what his next move ought to be.

"Liam, please, don't be like this," she pleaded. "It's really not that important."

"If it wasn't important, why did you keep it a secret?" Liam asked.

She struggled over an answer. He turned and left. On the dance floor, Daria and David exchanged glances.

"Is everyone determined to have a bad time at our birthday party?" Daria wondered.

* * *

Charlie and Joey saw Ruby off in a cab. They had offered to go back to her place with her but she'd said she wanted to be alone. Sighing, the couple held hands and watched Charlie's beloved little sister head on home. Joey rested her head on Charlie's shoulder.

"Do you think she'll be okay?"

"I hope so," Charlie said. "What was Xavier's problem? I've never seen him like that before."

"I don't know," Joey replied.

She turned and pulled Charlie into her arms.

"I hope you and I will never get like that," she said with a gentle smile.

Charlie grinned and kissed her.

"As if!" she said. "Nothing will ever tear you and I apart."

They kissed again. Charlie chuckled as she felt Joey's hands work their way round to her bottom.

"Hey... um... do you reckon we could sneak away?" Joey asked with a distinctly naughty glint in her eye.

"What about the kids?" Charlie asked, drawn in by yet more kisses. "We're meant to be all responsible..."

Joey stole another, more passionate kiss that took Charlie's breath away.

"They'll be fine," Joey assured her. "They're in there with tonnes of responsible adults. We could definitely..."

She trailed off, kissed Charlie again and then tugged her hand in order to lead her to the beach.

* * *

Geoff slipped out of the party and climbed into his car. He knew it probably wasn't the wisest decision he'd ever made but he wanted to check that Ruby was alright. He felt guilty about the scene that had been caused and he wondered if he ought to have kept his distance. But he cared about Ruby. They had been in love once upon a time. He needed to make sure she was alright. Just as he pulled out of his car parking space, Xavier stormed past and back into the Jukebox without even seeing him.

Liam headed out of the Jukebox and down to the docks. Approaching Joey's trawler, he hopped on board and opted to sit there for a while and clear his head. He wasn't sure if he was allowed exactly, but he found the water peaceful and often came to sit on the trawler in order to think. He wondered now if he had overreacted to Selena's secret. Everyone had exes. Even the golden couple, Charlie and Joey had exes. And by the sounds of it, most of those had been terrible disasters with a lot of consequences. But it wasn't the facts that upset him. It was that Selena had lied to him, at least by leaving important things out of her story. And if Damian didn't live here now, it wouldn't matter so much. But he did. They'd spent Christmas with him and they saw him regularly. What if there were still feelings between them? What if he left her for Damian and they sailed off into the sunset together. He was too old to get his heartbroken all over again. It wasn't fair.

* * *

Charlie and Joey had found a more secluded spot on the beach. Falling back on the sand, Charlie pulled Joey with her, entangling her hands in her hair and enjoying the searing kisses they were sharing. She felt naughty, behaving this way in public when she was a Detective and forty eight years old. But no matter how much she had to dye the grey out of her hair now and no matter how much harder she had to fight to stay in shape, one thing hadn't changed. She was desperately in love and in lust with Joey and no amount of reasoning was going to stop her making love to her right here and now.

"I love you," she whispered, tugging at the bottom of Joey's t-shirt.

Joey lifted her arms and Charlie happily pulled the item off, smiling and resuming their kisses as Charlie made light work of her bra.

* * *

Xavier was disappointed that Ruby had run off home. He wanted to go after her but Martha was already furious with him about his behaviour. He was lucky he still had a job so he knew he had to stay for the rest of the evening and be a good boy. He tried and failed to keep a smile on his face as he continued to serve customers. All he could be grateful for was that Gina hadn't seen. The three year old was happily and obliviously playing with Clarissa, her very best friend in the world.

* * *

Ruby was sitting with a nice glass of wine and a horrible headache when there was a knock on the door. She wondered if she ought to have brought Gina home with her but her baby girl hadn't wanted to leave. Trying to prise her and Clarissa apart these days was damn near impossible and she hadn't wanted to spoil her daughter's fun just because she had had yet another fight with her husband. Nicole had promised to bring her safely home later. The knock at the door sounded again. Grumbling to herself, Ruby forced herself off the sofa to answer.

"Geoff!" she said in surprise.

* * *

"Happy birthday to us," Daria frowned.

Their party really hadn't gone to plan. Ruby and Xavier had argued, Xavier had punched Geoff, Liam had stormed out and now Charlie and Joey were nowhere to be found. It certainly didn't take a genius to work out where their parents had scampered off to but that only worsened Daria's mood. They were old and they were still randy. She was young, single and lonely. It wasn't fair. David came and put his arm around his twin.

"We can still have a good time," he said. "Just smile and the world will smile with you."

She stared at him and shook her head.

"You are so gay," she said.

* * *

Charlie and Joey climaxed at the same time, lying in each other's arms, breathless and perspiring. Charlie kissed the top of Joey's head, smiling happily to herself, although both agreed that sex on the beach was slightly overrated. The sex itself had been wonderful as usual. The sand that had wedged itself in uncomfortable places, was not. They kissed over and over again. Neither had any intention of going back to the party any time soon.


	119. Chapter 119

**Chapter One Hundred and Nineteen**

**April 2031**

"So, what's going on with you and Xavier?" Geoff asked, getting right to the point.

He and Ruby were sitting side by side on the sofa in her lounge. She shrugged and sighed heavily, leaning back on the cushions and wondering where to start.

"I don't know," she said honestly. "I think we've been having problems for a long time."

Geoff nodded in understanding and waited for her to continue.

"It's just... after... well, after we had Gina, my world started to revolve around her," Ruby ventured. "I wasn't... well, I wasn't really in the mood for... stuff."

She cringed. It felt awkward to discuss her marriage with an ex-boyfriend and yet one of the things that she had always loved about Geoff was that he was such a caring man and such a good listener.

"But I thought... well, I thought we'd got back on track. I thought we'd got over that," she said sadly.

Geoff moved closer and put his arm around her while she cried.

"He gets so jealous of me talking to other people. It's like he's constantly accusing me of cheating and I... I haven't cheated on him. I love him."

She cried a little harder. Geoff kissed the top of her head. She turned and looked into his eyes. At thirty-nine, he was still so beautiful. She leant in and kissed him.

* * *

Liam remained on the trawler, gazing out to sea and resisting the urge to sail away from his life. That wouldn't solve anything, he knew, although it was extremely tempting. He thought about Selena and wondered if she was still enjoying the party. Was Damian still there? Were they having fun together? Was Selena missing him even a little bit?

* * *

Charlie and Joey were half undressed but for the sake of modesty, being that they were out in public, they had covered themselves up a little bit. They kissed tenderly as the moon shone over the sea.

"We should get back to the party," Joey murmured.

Charlie rolled on top of her, trailing kisses along her jaw and neck. She cupped Joey's exposed breast, stroking and teasing it. Then she stopped.

"Do you want to go back inside?" she asked with a devious twinkle in her eye.

Joey grinned.

"In like a minute or..."

Charlie resumed her touch.

"Or an hour," Joey breathed as she felt Charlie's lips and tongue take the place of her hand. "Or, you know... however long we want..."

* * *

"Woah, Rubes, what are you doing?" Geoff asked, alarmed.

He pulled back. She tried to kiss him again but he stood up hurriedly, looking anxious. He ran his hands through his hair and cleared his throat.

"I've never cheated on him," Ruby said, still gazing into his eyes. "But if he's going to spend the rest of our lives accusing me... well, I may as well be guilty."

She stood and pulled Geoff into her arms. She pressed her lips against his. He pulled back abruptly, feeling terribly awkward. Once upon a time, this would have been a dream come true. In many ways, it still was. But not like this. He couldn't behave this way. He couldn't be with a married woman. He didn't want to be with any woman until he was married himself, something he wondered if he might never achieve.

"Ruby, we can't do this," he said. "It's not right."

Ruby's mood immediately switched. She quickly shoved him towards the front door.

"Fine," she snapped. "If you're too good for me, well, I'll find someone who damn well isn't!"

* * *

Selena remained at the party but she wasn't having a good time. She had debated over and over whether she ought to go and find Liam. She didn't want him to be upset. She didn't want him to be upset and she felt bad that she had lied, well, in the sense that she hadn't elaborated on the whole truth. And now she thought about it, she couldn't quite figure out why she'd even done it. She and Damian were history. Why had she felt the need to hide anything? Glancing at her ex across the room, while he danced completely out of rhythm with the twins, she couldn't help but smile. Damian had always been a sweetheart and she thought she would probably always love him. _Maybe that's the problem_, she thought to herself.

* * *

Joey grabbed fistfuls of sand as she reached another shuddering climax. Charlie kissed her way back up Joey's body and offered her a naughty smile. Resting her body against Joey's, she felt like they were completely lost in their own happy world.

"I feel like a horny teenager!" she admitted.

Joey let go of the sand and ran her hands through Charlie's decidedly messy hair.

"I can tell!" she smirked.

Charlie kissed her possessively.

"Do you remember when we were teenagers?" she asked.

It felt so long ago now in some respects but in others it felt like yesterday.

"We were so hot for each other and everyone could see it but us," Charlie mused. "And we kept kidding ourselves that it was normal for friends to keep kissing and making out the way we did."

She grinned. Joey smiled too and nodded.

"I remember those times vividly!" she said. "I used to drive myself crazy fantasising about you. You'd set me off and leave my high and dry!"

"Dry?" Charlie teased. "Really?"

Joey giggled.

"Well, no. That was the problem!"

Charlie laughed and kissed her again. She slipped her thigh between Joey's legs, pulling them closer together.

"I used to fantasise about you too," she admitted. "Even when we weren't doing... whatever it was we were doing. I just used to look at you, even doing something normal... my heart would soar and my hormones would spiral out of control. I wanted you so badly."

Joey smiled. In many ways, she wished she and Charlie had got together sooner instead of wasting so much time. But then, she also liked to think that they had got together in their own sweet time and she didn't want to redo any of their complicated history.

"I still want you," Charlie added, gazing into Joey's eyes.

Joey smiled. She tilted her face and brushed her lips against Charlie's again.

"I will never, ever stop wanting you," Charlie whispered.

* * *

Ruby sent Xavier a text saying that Gina was solely his responsibility for the night and she was sleeping in the spare room and didn't want to see him until the morning. Then she reapplied her make up and stormed out of the house.

Back at the Jukebox, Xavier was still working behind the bar but his mood hadn't improved. Martha was watching him like a hawk and he was anxious that people were looking at him and making judgements on his behaviour. His phone beeped. He pulled it out and glared at the message his wife had sent him. Looking around the room, he noticed a distinct lack of Geoff in the room. Once more, his fears and doubts went into overdrive.

Geoff went back home. He and Damian had moved into Irene's house with Kirsty and Ollie while she was off having a lovely time with her new husband. He paced the lounge, wondering what he ought to do. A big part of him had always loved Ruby. Leaving her to fulfil the calling he believed had been laid on his life had been so difficult. Coming back to find that she had firmly moved on, had been almost as hard. He could hardly believe that Ruby had been right there, offering herself to him and he had been too intent on keeping his morals to go for it. He'd wanted to. He loved her. He didn't think there would be anything he'd like more than to be with her. And now he was worried he had let her down by turning her away. Even if he couldn't accept her affection, he should be been there for her. He should have been her friend. What if she went out and did something stupid? What if it was all his fault?

* * *

"Maybe we should just give up and go home?" Joey suggested.

She and Charlie were still curled up together and it seemed that every time they made a move to get dressed and go back to the party, they got carried away doing the very opposite.

"I don't think I can stay away from you for that long," Charlie admitted.

They kissed for a long time.

* * *

Liam left the trawler but he was still in two minds as to whether to go back to the party and work things out with Selena or just to go home. Up ahead of him, he saw Ruby walking alone in the dark. He recognised her by her hair.

"Ruby?" he called.

Ruby turned and waiting for him to approach. They'd never spent much time together and now, in the mood she was in, as she studied Liam's face, she wondered why not.

"Are you okay?"

"My husband is an arsehole," Ruby told him flatly.

He laughed softly.

"My girlfriend's a liar," he said.

They fell into step with each other. Suddenly, Ruby stopped.

"Would you like to get some revenge?" she asked.

* * *

Jack was patrolling, a little annoyed that he hadn't been able to change his shift and go to the party. Still, it was a nice night and he was quite enjoying the tranquillity. He paused by the beach, wondering if he could get away with poking his head round the door of the Jukebox and saying hello. Then he heard a noise. He listened closer, making his way to the beach and pulling his torch out from his pocket.

"Hello?" he called.

He heard some gasping and shuffling. His eyes widened when the beam of his flashlight landed on the scantily clad form of Detective Charlie Buckton-Collins and her wife, Joey.

"Oh!" he said. "Um... sorry."

Flustered, Charlie and Joey scrambled to cover themselves. Jack grinned and folded his arms across his chest.

"You know, I could arrest you for public indecency," he teased, trying not to look.

"Don't even think about it!" Charlie warned, her tone light. "There is nothing wrong with a woman and her wife skipping out to a secluded spot to..."

"Cuddle!" Joey interrupted.

Both women and Jack burst out laughing.  
"Well, I hope you enjoyed... cuddling," he said, opting to leave them to it and indeed indulge in attending the party for a few minutes.


	120. Chapter 120

**Chapter One Hundred and Twenty**

**August 2031**

Charlie and Joey finished getting ready for their evening out. Xavier's brother, Brendan had won an artist award and the prize had been a night hosting an art gallery all of his very own. He was very excited so Xavier and Ruby had taken it upon themselves to invite the whole family so that Brendan was in receipt of a lot of guests. Charlie and Joey were reluctantly allowing fourteen year old Christine to stay home and babysit six year old Max for the night. They had already put him to bed so in theory, all she needed to do was stay in the house. They, Martha and Jack had reluctantly agreed to let Jake stay for the evening with her. Martha had objected at first, pointing out that the last time their kids had been given any freedom, James had got Leanne pregnant. But between them, they had managed to agree to trust them. After all, Christine and Jake were both significantly younger and more innocent than James and Leanne had been.

* * *

"Are you ready?" Xavier asked, pulling his jacket on.

Ruby nodded, checked her reflection in the mirror and flashed him her most cheerful smile. They had deposited three year old Gina at Nicole's house in order to let her have a sleep over with Clarissa. The girls were best friends and even at their tender age, spent as much time together as they were allowed to.

"Let's go then," Xavier said brightly.

He pulled Ruby into a hug and kissed her lips before they headed out to the car together, ready to celebrate Brendan's big night. Xavier had toyed with the idea of letting Hugo know what was happening. He vaguely kept in touch with him but the more he thought about it, the more he didn't want his eldest brother ruining the night. He was not welcome within the community and while Xavier did feel sorry for him on the odd, rare occasion, he thought that Hugo was best off out of the way.

* * *

At Crumble, Roman and Leah were both rushed off their feet. They'd taken on a new waitress to replace Irene but the woman, whose name was Colleen Smart, seemed to spend more time chatting than working. Still, she was nice and she was friendly and she had proved quite popular with customers so Roman and Leah were both happy to keep her on. They did, however, miss Irene. But she was still away having a lovely time with Lou and they were both glad that she was happy. Belle's death had hit Irene harder than she liked to let on.

* * *

Nicole and Aden sat side by side on the sofa watching television. After a handful of complaints, Clarissa and Gina had gone to sleep. Todd was still struggling through the night so Nicole and Aden took it in turns to go into him and settle him back down. Cathy was eight years old now and Nicole was extremely proud of the mature, well behaved girl she had become.

"I have a strange urge for pizza," Aden suddenly said.

Nicole laughed and reminded him of the huge portion of dinner he'd already consumed with the family.

"And it was lovely," Aden said. "However... it wasn't pizza."

He grinned and picked up the phone to order.

"Get me some cheesy garlic bread!" Nicole told him as he listened to it ring.

"But what about the big fat dinner you ate earlier?" Aden teased.

She merely poked her tongue out at him and continued watching TV. Aden's friendship was something that meant a lot to her. They had been friends for so long and been through so much together – good and bad – and now, having lost the love of both their lives, they understood each other in a way that they didn't feel anyone else did. It was special and it was something that Nicole was desperate to hold onto.

* * *

Daria sat at her desk at work in a continuous bad mood. Sam had received the promotion over her and she was sure he had spent the last couple of months rubbing it in her face. She felt bitter and resentful over how things had turned out between them. Part of her wondered if she had done the wrong thing by breaking up with him but a bigger part of her was sadly aware that they wanted different things. If he couldn't make the kind of commitment to her that she craved, how could there be a future?

* * *

"Xavey!" Brendan cried out jubilantly when he spotted his brother. "Ruby!"

Xavier and Ruby both hugged the proud artist, marvelling at how far he had come in his life. "Ruby, thank you for coming on your birthday," Brendan said politely.

Ruby smiled.

"Where else would I ever want to be?" she replied.

He hugged her again and then began to excitedly lead them around the art gallery that was showcasing his work.

* * *

"What can I get you?" Roman asked the man who approached the counter.

He looked to be around forty five or so, a bit young than fifty three year old Roman was. He was typically tall, dark and handsome but the expression in his eyes was more than a little mean.

"I want to know why you killed my brother," the man said.

Roman just stared at him.

* * *

Ruby paused when she saw Liam and Selena enter the gallery. She tried not to look but Liam easily stole her attention. They'd slept together that night back in April after they'd both argued with their partners at Daria and David's birthday party. And they hadn't stopped. Ruby hated the word 'affair' but she knew that's what it was. She and Xavier had made things up and he'd even volunteered to go to some counselling sessions in order to try and figure out why she was so jealous and to get it under control. Liam and Selena had made up the day after the party. Ruby and Liam had put their night's encounter down as a mistake that they were ashamed of. But the problem was that it kept happening. They couldn't seem to keep away from each other. She caught her lover's eye across the room. He smiled. She smiled back. They hoped nobody had noticed.

* * *

"Wasn't I right?" Aden said triumphantly. "Isn't the pizza hitting the spot?"

Nicole nodded and admitted that he had been totally right. The take away had been yummy and she'd eaten more than her share.

"And as I was right," Aden declared. "I think I should get to choose what channel we watch!"

She protested as he grabbed the remote and began flicking channels, clearly trying to find a programme that Nicole would be the least interested in. She suspected it would be sport.

"You know, you do have your own home to go to," Nicole grumbled.

* * *

Charlie and Joey had enjoyed walking around Brendan's art gallery. Holding hands, they approached the artist and congratulated him on his work. He smiled proudly.

"Do you still draw, Joey?" he asked.

Many years ago, he and Joey had sat down together and compared pictures. Joey shook her head bashfully.

"I haven't picked up a pencil in years," she admitted.

"You were good though," Brendan pointed out.

Charlie put her arm around Joey and agreed. Joey had definitely been good at her hobby. She had a more than vivid memory of the attempt she had made at a life drawing of Charlie. That had been a lot of fun.

"I was never as good as you," Joey told Brendan.

"You were," he insisted before wandering off to talk to someone else.

"Maybe you should pick it back up again," Charlie suggested, as they continued walking around the gallery.

"I don't think so," Joey said.

"Why not?"

Joey shrugged. She didn't really have a reason exactly. She just didn't think she was good enough.

* * *

Roman led the stranger out of Crumble and stood outside with him. His palms were sweaty and he was trembling slightly, realising that he was face to face with Mark's younger brother, Elliot. He felt sick.

"You have no right to be here," Roman snapped.

"Nor do you," Elliot replied. "You killed my brother. I know you did."

"I didn't kill him!" Roman said. "It was nothing to do with me. And I think you've already been paid handsomely for your pain."

"I don't want money this time," Elliot said. "I want you to pay with something far more important."

* * *

Ruby had gone to the bathroom and Xavier was spending a little more time with his brother.

"I am so proud of you," he said. "And... and Mum would be even prouder."

He smiled. Brendan hugged him.

* * *

Ruby stood in the toilet cubicle, gasping and giving herself completely to Liam. She held onto him tightly, never wanting the moment to end and the time to come when she had to back and face reality. Her husband was upstairs, admiring his brother's art work. Liam's girlfriend was also up there. But at least for a few moments, she and Liam were past caring.

* * *

"Ready to go?" Charlie asked, coming to stand beside Joey who had been having an animated chat with Selena.

Joey nodded. They said their goodbyes and headed out of the building. At the reception desk, Joey paused and decided she needed to use the bathroom before they headed home. Hand in hand, they headed to the ladies together, pausing when they heard the distinct sound of grunting coming from one of the cubicles. Exchanging anxious glances, Charlie and Joey wondered what to do. Hearing some scuffling and panicking, Charlie and Joey waited. Ruby appeared with even messier hair than usual. She blanched.

"Charlie..." she said anxiously. "Joey."

"Well spotted," Charlie snorted.

Ruby nervously wondered what they were doing there.

"Well, I was going to pee," Joey announced, heading into a cubicle.

Ruby looked increasingly flushed.

"Hey, it's okay, little sis," Charlie teased, hopping up to sit next to the sinks and wait for Joey. "There is nothing wrong with a little marital nookie in a public bathroom. We've done it plenty of times!"

She grinned. From her cubicle, Joey squeaked. Ruby tried to laugh but it got caught in her throat.

"Come on, Xave," Charlie said. "You can come out now."

Nobody moved.

"Xavier..." Charlie said.

"I'm okay," came a male voice.

"He's embarrassed," Ruby said quickly.

Charlie looked down and saw the bottom of a pair of black trousers beneath the cubicle door. She remembered Xavier had arrived in blue jeans. She and Joey had commented on it because they'd thought it was a little casual for something so important. She looked back up at Ruby. Joey exited her cubicle and moved to wash her hands. She studied Charlie who looked suddenly very serious.

"Charlie?" Joey said.

"That's not Xavier, is it?" Charlie demanded of Ruby.


	121. Chapter 121

**Chapter One Hundred and Twenty One**

**August 2031**

Liam gingerly stepped out from the cubicle looking just as awkward and guilty as Ruby did. Charlie stared at her sister in sheer disbelief. A toilet flushed and Joey stepped out of her own cubicle. Keeping her head down, she washed her hands. The sound of the running water was the only thing that broke the deafening silence of the room.

"Charlie..." Ruby ventured.

"What were you thinking?" Charlie asked incredulously.

"It's my fault too..." Liam said.

Charlie glared at him.

"I know it's your fucking fault too!" she snapped. "Get the hell out of here!"

Silently, Liam nodded and dashed out of the room, glad of the escape. Charlie turned her attention back to Ruby who seemed to be shrinking smaller and smaller under the glare of florescent lighting. Joey finished drying her hands on a paper towel and stood beside Charlie.

"Seriously, Rubes," Charlie said. "How could you do this to Xavier?"

"I didn't mean to!" Ruby said desperately. "It just happened."

"What, you just happened to have sex with him in the ladies of your husband's brother's art gallery?" Charlie demanded.

Ruby's guilt increased. Charlie realised with further horror that this wasn't the first time. She leant against the row of sinks and folded her arms across her chest.

"When did this start?" she demanded.

"April," Ruby said quietly.

"April?" Charlie exclaimed. "Are you kidding me? Four months! What the hell are you thinking, Ruby?"

"I wasn't thinking!" Ruby replied in desperation. "I was hurting and Liam was there and I just... It just happened."

"We thought things were going well with Xavier," Joey said gently.

Ruby was grateful that her sister in law was prepared to be the voice of reason. She looked at her hopefully, although she didn't look any more impressed than Charlie did.

"They are," she said. "But when Liam and I first started... they weren't. It was... it was after that big fight at the twins' birthday. I got drunk. I slept with Liam because I was mad at Xavier and now... now I don't know how to stop."

"You just stop!" Charlie said darkly.

"Like you've never made a mistake, Charlie!" Ruby snapped. "Don't come over all sanctimonious with me!"

"I've never cheated!"

"You cheated on Angelo!"

"I did not!" Charlie yelled.

"You did in your head," Ruby accused.

"It's not the same! And it was with Joey! She's the love of my life, she..."

"What if Liam's mine?"

"Oh, I'm sorry. I had the stupid idea that the love of your life was the boy you've dated since you were in school. You know, the guy you married, had a baby with? Remember him?"

Ruby hung her head and studied her shoes.

"I'm sorry," she said weakly.

"Just fix it," Charlie said.

"How am I meant to do that?"

The ice in Charlie's heart melted for a moment. Her little sister looked so helpless. It reminded her of when Ruby was a little girl. Charlie had spent hours playing with her, brushing her hair, reading her bed time stories and making her laugh. Sighing, she pulled her sister into a hug. She kissed the top of her head and closed her eyes.

"You can't string them both along," she said. "You have to figure out what you want. And then you have to break up with one of them. Preferably Liam."

* * *

Selena was concerned about Liam but she knew better than to question his mood. Something had changed at the art gallery and now he was being monosyllabic and grumpy. It was getting on her nerves but she didn't want an argument. Instead, she announced that she was going for an early night and quietly hoped that everything would be better in the morning.

* * *

Charlie was still stressed when she and Joey arrived home. Joey reminded her not to air Ruby's problems in front of Christine. Nodding, Charlie kissed her before opening the door and calling out that they were home. She and Joey didn't want to catch Christine kissing Jake any more than the teenagers would like it. As expected, the kids were sitting a discreet distance away from each other, focussing far too hard on a DVD.

"Hi Mum!" Christine said cheerfully to both of them. "Did you have a nice time?"

"It was interesting," Charlie said. "And I'm pretty exhausted so, if it's okay with you, can I take you home straight away please, Jake? Sorry to be so abrupt! I'm just ready to pass out!"

"Do you want me to drive him?" Joey offered.

"No, it's fine," Charlie said, kissing her cheek. "Although a nice cup of tea when I get home would not go unappreciated!"

"Consider it done," Joey grinned.

Jake stood and awkwardly hugged Christine goodbye before heading out the door. Joey smiled as she watched her daughter looking longingly after her boyfriend. She remembered very clearly feeling that way and looking just like that whenever Charlie left a room.

"Did _you _have a nice evening?" she teased.

Christine blushed.

"It was nice," she said honestly. "Max was as good as gold. He went to sleep exactly when I told him to."

"Good," Joey beamed, heading into the kitchen. "Well done. We'll let you do it more often if you like."

Christine grinned and then followed her mother into the other room. She perched a little anxiously on a chair.

"Mum?" she almost squeaked.

Joey turned around to offer her full attention.

"When was the first time you...?"

Joey blanched.

"... kissed someone for the first time?" Christine finished.

Relieved that the question wasn't more serious than that, and cursing Ruby for making her have sex on the brain, she sat down opposite Christine.

"I was thirteen," she said.

Christine frowned.

"Does that mean I'm really slow or something?" she asked.

"What? No! Don't be silly!"

"It was my first kiss tonight," Christine ventured. "You know... like, with tongues and everything."

Joey smiled.

"Did you like it?" she asked.

"I think so," Christine replied. "It was kind of weird. And wet. But it did feel like the right thing to do. I really like Jake and everything."

Joey nodded and pulled her into a hug.

"I'm glad you like him," she said. "Just don't been in too much of a hurry to grow up, okay?"

Christine nodded.

"Who was your first kiss with?" she asked.

"Charlie," Joey replied almost dreamily.

"Really?" Christine asked. "Has she been your only girlfriend?"

Joey shook her head.

"The first person I ever dated was Aden," she explained.

"Aden?" Christine shrieked. "But he's a boy! You don't like boys!"

Joey laughed and began to make cups of tea for herself and Charlie, pulling out another mug to make Christine a hot chocolate before bed.

"Relax," she said. "I was even littler than you are."

"How little?"

"Eleven," Joey said. "We didn't kiss or anything. Then when I was thirteen, Charlie and I kissed."

"Is that when you got together?" Christine asked, realising she didn't know the full story.

Joey shook her head.

"I knew then that I was gay but Charlie... well, she didn't know," she explained.

She thought back to those times in a somewhat bittersweet fashion. So many wonderful things had happened but she'd struggled a lot with her love for Charlie and Charlie's denial of her feelings. Still, at least they'd been given a happy ending and for that she was grateful.

"We kissed one more time and then she got a boyfriend for a little while and I got a girlfriend for a little while," Joey explained.

"Do I know them too?" Christine asked.

Joey paused, wondering what to tell her. Finally, she decided that honesty was the best policy.

"Your Mum went out with Roman for a bit," she said. "And my girlfriend's name was Zoe."

She sighed, picturing her ex-girlfriend's face and all that had become of them.

"Horrible Zoe?" Christine asked.

Joey nodded.

"Why?" the teenager asked.

"She wasn't horrible then," Joey said sadly. "At least, I didn't think so."

"And then you got together with Mum?"

"Charlie had another boyfriend called Angelo for a little while," Joey explained. "But then, after a good few years of pretending we weren't in love with each other, we finally gave in and admitted our feelings. And we haven't looked back since."

She smiled and set Christine's drink down in front of her just as Charlie arrived back at the house.

* * *

"I was really proud of Brendan tonight," Xavier said.

He and Ruby were in their bedroom, getting changed. He pulled his shirt and jeans off and dumped them on the floor. Ruby cleared her throat and looked at them disapprovingly. Xavier apologised and folded the jeans neatly over a chair and dumped the shirt and then his socks in the laundry basket.

"He did really well," Ruby agreed, pulling her bed top over her head and climbing between the sheets.

Xavier slid in next to her, worried about how subdued she was.

"Is everything okay?" he asked.

"Everything's fine," she lied.

He leant over and kissed her before flicking off the lamp. Moving back closer, he stroked her face and kissed her again. She kissed him back but he knew she wasn't into it. Disappointed, he rolled on his side and prepared to go to sleep.

* * *

Christine had gone to bed and Charlie and Joey weren't far behind her. Charlie headed on up to start brushing her teeth while Joey peeped in on Max to check he was alright. The couple reunited in the bedroom and began to get changed.

"Christine had her first kiss tonight," Joey said, climbing beneath the blankets and grinning.

Charlie paused with her pyjama bottoms still in her hand.

"Seriously?" she said.

Joey nodded. Charlie finished getting ready and slipped into bed beside her wife.

"Even my own kids have had their first kisses younger than I was!" she complained.

Joey laughed and pulled her into a hug.

"You couldn't help being a late bloomer," she teased.

Charlie pouted. Joey kissed her.

"There must be _someone _we know who had their first kiss post-fifteen," Charlie said unhappily.

"Um... Aden?"

"Doesn't count."

Joey nodded in agreement.

"Nope," she said. "I'm afraid you were the latest bloomer we know!"

Charlie complained further. Joey pulled her in closer, kissed her again and gazed into her eyes.

"I'm pretty happy that you waited," she said sincerely. "If you hadn't then our first kisses might not have been with each other. And all the while we weren't actually together, that shared moment was something I always held dear to me. I still do."

Charlie blushed. She leant closer and brushed her lips against Joey's again, stroking her hair from her face and hooking her leg over her hip, pressing their pelvises closely together.

"Okay, I'm pretty happy too," she admitted. "Not everyone gets a first kiss as perfect as that."

Now it was Joey's turn to blush.

"It was pretty special," she said. "I wonder how it ever took so long for us to realise how we felt! How did I go so long without your kisses?"

Charlie laughed and reminded her that while they hadn't actually dated for a good few years, they'd shared plenty of kisses in that time.

"That's very true!" Joey laughed, pulling her in for another kiss.

Suddenly, Charlie sighed. Joey frowned.

"You're fretting over Ruby, aren't you?" she said.

Charlie nodded.

"This affair is her lookout, Charlie," her partner said. "Us worrying about it isn't going to help."

Charlie nodded and told her she was right. But Ruby's accusations were still flying through her mind. Joey studied her face and ran her fingers through her hair.

"What is it?" she asked gently.

"Joey, I really am sorry for everything I've ever done to hurt you," Charlie said.

Joey just stared at her. Charlie apologised again.

"Charlie, sweetheart, you have nothing to apologise for," Joey said. "Yeah, we've have a few bad times but the good totally outweighs all of those. None of it matters. Throughout everything we've been through, we've always supported each other. We've always survived. Together. That's what's important, isn't it?"

Charlie nodded and decided to ignore the things Ruby had said to her.

"Now, how about I distract you a little bit?" Joey suggested with a wicked grin.

She shifted so that Charlie was firmly on top of her.

"Do you think I could?"

Charlie grinned when Joey began to undo her buttons. Charlie immediately helped disrobe her girlfriend.

"I definitely think you could," she said.


	122. Chapter 122

**Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Two**

**September 2031**

Charlie met up with Joey and Macy at Crumble on her lunch break. They sat outside in the sunshine because dogs weren't allowed inside.

"So, how's your day been?" Joey asked cheerfully.

"Yeah, it's been alright," Charlie replied. "We've been pretty busy. And I know the baby is over a year old now but Watson clucking over him is still hilarious."

She giggled and then explained that Sarah had popped in with Matthew to say hello. She was on long term maternity leave from the trawler, due back in six months. Joey chuckled too and ruffled Macy's ears.

"How about you?" Charlie asked, sipping her coffee.

Her stomach growled as they waited for their food. Joey grinned.

"Yeah, I've been managing the books all morning," she said. "Seriously, I was a trawler girl. When did I become an accountant?"

Charlie chuckled and reached out affectionately for her hand.

"You're good at it," she said.

"Hardly!"

"So, have you got any drawing done?" Charlie asked.

After the art gallery, Charlie, Brendan and the twins had all encouraged her to pick up her pencils again. Joey was reluctant but she'd practised a little bit.

"Maybe if you modelled for me again," Joey said.

Charlie snorted and shook her head.

"I'm not young and hot like I used to be!" she smirked.

"You're only forty eight," Joey said, leaning in for a kiss. "And you're still very, very hot!"

Charlie grinned, deepening their kiss for a moment and closing her eyes. Drawing away, she smiled and rested her forehead against Joey's.

"Maybe if you ply me with compliments like that, I'll think about it," she said.

Joey smiled.

"It doesn't have to be in a state of undress," she ventured. "Although, you naked is always a good thing! But if I'm going to start drawing again, then I want to draw something beautiful. I want to draw any part of you that I'm allowed to."

Charlie closed her eyes again and kissed her, touched by the sentiment.

"Have I ever told you that I love you?" she asked softly.

"Maybe a few times," Joey replied. "But I don't think I'll ever get tired of hearing it."

* * *

Liam was working hard on the trawler with Aden, David and James. He enjoyed the sunshine and focussed on the necessary labour, although his mind flitted frequently to Ruby. They had broken up the day after they'd been caught out by Charlie and Joey and he missed her terribly. He'd hoped that he could make things work better with Selena but so far he hadn't had much success and he was painfully aware that their relationship was no longer working. He knew he should end it but he enjoyed the comfort of being in a relationship and he didn't want to rock the boat.

With Gina in day care, Ruby was working at the school, trying to concentrate on her lesson. It had been a difficult month to say the least. She and Liam were over and she and Xavier, who was still none the wiser, were trying to make things work. Xavier had persisted with counselling and he was much calmer and happier these days. And for her part, Ruby was making a real effort to be a wife and not just a mother and teacher. She wanted to make things work with him. Xavier was the boy she'd fallen in love with before she even knew what love was. They had a happy life together and it was something she wanted to hold on to.

* * *

"Hey there!"

Nicole stopped when she saw Elliot approaching her. He hadn't been in town for that long but it turned out that he was the younger brother of her Dad's old army friend, Mark. The two of them had made friends and Nicole thought he was a nice guy. These days, she took happiness wherever she could find it.

"How's it going?" Elliot asked, jogging up to her.

Cathy was in school and Clarissa had gone to nursery with Gina, leaving Nicole to take one year old Todd out for some fresh air in his pram. Nicole smiled.

"Yeah, okay," she said. "We're just out enjoying the sunshine. Might stop by Crumble and say hi to my Dad."

"Would you like some company?" Elliot offered.

Nicole looked awkward. She knew that her father wasn't that happy around him. She supposed it made him feel sad over the loss of Mark to have his brother hanging around. But Nicole liked his company and it wasn't something she was prepared to pass up.

"Sure," she said, leading the way.

* * *

That evening, Joey, Charlie, Christine and Max sat down to dinner with James, Leanne and Zac. The youngest addition to their family was four years old now and proving to be quite the handful. Leanne was working part time in Crumble and Zac went to nursery each morning as he built himself up, ready for his first year at school.

"So, are you still busily playing with all your news toys, Zac?" Joey asked him.

He nodded, smiled and carried on eating. His fourth and Joey's forty sixth birthdays had just passed and Joey had been more than happy to let the little boy have all the limelight. They'd all attended a party for him, and Joey and Charlie celebrated privately on the boat the next day.

"Are you?" James teased his Mum.

Joey laughed. They'd all clubbed together to buy her an easel and paint set in a bid to encourage her to pick up a brush again.

"I haven't started yet," she said. "But I am grateful. And I will."

* * *

Aden's heart sank when he arrived at Nicole's house and found her cooking for herself, the kids and Elliot. The man in question was seated at the kitchen table, cooing over Todd.

"Hey, Ade," Nicole greeted. "Are you staying for dinner?"

"It's okay," he said. "If you have company..."

"I've made enough," Nicole said, not noticing his mood. "Come on, you always stay."

She smiled at him. He smiled back. Elliot smirked and continued to play with Todd.

"Uncle Aden!" Cathy squealed.

Running up to him, she flung her arms around his legs. Clarissa came waddling clumsily after her and he hugged them both, feeling a little more comfortable. There was just something about Elliot that he didn't like and he knew Roman felt the same.

* * *

Ruby put Gina to bed, promising that as tomorrow was the weekend, she and Clarissa could play together down at the beach. Arriving back downstairs, she found her husband doing the dishes. Creeping up behind him, she put her arms around his waist and rested her cheek on his shoulder. He smiled.

"What do you think about us taking a little holiday some time soon?" Ruby asked.

"Really?"

It had been a long time since they had been anywhere.

"Yeah," Ruby said. "We could just go away for a few days, spend some time together. And we could even do it just the two of us if Nic was willing to take Gina for the weekend."

Xavier turned and dried his hands on a tea towel, smiling at his wife's renewed interest in him.

"I'd love that," he said. "And I'm sure Gina would too. If... well, do you think she'd be alright taking her for a whole weekend? It can't be easy in her position."

"Well, Aden's always there to help her out," Ruby reasoned. "And she always says one extra doesn't make that much difference. Plus Gina and Clarissa amuse each other no end!"

She laughed. Their relationship, even being so young, meant that they were extremely close to each other. Ruby didn't quite know whether to be pleased or worried that they were already so dependent on each other for their own happiness.

* * *

VJ left the house with Jennifer while Roman and Leah enjoyed a night off from work.

"Do you think that boy will ever actually move out of here?" Roman asked, not looking up from the television.

"Well, there's no need for him to move out," Leah said a little defensively. "Is there?"

"He's twenty two," Roman pointed out. "He's working full time. He's in a relationship. Shouldn't he...?"

Leah furrowed her brow. She hadn't really thought about it. No matter how old he was, VJ was her little boy and she was happy to keep him close if he wanted to be. He'd finally turned very tidy and didn't ask very much of them. He also paid his way now and Leah was happy with that.

"What's wrong with you anyway, grumpy?" she teased.

"I'm not grumpy," Roman lied.

He still refused to look away from the television and twirled the remote control around idly in his hands. He'd seen Nicole and Todd having lunch with Elliot today and their growing friendship was making him increasingly uncomfortable. To the rest of the world, he seemed like a good guy. Morag's brother, Alf had recently opened a bait shop and Elliot had convinced him to let him run a diving business out of it. But he'd threatened Roman and made it clear that he knew the whole truth about Mark's death hadn't come out. It was something Roman had tried not to think about in all this time. That day had been the worst moment of his life. It haunted him but he'd become good at blocking it and his guilt out.

"Roman, you haven't been yourself for a while now," Leah said, taking the remote and switching the TV off.

He frowned and turned to look at her. They'd been together a good many years now and he wondered if she would ever cease to take his breath away. It was funny, thinking about it now. Back when he and his friends had first arrived in town, when they were still in the SAS, he hadn't even noticed how striking Leah was. She'd ended up, somewhat reluctantly with Gardy. The only person Roman had been able to see was Charlie. She'd lost her virginity to him the night before he'd left town and he knew he would always hold a soft spot for her in his heart. But he was glad that things had turned out the way they had. He was very happy with Leah and he had built himself a good life. Charlie and Joey were the perfect couple and he was glad his old flame was doing equally well for herself, if not better.

"I've just had a lot on my mind lately," he said. "It's not important."

"What kind of stuff?" Leah asked worriedly.

"Just... Elliot. I don't like him hanging around Nicole."

"She's a grown woman, Roman," Leah pointed out. "I think she's old enough to choose her own friends."

He managed a smile.

"She'll always be my little girl," he said. "Even if she isn't little anymore!"

* * *

Several days later, it was Liam's birthday and most of his friends had gathered in the Jukebox to watch him perform a gig. Charlie had already taken Ruby aside and suggested that she should keep her distance. Her little sister had agreed and reiterated that the affair was over and she was focussing on making her marriage work. She'd been touched when Charlie had told her she was proud of her. From the look of disgust that she'd seen on her face when she'd caught her and Liam together had made Ruby fear that her relationship with her sister had be damaged forever. Now, sticking close to her husband as he served drinks behind the bar, Ruby watched her ex-lover perform original songs with his guitar. She glanced around the room. Joey was standing behind Charlie, her arms wrapped around her waist, both enjoying the music except for the fact that neither of them trusted the birthday boy very much. Charlie caught her eye and smiled gently at her. Ruby smiled back and then turned to watch Liam again, trying hard not to long to be with him.

* * *

Nicole sat at a corner table with Elliot. She'd felt the need to come to Liam's party. He had been good friends with Romeo and a onetime fling of hers many years ago, so she thought it only right to support him. Across the room, Aden watched her unhappily. Or, more specifically, he watched her and Elliot unhappily. Sighing heavily, he sat down and sipped his beer, feeling a little sorry for himself and not entirely sure why.

"Roman, stop glaring," Leah hissed from another corner of the room.

Her partner was staring at Nicole and Elliot even more aggressively than Aden was and it was driving Leah mad.

* * *

"Is he okay?" Charlie asked Joey.

They were standing in the middle of the makeshift dance floor, listening to Liam sing. Joey looked to where Charlie was and saw Aden miserably sipping beer at the bar.

"I'll go check," she said, breaking away from her partner.

As Joey made her way to the bar, Ruby left it and approached her sister. Charlie put her arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

"How are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm okay," Ruby said quietly. "I just... miss him. Not that you want to hear that."

"I understand where you're coming from," Charlie assured her. "I know it's been hard to give him up."

Ruby sighed heavily.

"Even though you hate me for it?" she asked.

Charlie held her a little tighter.

"I don't hate you," she said. "I could never hate you. You're my sister. I love you."

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure, silly," Charlie said. "I was upset when I found out and I was disappointed that you could... but I've never hated you. I've never even disliked you. I just worry."

Comforted, Ruby continued to hug her.

* * *

At the bar, Joey hopped up onto a stool beside Aden.

"It might never happen you know," she said cheerfully.

He looked at her and couldn't quite help but smile. He continued sipping his drink and ordered one for Joey from Martha.

"I hope not," he said.

"What's up?" Joey asked.

He sighed heavily and looked over at Nicole.

"You don't like this Elliot guy either?" she enquired. "Leah said Roman can't bear him. Something about reminding him of Mark and what happened when they were in the army."

"I just... I don't like him getting close to Nicole," Aden admitted. "I..."

He finished his drink and ordered another just as Martha handed Joey a glass of wine.

"You don't want him to take your place," Joey realised.

"I don't like her like that!" Aden said quickly, almost angrily.

Joey held her hands up in mock defence.

"Chill, Aden. I never said you did," she pointed out.

He apologised and continued to look miserable. So many emotions were charging through his soul and he had no idea how to put them into words.

* * *

Liam was on top of the world the following day. A talent scout had happened to be drinking in the bar the night before and had offered him a record deal there and then. He'd been hesitant at first. Last time he'd hit the big time, he'd gone very badly off the rails. He had an ex wife and a daughter he wasn't allowed to see and he could no longer touch alcohol without things spiralling out of control, usually resulting in the use of illegal substances. He'd worked hard to forget that life and to knuckle down and work on the trawler and he'd been so grateful to Joey for the opportunity she'd given him. But he missed music, and gigging here and there in his spare time was not enough. So, now, with the opportunity in front of him, he knew he had to take it. And it would solve a lot of problems. He'd be hitting the road pretty quickly, which excused him from his relationship with Selena. And it would make his separation from Ruby that much easier. Now, powering along the sand in a bid to stretch his muscles and get some air in his lungs, he felt happier than he had for a long time.

* * *

Joey left Charlie playing games with Max and headed over to see Aden. He was probably her closest friend, after Charlie and she was worried about him. Knocking on the door, she was pleased when he opened up. She entered the living room without permission and flopped down on the couch, ordering a cup of coffee.

"Yes, Ma'am!" he remarked, heading into the kitchen.

* * *

Ruby left Xavier at home with Gina in order to head out to Crumble and get herself and her family some takeaway breakfast. Outside, she spotted Liam on the beach. Her heart leapt. He looked gorgeous. Knowing already that it was a stupid idea, she headed over and said hello.

"Hey," he said, gazing at her and smiling.

"You look pretty pleased with yourself," she commented.

He immediately told her all about the record deal.

* * *

"So, Aden Jeffries, tell Auntie Joey all about it," Joey instructed with a grin.

"About what?" he asked, feigning innocence.

Joey sighed and shifted a little closer, taking both her hands in hers. She looked into his eyes.

"Aden, don't yell at me but... do you have feelings for Nicole?" she asked.

"No!" Aden snapped, pulling away from her. "I love Belle! I couldn't betray her like that. She's the only woman I've ever been in love with and..."

He began to pace, agitated.

"Aden..." Joey said gently. "It's okay."

He sank back onto the couch and buried his head in his hands. Joey moved beside him and put a gentle arm around his broad shoulders. She wasn't surprised to hear him cry.

"Belle hasn't been gone long enough for me to even think about..."

He trailed off.

"But yes," he admitted. "I do. I think so. I think I have feelings for Nicole."

He cried harder.

* * *

"Oh, Liam, that's so great!" Ruby enthused.

She hugged him tightly and they lingered in each other's embrace. They were kissing before either of them thought it through sensibly enough to stop it. Their kiss was passionate and all consuming. The world around them completely fell away as they lost themselves in each other until a voice interrupted them.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" it demanded.

They turned to find Selena staring at them on the verge of tears.

* * *

"I feel so guilty," Aden said.

He was curled up against his best friend, the first girlfriend he had ever had. She had her arms around him.

"I feel like I'm betraying Belle. And Romeo. Neither of them have been gone long but I just... I get so lonely and Nicole... well, she understands how I'm feeling. We've always been close – sometimes a little too much so."

His voice broke at the memory of the time Belle had had an affair with Angelo, leading Aden to sleep with Nicole.

"But we get each other. We've been there for each other. And I... I don't know exactly how I feel about her but I know that I'm jealous of the time Elliot gets to spend with her."

"That's totally understandable, Aden," Joey told him. "You _are _close and you _do _understand each other. I guess it's natural that you'd..."

He looked at her very seriously.

"Could you imagine, if you ever lost Charlie... being with someone else?" he asked her seriously.

Joey tensed. She couldn't even bear to imagine such a thing.

"I'm not really in a position to answer that," she said awkwardly.

"You couldn't, could you?" he said.

"Charlie is absolutely the love of my life," she said. "Just like Belle was the love of your life. We've been through everything together. And to be honest, I can't even imagine losing her. And I know I might one day. And I'm probably messing myself up for the future but refusing to think about the fact now but... I can't. So I can't tell you how I'd feel about falling for someone else."

She squeezed his hands.

"I think it's one of those things where you don't know how you'd feel until you're actually in that situation."

Aden nodded.

"And now you are," she nudged. "How do you feel?"

"I think I'm falling for Nicole," he admitted. "But I have no idea what to do about it."

* * *

Ruby sat on the sand, clutching her face. Her takeaway bag was dumped beside her and she stared blankly out to sea. Selena had slapped her. Hard. And Liam had chased after her, trying to make things right. Ruby now knew it was only a matter of time before Xavier discovered the truth. She buried her head in her hands, trying to catch her breath but the world was silently imploding all around her.

* * *

Joey arrived home and immediately swept Charlie into her arms. The Detective giggled, hugged and kissed her.

"I love you so much," Joey told her firmly.

Charlie smiled, kissing her again.

"And what have I done to deserve such attention?" she asked.

Joey kept her arms firmly around her waist.

"Do I need a reason?" she asked.

Charlie shook her head.

"No, you pretty much shower me with attention anyway," she agreed. "But was there anything specific?"

Joey lifted one hand and stroked Charlie's hair, gazing into her eyes.

"Please tell me that I will never ever have to live without you," she requested sadly.

Charlie leant in closer, pulling their bodies gently together.

"I will do my very best to make sure that never happens," she replied.

* * *

By the evening, as she suspected, Ruby's world was in tatters. Word had got round and by the time she had dragged herself home, Xavier had already packed a bag for her and told her never to come home again. Tearfully, she'd headed on over to Charlie and Joey's house, her old family home and now she was lying in the spare room, gazing up at the ceiling with endless tears flowing down her cheeks.


	123. Chapter 123

_Thank you to everyone for your support at this time of year. I really appreciate it. It's Christmastime in Interwoven Land but alas, not everyone is going to have a merry old time! Hopefully you will all enjoy it though! Love, IJKS xx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Three**

**December 2031**

Christmas was fast approaching and Joey was rushed off her feet trying to cram in all the necessary Christmas shopping. Now, with a few days left, she was pleased to have everything in order.

"And what are you so pleased about?" Charlie asked cheerfully.

Joey turned and smiled, happy that her wife was home.

"Everything is organised for Christmas," she announced.

Charlie leant in and hugged her, brushing their lips together and telling her 'well done'.

"That's got to be a record," Joey said triumphantly. "Four whole days before Christmas!"

She grinned. Charlie kissed her again.

"You deserve a reward," she announced.

She felt a little guilty that she'd been working so hard and the domestic duties had recently been largely left to Joey, not that she seemed to mind.

"Oh?" Joey smirked. "A reward of what kind?"

"The upstairs kind!" Charlie announced.

Giggling like naughty teenagers, they hurried to their room.

* * *

"Hey, stranger," Nicole said with a smile when she spotted Aden sipping an after-work beer in the Jukebox.

Putting the pushchair into park, she checked that Todd was still asleep and hopped up on a stool beside her friend. He smiled but something didn't feel quite right. It hadn't for a good few months now.

"Where have you been?" Nicole asked.

"At work," he replied.

Nicole frowned and asked Xavier, who was working behind the bar, for an orange juice.

"I mean in general," she told Aden.

He shrugged.

"Just working," he said.

"But you used to be round every night and now you're... not."

She sighed, expressing her unhappiness. He sighed too.

"Well, I figured you've got Elliot to..."

He shrugged again. Nicole was confused.

"Wait..." she said. "You don't... you don't think something's going on between us, do you?"

She looked horrified.

"There is nothing going on!" Nicole insisted. "I would never do that to Romeo! I love him!"

Aden nodded and apologised. He felt guilty that he had accused her and relieved that Nicole didn't have feelings for the newcomer. But he also felt more than a little disappointed that she could never see herself with anyone but her late husband. The conflicting feelings inside him only confused Aden more.

"I know," he said quickly. "It's just... you seem to want to hang out with him a lot. I thought... I thought you wanted to be his best friend instead of mine."

"Don't be silly," Nicole said, pulling him into her arms. "I love you, Aden. Now, you'd better come home for dinner with me and the kids tonight. We miss you."

* * *

Ruby sat on the sofa while Gina and Clarissa played some kind of imaginary game together, which involved lots of peek-a-boo like poses and giggling. Sighing, Ruby flicked aimlessly through the television channels. Nicole would be round at any minute to collect her daughter and then it would be another lonely evening. Liam's record deal had sent him packing and touring the world already and Geoff had at least temporarily returned to his mission in Africa. He'd helped Damian set up a strong church group and then left him to it. Ruby missed him. But she missed Xavier more. They barely spoke, except to jointly raise their child. Gina spent half of the week with her father and half the week with her mother. It was hard and Ruby cursed the day she had ever strayed with Liam. Sure, things had been difficult with Xavier but she knew with hindsight that she should have stuck around to make things work. Now she had destroyed everything and she was struggling to live with the consequences.

* * *

Elliot left the Jukebox unhappily, having observed Nicole and Aden getting along so well. He headed over to the beach, trying to figure out his next move. Looking up at Crumble, he saw Roman putting out the rubbish, ready for the collection the next day. He grimaced, deciding once and for all that he was going to exact his revenge.

* * *

Christmas Eve arrived and Joey was as excited as a child. She'd wrapped up all the presents for the kids, and was secretly very pleased with her gift for Charlie. Her wife had booked the whole week off work and they had agreed to have everyone round to their place. Theirs was an extensive family now and although Charlie still felt terrible pangs of guilt over Romeo, this was the first Christmas since the accident where she felt extremely good about the future. With Max sound asleep and Christine watching TV in her room, Charlie and Joey opened a bottle of wine and snuggled up on the sofa together to watch a Christmas film.

* * *

Aden had gone home and Nicole was just about to go for an early night when there was a knock at the door. Christmas Day with three children was exhausting to say the least so she wanted to be prepared. Heading to the front of the house to open up, she was surprised to find Elliot standing there with a bunch of flowers in his hands. He smiled shyly.

"Happy Christmas," he said.

Nicole laughed and welcomed him inside.

"I was just about to go to bed," she admitted, fussing with the flowers and putting them in water.

He stood behind her, watching and wondering how best to say what he needed to.

"I won't stay long," he said. "I just um... needed to tell you something."

Nicole turned to give him her full attention.

"What's up?" she asked.

"I... I really like you," he told her.

"I like you too," she said, quite obviously missing the point.

"I mean... I _like _you," he said.

"Oh!" she replied, startled.

It had been a long time since anyone had hit on her. She'd had strings of flings and boyfriends until she'd met Romeo and settled down with him but that all felt like a long time ago. It felt like a past life.

"Well, um... I'm flattered but..."

He swooped in and kissed her. She pushed him roughly away.

* * *

The following morning, families all across town opened gifts and exchanged seasons greetings. Charlie and Joey held hands and watched affectionately as Christine and Max tore joyfully into their presents.

"Thank you for my painting," Charlie whispered, leaning closer to her wife.

Joey smiled and blushed. She had opted to make, instead of buy Charlie a present. She'd taken an old photograph of Elsie, Clara, Charlie, Joey and Ruby and painted it with the set that the kids had bought her for her birthday.

"Do you like it?" she asked. "If you don't, I could go out and buy..."

Charlie silenced her with a kiss.

* * *

At home, Roman and Leah were already getting ready to make dinner. With an eye on the time, Roman couldn't help worrying about her daughter and grandchildren, who were late.

"Nic's never on time," Leah pointed out, reading his concern. "Don't worry."

He smiled but he'd had nightmares and had therefore woken up unsettled. He grabbed his mobile when it rang, hoping it was Nicole but frowned when he didn't recognise the number.

"Hello?" he said.

"I've got your daughter."

It was Elliot.

"I thought you should know. Someone needs to go and check on the kids because she won't be coming home again," he said.

Then he hung up.


	124. Chapter 124

**Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Four**

**December 2031**

Panic spread quickly. Roman had hurried straight round to Nicole's house with Leah to indeed find the kids, frightened and alone. Roman had received another phone call from Elliot, telling him to meet him in the woods. By the time he'd hung up, Leah had already phoned the police. Roman had been furious. He knew exactly what this was about. Charlie had been called into work, disappointing Joey but she was relieved her wife understood. She was also worried. Daria had followed Charlie to the station in a bid to help find Nicole and bring her to safety. Joey had phoned Aden to tell him what had happened and typically, he had gone spare. Now, with Charlie and Watson, along with Jack and Daria on hand to back them up, Roman led the way to the woods to track Elliot and Nicole down.

* * *

"Why are you doing this?" Nicole asked in a frightened voice.

Tears stung her eyes. All she could think about were her babies. They'd already lost their father. She couldn't bear to leave them too. And she didn't know where any of it had come from. Elliot ignored her and made sure the ropes that bound her were tight enough.

"Elliot?" she said. "Why?"

He towered over her, glaring and hoping that his plan would come together.

"Is it because I turned you down?" she asked, bewildered. "It's not personal. It's just that... I love Romeo and..."

"You do realise he's dead, don't you?" he snapped.

More tears filled her eyes and her lip trembled. She did not need a reminder that her husband was dead.

"And it wasn't like it was last week," he said. "It was ages ago!"

"It doesn't matter!" Nicole yelled angrily. "I'm not ready to..."

Elliot swooped in and grabbed her by the throat.

"Don't flatter yourself, Nicole," he hissed. "This isn't about you. It's about your beloved father."

* * *

Aden arrived at Nicole's house where a distraught Leah was attempting to keep the children calm. With much more awareness than she should have had for her age, Cathy knew something terrible was happening. She just wasn't entirely sure what. Three year old Clarissa had picked up on the mood and that this wasn't a typical Christmas celebration and was therefore prone to spontaneous tears, which kept setting baby Todd off.

"What can I do?" Aden asked.

"All we can do is be here," Leah said unhappily. "All we can do is wait."

She was trying her hardest to hold it together but it wasn't easy. Aden nodded and squeezed her shoulder gently. Sitting down, he gathered Clarissa into his lap and kissed the top of her head, wanting to make her feel safe. She clung on tightly to him as they all waited for her mummy to come home.

* * *

Roman arrived in the woods with Charlie and Watson. His heart raced at the thought that Elliot would harm his daughter and that unwittingly, his murky past would be revealed. Taking a deep breath, he phoned Elliot back.

"Are you here?" Elliot asked by way of greeting.

"I'm here," Roman said.

"Are you alone?"

The former SAS officer glanced at Charlie and Watson and then told Elliot he was alone. Elliot gave him directions and hung up.

"We're right behind you, okay?" Charlie said.

Roman nodded and headed forward, hoping that everything would turn out okay.

* * *

Joey remained at home with David, Andy, Christine, Max, Ross, Morag, James, Leanne, Zac, Ruby and Gina. Glancing at her watch, she worried about Charlie. It wasn't an unusual feeling. She couldn't help but fret about her when she was working, especially when she knew she was going into a dangerous situation. Ross appeared behind her and cleared his throat. Joey turned and offered as cheerful a smile as she could.

"She'll be okay," he said.

"I know," Joey said, sounding more confident than she felt.

He reached out to console her with a hug before returning to the living room.

* * *

Roman paused abruptly when he heard the click of a gun. Looking up, he saw Elliot standing with a weapon pointed at him. Roman's attention was firmly fixed on his daughter though. She was tearful and tied to a tree.

"Dad!" she called out.

"I'll get you out of here, Nic," he promised, hoping he was telling the truth.

Elliot sneered at him.

"And how do you suppose you'll do that?" he asked, refusing to lower the gun.

"It depends what you want from me," Roman said, pretending to be unfazed.

Inside, he was terrified.

"I want you to tell your darling Nicole just want kind of man you are."

* * *

Watson inched forward, gun at the ready. Charlie held onto her arm to hold her back.

"We need to get closer," Watson hissed.

Charlie shook her head. She'd already spotted that Elliot had a gun and she knew if they disturbed or frightened him, he could shoot and he could kill.

"We can't scare him off," she said.

Anxious, Watson nodded, willing to follow Charlie's lead. She was the local Detective for a reason after all. They turned back to the clearing, straining to hear what was being said but the group were just that little bit too far away.

* * *

"What kind of man do you think I am, Elliot?" Roman asked, keeping his hands firmly in view so that Nicole's captor didn't think he was concealing a weapon.

He wished he _was _concealing one. He felt helpless at being so close to Nicole and not being able to guarantee saving her.

"A killer," Elliot replied.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Nicole spat.

Elliot whirled around to aim the gun at her, snapping at her to shut up. Roman lurched forward but Elliot was too quick for him.

"Tell her what you did to my brother!" he demanded.

"I didn't do anything to your brother," Roman lied.

The images of that horrific, fateful day still haunted him. He thought they always would.

"You killed him!" Elliot yelled.

"He got captured," Roman insisted.

"Because you left him. You let him get caught and then you abandoned him."

"Mark couldn't cope under the pressure," Roman said reasonably. "He freaked out and he abandoned us. There was nothing more to it than that."

"Then why did you pay me off years ago?" Elliot demanded.

Nicole stared at her father, trying to read him and figure out what was really going on. One minute she'd been waking up, ready to spend Christmas Day with her kids and the next she'd been kidnapped and dragged into the woods. All she could hope was that someone had gone round to make sure Cathy, Clarissa and Todd were okay. She could hardly bear to think about potentially never seeing them again.

"Because... because..."

Roman didn't have an answer.

"Because you betrayed my brother. You got him killed and you've spent all this time trying to cover it up."

"That's not true," Roman said. "We did no such thing. Mark was my best friend. I would never have got him hurt if I could help it. We tried to save him."

"Then why did you pay me off?" Elliot demanded.

"Why are you waiting until now to bring it up?" Roman countered. "Short of cash again?"

Elliot shifted his finger on the trigger, getting ready to press down on it.

"I came here for justice," he said. "You killed my brother and now I'm going to kill your daughter. It's only fair."

He turned the gun on Nicole. She screamed. Roman saw the whole thing in slow motion and lurched forward. Charlie, Watson, Jack and Daria all bolted forward. Two shots rang out in the still, summer air.

* * *

Three hours later, Nicole, Roman, Elliot, Watson and Daria were all at the hospital. Nicole was shaken up but unhurt and desperate to be discharged so she could go home to her children. Leah had left them in Aden's care so that she could rush to her partner's side. Roman had been shot by Elliot. He'd been whipped into surgery with a bullet in his leg but Rachel, who had been on duty at the time had been quick to reassure her friend that the chances of something fatal occurring was minimal. Elliot had also been shot. He'd ended up with a wounded arm and had been making a terrible fuss about being released, only for Watson and Daria to appear, ready to arrest him for kidnapping. Charlie had taken Jack back to the station. He had been the one to fire his gun at Elliot and as much as Charlie had tried to comfort him, and reassure him that he hadn't done anything wrong, he was still beside himself with guilt and anxiety.

* * *

Joey saw David and Andy out. James, Leanne and Zac had already said their goodbyes. Christmas Day hadn't quite gone to plan and Joey had missed her wife terribly. But she was proud of the way Charlie sacrificed anything necessary to serve her community and save lives. She was grateful to have received a phone call, reassuring her that she was alright and would be home soon. Returning to the living room, she smiled lovingly at Max. The seven year old had been desperate to stay up to see Mummy Charlie but he had eventually fallen asleep in the chair. Every time Joey tried to pick him up to take him to bed, he protested, woke up for a few minutes and then fell asleep again. Not wanting to repeatedly disturb him, she had decided to leave him to it.

"What time did Mum say she'd be home?" Christine asked, yawning.

It had been a long, strange day.

"In about an hour," Joey said. "You can go to bed if you want to. Charlie won't mind."

"Are you sure?" Christine checked, yawning again.

"I'm sure."

The teenager got up, kissed her mother and Ross and Morag goodnight and then headed up to her bedroom, exhausted.

* * *

Watson sighed heavily, unhappy at having to stay at the hospital to guard Elliot until he could be taken into custody.

"Look, why don't you just go home?" Daria asked.

"I can't," Watson said.

"I can keep an eye on him until Sam comes to take over the shift," Daria assured her.

"Well, I mean... I should stay."

"I'm perfectly capable," Daria said.

"I know but..."

"Look, you have a family to go home to," Daria said. "You've got Sarah and little Matthew. Go home to them and salvage whatever's left of Christmas. I'll stay."

Watson stood up eagerly, politely making sure it was alright and then prepared to hurry away. She paused when she saw Nicole in the corridor.

"Hey," she said.

"I'm not making a statement tonight," Nicole said quickly.

"It's fine," Watson said. "We can do all of that in the morning. But if you're ready to go home now, I can give you a lift."

Nicole didn't think she'd ever been so grateful to another person in all her life.

* * *

Ruby and Xavier sat rather awkwardly together in their former marital home. Ruby had arrived to drop Gina off for the night, ready for her to spend Boxing Day with her father, and the exes had reluctantly got talking about everything that had taken place that day. They were both good friends with Nicole and they were relieved to hear that she was unhurt. Silently, it was both making them think. What would happen if either of them got into some kind of trouble? How would they feel if something happened to one of them while their relationship was still so fractured? Neither Ruby nor Xavier knew if they would ever get back together, neither was sure if they even wanted to, but it seemed as shame that everything was still such a mess between them. And it was a shame for nobody more than their beloved daughter.

* * *

Jake was already in bed and Martha was slouched in front of the television when Jack finally returned home. It felt like one of the longest days of his life. Sinking into his wife's embrace, he proceeded to explain everything that had happened.

* * *

Leah waited by Roman's bedside, desperate for him to wake up and reassure her that everything was okay. She stroked his face and wished she could look into his eyes. Eventually, he woke with a start.

"Nicole!" he said breathlessly, his vision still coming into focus.

Leah held his hand, gently reassuring him that everything was fine, including Nicole. He sank back against the pillows of his hospital bed, trying to organise all the thoughts charging around his brain. Leah was surprised to realise that tears were slowly streaking his face.

"Roman?" she said gently.

He continued to cry quietly.

"Roman, what is it?"

"Leah, I've done something terrible."

* * *

Nicole almost fell through the door of her house when Watson dropped her off. Aden was on his feet quickly, gathering her into his arms and holding her close. He thanked Watson who wished her well and went on home. Leading Nicole into the lounge, Aden sat them down, holding her hands and asking a million questions about whether she was okay. She immediately grew tearful, avoided the question and asked about the kids.

"They're fine," he said. "They're asleep."

"I'm going to go up and see them," Nicole said.

He nodded and watched her head towards Todd's bedroom.

* * *

Charlie arrived home at long last. Her mind and her body were exhausted and her Christmas Day had been officially ruined. She happily fell into Joey's arms. Holding her close and kissing her for all she was worth, she apologised for having to run out on all of them.

"Max waited up for you," Joey told her, gesturing to the little boy asleep in an arm chair.

Charlie crept over to her son and gently stroked his hair. His eyes sprang open.

"Mum!" he said.

"Hey, little guy," Charlie said gently.

"I waited up for you!" he said proudly.

She smiled and kissed his forehead.

"Thank you," she said. "Merry Christmas. And I'm sorry I wasn't here to celebrate with you."

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"I'm absolutely fine," Charlie replied. "How about I take you up to bed and tuck you in?"

He nodded and yawned loudly. Charlie scooped him up into her arms. He was already asleep again by the time they reached the bottom of the stairs.

* * *

Daria sat by Elliot's bedside, hating him for messing Christmas up for everyone, hurting her one-time roommate, Nicole and putting her children at risk. She would be extremely interested in his reasoning. But she couldn't officially interview him yet and he didn't seem terribly interested in talking. Mostly, he just complained. She turned around and dug into her bag, looking for a magazine to keep her entertained until Sam showed up. He was due in half an hour. With her back to her patient, she had no way of realising that he had silently crept out of bed. She turned back just in time to be hit hard on the head with a pole intended to hang drips from. Everything went black.

* * *

Once she had kissed the children goodnight, Nicole had returned to the living room. Aden had poured her a glass of wine and she gratefully accepted it. Today had certainly been a long day.

"Do you want me to stay or head out or...?" Aden wondered.

"Stay," Nicole said.

She cuddled up to him, resting her head upon his broad chest, needing to feel safe. He closed his eyes and inhaled the scent of her shampoo. She listened to his heartbeat until they both fell asleep.

* * *

Having shared a very quick drink with her father and step-mother, Charlie had shown them out and locked up. She turned back to Joey and smiled lovingly, holding her hands.

"Are you okay?" Joey asked.

Charlie had explained everything to them in detail and the whole thing had sounded horrible and frightening. She nodded and pulled Joey closer for a hug.

"I am now," she said.

They rested together, standing in the middle of the kitchen and holding on for all they were worth.


	125. Chapter 125

_Here is your next instalment. I'm currently twenty-eight chapters ahead and I can see the end of this very long story appearing at some point in the distance so I hope you are continuing to enjoy it while it lasts. And you know, reviews make a happy writer! Not that I'm hinting or anything... Much love to all of you, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-Five**

**January 2032**

New Year came too quickly. Charlie and Joey had opted to have a very quiet evening with just Christine and Max, who had gone to bed shortly after twelve. Well, Max had fallen asleep several times beforehand but, just as had been the case at Christmas, he'd insisted that he was awake every time they tried to put him to bed. Now, alone in the lounge, Charlie and Joey enjoyed one more glass of wine before bed.

"Here's to a happier New Year," Joey proposed.

Charlie nodded and they clinked their glasses together before sharing a gentle kiss.

"Next year definitely has to be..." Charlie began.

She stopped talking when Joey pressed her index finger against her lips, begging her not to jinx it. Charlie kissed the digit before moving in to kiss her properly. She set their glasses down and pulled Joey in closer, kissing her again and again. Slipping onto the floor, she knelt down and held Joey's hand.

"Joey, I know the past few years have been hard," she said. "This year has been easier than the ones before and I hope we're moving on from all the bad stuff and all the pain. But I wanted to apologise for every time I've let you down."

"You never let me down," Joey protested.

"I have. I've let you down too many times but I want to be better. I want to be the person you deserve."

"Charlie, I just want you to be you," Joey told her. "Because I love you for everything you are. I love you more than I can say and I always have. There is no 'doing better' as far as I'm concerned."

She smiled and pulled Charlie back on the sofa and into her arms. They kissed again, happily melting into each other.

"How about we go to bed?" Joey suggested with a naughty smile.

**

* * *

**

June 2032

Charlie kissed Joey and the kids goodbye before dashing off to work on her bike. They'd had a somewhat naughty morning and now she was running late. Not that she minded. What was the point of being the boss if she couldn't take the odd liberty? Still smiling to herself, she arrived at the station, ready to start the day.

Roman remained in the kitchen of Crumble, concentrating on chopping vegetables and providing meals for the customers. The last six months certainly hadn't been easy. He'd recovered from his injury quickly enough but Elliot had escaped from hospital on the night they were brought in and nobody had been able to find him since. Roman wasn't sure how to feel about that exactly. He was glad Elliot was gone and his past was no longer at risk of being uncovered. But he was worried that the unhinged man might be plotting his next move. And he'd never be able to bear it if something happened to his daughter again. That night, he had told Leah the whole truth about having to kill Mark in the line of duty. The pressure had got to him and he was ready to hand them over to their enemies. He'd been panicking and aggressive. The troop had been in fear of their lives. As the leader, Roman had had to make a decision. He'd attempted to abandon him and save his boys but Mark had kept coming at them. So Roman had turned around and shot. Leah had been shocked and disappointed and he didn't know if he was being paranoid or not but he felt like things were a little fragmented between them now. But she'd been supportive and stayed by his side. And she'd stuck by his story when Nicole had come knocking, full of questions. Roman had reverted to the party line and he hoped that nobody would ever know the truth.

Joey had taken Max to school and then Macy for a walk. She always offered Christine a lift as well but the fourteen year old was more interested in walking in with her friends and Jake. Joey understood. When she was her age, she would have done anything to spend as much time with Charlie as possible. She was forty six now and she still felt the same! Arriving back at the house, Macy had only been off her lead for half a second when she bounded right through the house, barking and over excited and accidentally knocking things over with her wagging tail. She was definitely the clumsiest dog in the world but Joey loved her for it. Glancing at her watch, she noted that she had twenty minutes before Ross and Morag were due to be coming round for coffee. It was their usual Monday routine and Joey was very fond of it.

Nicole headed out to the beach. She'd taken Cathy to school and collected Gina from Ruby so that she and Clarissa could play together while Ruby was at work. The two four year olds were giggling together just ahead while building sandcastles. Nicole sat on a blanket with Todd. He was two now and the very image of his father. He was bright as a button and was already grasping things that the girls hadn't managed until they were at least a year older than him. She looked into his eyes and couldn't quite help but remember his father. She missed him terribly and she felt very alone. She also felt very guilty. Last week, she had shared a kiss with Aden. It was the first and only time since Romeo had died, that she'd even thought about someone else in a romantic way. She'd enjoyed the kiss but she'd been avoiding her friend ever since. Neither of them quite knew what to do.

* * *

Alf appeared behind the bar of the Jukebox. He was past retirement age but had always insisted that he liked to keep busy. When he wasn't helping Ross and Morag, he was working in the bar and he enjoyed it. In a random conversation with Martha, he'd revealed that his daughter had had a baby with the same name. She'd asked her name and after a little digging, they'd been startled to figure out that she was Alf's granddaughter. Martha had been adopted at birth and it wasn't a fact known to many people. Her closest friends – Leah, Rachel, Charlie and Joey, all knew and of course Jack did. But it wasn't something she had really shared with anyone else. Once she and Alf had figured out the truth though, they had bonded immensely and then she'd given him the job he wanted. And he was a very good worker.

"Are you okay?" Alf asked his colleague, Xavier Austin.

The young man nodded but didn't look very convincing. Alf sympathised with him, having watched him struggle for quite some time with juggling work, his daughter and missing his wife. He saw the way that Xavier and Ruby still looked at each other and he hoped that one day, they might work things out.

* * *

Daria arrived back from being out on patrol looking exhausted. Walking through the reception area of the station, Charlie noticed her and continued to be worried. Ever since what had happened on Christmas Day, Daria really hadn't been herself. She'd been working round the clock and never seemed to do anything else, least of all sleep.

"Senior Constable," she said.

Daria looked up.

"Can I see you in my office for a moment please?"

Daria looked startled, worried that she was in trouble. Silently, she followed her boss and mother to find out what she wanted.

* * *

David was on board the trawler with James, Sarah and Aden, working hard in the sunshine and enjoying the taste of the salt in the air. He studied Aden who was working double the pace that was really healthy, especially as he kept wincing from the pain in his hand. His old injury at the hands of Trey Palmer, didn't resurface a lot but everyone knew it was there. And Aden had been in a strange mood for days now. David couldn't help but wonder what was wrong.

"Are you alright, mate?" he asked.

Aden glanced up at him, nodded and then carried on with his work.

* * *

Joey had had a nice time with Ross and Morag. She was glad that they were permanently back from their travels, although she was sad that it was for health reasons rather than because they wanted to be. They were definitely the best in laws she could have hoped for, especially as she still missed her own parents so much, not to mention Elsie. But Ross had definitely mellowed over the years and she was still touched that he had turned to her first when he had been battling with the beginning symptoms of Alzheimer's. He got a lot of support and was just about able to live a normal life, although everyone knew it wouldn't last forever. Each random moment of confusion and memory loss only served as a harsh reminder of the situation he was in. But he was coping well and they all did the best they could for him.

"Right," she said to Macy when she'd seen them out. "Let's go do some exciting accounts!"

Macy barked and wagged her tail as if she were genuinely excited at the prospect. It made Joey feel a little bit less bored. She was a hands on kind of girl, or at least, she would be if Robbo hadn't damaged her shoulder so badly years ago. Still, she knew she was lucky to be running her own business, with Lou DeBono as her silent partner. And it had become big business at that.

* * *

Daria sat in front of Charlie, wondering what she wanted to talk about.

"You," Charlie said.

Daria raised her eyebrows. If she didn't look so tired and resigned, Charlie would have been sure she could see the sullen teenager in her that Daria used to be.

"You're working too hard," Charlie ventured.

Daria laughed.

"You've got to be the first boss in the world to ever complain because someone was working _too _hard!" she said. "Or are you being my Mum now?"

"I'm being both," Charlie said.

She supposed being a Mum in this office was a little unprofessional but it wasn't something she could easily detach from. She loved her daughter and she wanted the best for her.

"So, what's the problem?" Daria asked.

"Look, I know you're still struggling over what happened at Christmas..."

"I'm not," Daria lied.

Charlie sighed.

"Daria..."

"Charlie, I'm just doing my job. Isn't that a good thing?"

"Not when you look like you haven't slept in months," Charlie said. "I'm worried about you. So is Watson and so is Joey. And David."

"I'm fine," Daria said.

The truth was that she felt terrible to have been blindsided by Elliot that day. It made her sick to think that she was the one who had let him get away.

"I want you to take some time off," Charlie said.

Daria looked outraged and accused her of invalid suspension.

"I'm not suspending you," Charlie said quickly. "Don't be silly. All I'm saying is that you have a stack of leave to take so why don't you take it. Have some fun?"

"How exactly?" Daria asked. "Sam and I have split up and he's left town. My smug brother is married and you'd have to surgically remove him from Andy if you wanted to spend any time with him. Mink's long gone. I don't have anything left, Charlie."

"Of course you do," the Detective replied.

"I don't," Daria said, standing up. "I've screwed up every aspect of my life. And there's nothing you can do to fix it."

Charlie sighed heavily as her daughter left the room.

* * *

Xavier finished his shift and took a walk along the beach. He stopped and smiled when he saw his daughter building sandcastles with her best friend. She looked up at him.

"Daddy!" she cried happily, running up to him on her little legs.

He scooped her up into his arms and approached Nicole who was sitting serenely with Todd. Clarissa hurried up to them as Xavier asked to join them.

"Of course," Nicole said brightly. "How's it going?"

"Fine," he said. "I just finished my shift. I could, um... I could take Gina if you wanted."

"And Clarissa!" Gina squeaked, not wanting to be parted from her friend.

Xavier and Nicole both chuckled at their desperation to never be parted from each other. Goodbye always seemed to be the hardest word.

"Yeah, I could take Clarissa too if you wanted," he offered. "Maybe I could take them for lunch or something. Let them play together. Give you a break."

"Would Ruby mind?" Nicole wondered.

"I'm Gina's father," Xavier said a little sourly. "I think I'm allowed to take my kid off the babysitter."

"Godmother," Nicole reminded him with a grin.

He laughed and nodded.

"Godmother," he agreed. "What do you reckon?"

"Sounds good to me," Nicole said. "No child should be without their father."

She sighed sadly. Gina and Clarissa headed back to their sandcastle. Xavier sat more comfortably next to his friend.

"How are things?" he asked.

Nicole shrugged. She had no idea how to explain how things were. Conflicting images of Romeo and Aden were invading her brain.

"How about you for you?" she asked.

"Pretty much the same," Xavier replied.

* * *

Joey was knee deep in numbers she was still trying to understand when there was a knock at the door. Macy barked excessively and nearly tripped her up on the way to the door.

"Aden!" she said.

"Hey."

"Slacking off work, are we?" she teased, letting him in.

"Yeah, I find the best way to get away with ditching work is of course to go and see the boss!" he remarked.

He sank into a chair and gave the dog some fuss while Joey put the kettle on. Suddenly realising that she was hungry, she began preparing some sandwiches. When she was done, she presented them and the drink to her friend and sat down beside him, ordering Macy to go and sit in her basket and not beg for crumbs.

"So, what's up?" Joey asked, very aware that there was something on his mind.

"I kissed Nicole," he blurted out.

* * *

"Roman, you just gave meat to a vegetarian," Leah complained, thrusting a plate back at him.

He apologised but didn't look terribly fussed. Leah was frustrated.

"Look, I know you're going through a lot of stuff right now but you have to wake up, Roman," his girlfriend told him a little harshly. "You can't let what happened to Elliot ruin your life."

"He nearly killed my daughter!" Roman snapped. "And it was all my fault!"

"I know," Leah said tightly. "But you have to move on. Nicole's fine. Wading in self pity just isn't going to help you."

She felt sad for him and she felt frustrated with him. All she wanted to do was make everything better but she had no idea how.

"I'll fix the dish and take it out personally," Roman promised. "Who was it for?"

"Leanne," Martha said, heading back towards the door again.

Roman looked startled.

"Leanne?" he asked. "Since when is she a vegetarian?"

Leah shrugged and stepped out to serve more customers.

* * *

"Can I speak bluntly to you?" Nicole asked.

Xavier nodded a little uncertainly. He was surprised she'd even asked the question. In all the time they'd known each other, she had hardly been backwards in coming forwards.

"You and Ruby quite obviously still love each other," Nicole stated.

Xavier opened his mouth to object but found no words would come.

"So, why are you wasting time being apart? Life is so... it's so damn precious, Xavier. You never know which moment might be your last. Do you really want to be able to look back on your life and think of how much time you spent alone and sad and missing the girl you love, when she only lives round the corner?"

"It's not as simple as that," Xavier objected.

"Why not?"

"She had an affair with Liam Murphy, or have you forgotten?" he snapped.

"Of course I haven't forgotten," Nicole said. "But I also haven't forgotten that she's sorry and that she loves you very much."

"Nice of her to tell you and not me," he frowned.

"It's obvious," Nicole said, not indulging him in self-pity. "And it's obvious you love her too so why don't you just try and make it work? For Gina's sake if nothing else."

"She's broken my heart one too many times," Xavier insisted.

"Well, you know what?" Nicole said. "I loved my husband and I would give anything to have him back. And I can tell you now that if he'd have done what Ruby did, and I'd known that he was going to die in a car crash before he was even forty, I wouldn't have bothered hating him for the bad stuff. All I would have done is love him for everything he is and spend every moment I could with him before it was too late."

Xavier swallowed anxiously.

"Life is too short to waste it on bitterness and uncertainty," she said, her words ringing far too true to herself as well as her friend. "If you love someone, you've to got to let them know."

* * *

Roman appeared in the main body of the restaurant and presented Leanne with her food, apologising for the mix up. Sitting next to James, she smiled sweetly up at the man serving her and thanked him.

"I um... I didn't realise you were a vegetarian," he said.

"It's a new thing," Leanne said.

"She watched a documentary about chickens or something," James explained.

Roman nodded and sat down, suddenly overwhelmed with a compulsion to talk to her. She had no idea that he was her biological father. He'd left Martha and Jack to raise her and they'd never interacted very much. And right now, he was full of regret.

"So, how have you been?" he asked.

Leanne and James exchanged glances. Since when did Roman Harris ever have an interest in them?

"I've... I've been fine," Leanne said uncertainly. "I'm training to be a hairdresser now."

Roman nodded, gazing at her.

"Are you enjoying it?"

"Yeah," she said. "I am. It's interesting."

"Roman!" Leah called from the till.

He looked round at his girlfriend who was staring at him anxiously.

"You've got more food to cook."

He gave Leanne one last glance and then hurried into the kitchen.

* * *

Ruby arrived home from work, showered, dressed and dried her hair. She opened the door when someone knocked, expecting it to be Nicole back with the kids. She was surprised to see Xavier and Gina.

"Hey," she said.

She looked down at her daughter who hugged her and then scampered off to play. Stepping aside, Ruby let Xavier into the flat.

"I was expecting Nicole," she said.

Xavier nodded and explained that he'd run into them on the beach and with him having the rest of the day off work, he thought he'd spend some extra time with his daughter.

"And Clarissa, I bet," Ruby remarked.

She tried not to be annoyed that he'd had time with Gina when it wasn't his allotted day. It wouldn't help anyone to get bitter about custody. The important thing was that Gina had got to spend time with her Dad. Xavier chuckled and nodded.

"They're pretty much inseparable," he agreed.

"Well, um... thanks for bringing her back," Ruby said stiffly.

He stared at her for several moments. When the stifling silence between them got too much, he made his excuses, said goodbye to his daughter and estranged wife, and ducked out of the apartment. Nicole's words were still ringing in his ears but he had no idea what he was meant to do about them.

* * *

It was the end of a long day. Roman had been in an even stranger mood than normal all day and then once they'd gone home, he left again and said he needed to clear his head, leaving Leah home alone. A knock on the door roused her and she was pleased to see VJ and his girlfriend, Jennifer standing there.

"Hey," she greeted, letting them in. "What brings you here?"

"Hunger," VJ grinned. "Got any dinner on the go?"

Leah chuckled. Roman found it annoying but Leah still found her son's cheeky charm amusing.

"I'm sure I can rustle something up," she said. "I mean, it's not like I've been cooking all day!"

Sometimes she wondered why her son had ever moved out.

Martha was cooking dinner for Jack and Jake when there was a knock at the door.

"I'll get it," Jack said, pausing in laying the table.

Martha thanked him and remained with her pots. They were surprised to find it was Roman who had stopped by to visit them.

"We need to talk," the chef said firmly.

Jack and Martha exchanged glances.

"Jake, why don't you go to your room?" Jack suggested.

"But... dinner..." Jake protested.

"It's not ready yet," Martha lied. "We'll call you."

Grumpily, the teenager nodded and headed into his bedroom, slamming his door for effect. Jack invited Roman in, although he clearly didn't want to. The men hadn't been good friends for a long time and he wasn't about to start rebuilding things now.

"What do you want, Roman?" the police officer asked.

"I want to build a relationship with my daughter," Roman replied.

* * *

Charlie arrived home from work and kissed Joey by way of hello. When she eventually pulled away, she gave in and petted the dog who, despite Charlie's misgivings, adored her with fierce loyalty.

"How was your day?" she asked Joey, poking her head round the door to check that the kids were okay.

Christine was sitting at the table helping Max with his homework. It was adorable. Charlie turned back to Joey.

"It was... interesting," her wife said.

"What happened?" Charlie asked, immediately worried. "Is Dad okay?"

"He's fine," Joey assured her and pulling out a chair for Charlie to sit in after a long working day. "But I got a visit from Aden. I think... I think he and Nicole might be about to get together."

* * *

It was later in the evening and the kids were in bed. Nicole had invited Aden round for a late dinner. Her words to Xavier earlier in the day were echoing in her ears and she decided to take her own advice.

"Aden, I need to talk to you," she said once they had finished eating.

Aden nodded. To say that things had been awkward between them over the last week would be an understatement.

"I love Romeo," she ventured.

He swallowed and nodded again.

"And I know you still love Belle."

Aden closed his eyes, fighting memories that would make him sad.

"But... I think, well, I don't even know how it happened but... I have... I have real feelings for you too," Nicole admitted.

Her friend looked up sharply, his heart soaring.

"Really?" he asked.

Nicole nodded.

"I don't exactly know what to do about them," she said. "But if Romeo's death has taught me anything, it's that people have to live for the day. We can't live our lives based on guilt and suffering. I think... I hope that you and I... we could be happy together."

She reached out and held his hand.

"Do you... um, do you think so too?"

Aden gazed into her eyes. Slowly, he leant forward and kissed her.

* * *

At the end of a long day, Charlie and Joey curled up in bed together, ready for snuggles and sleep. Charlie and Joey had both been hopeful that something nice might work out for Aden and Nicole. They'd spent a fair amount of time fretting over Daria, wondering what they could do to help her. But now that the door was closed and the kids were asleep, they were happy to content themselves with each other, resting in each other's arms as they prepared to face the next working day.


	126. Chapter 126

**Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Six**

**July 2032**

Jack knocked on Charlie's office door. She bid him entry and he sat down somewhat anxiously in a chair.

"What can I do for you, Jack?" she asked, giving him her full attention.

He licked his lips, sighing uncertainly.

"Is there anything I can do to keep Roman away from us?" he asked.

* * *

The kitchen of the Diner was extremely tense. Leah and Roman didn't quite know what to say to each other. Over the last couple of weeks, Roman had been asserting sudden parental responsibility over Leanne. The twenty one year old remained oblivious to the battle over the fact that she was not biologically related to Jack and that there was now a fight going on between her parents and the man who had fathered her. Leah understood her partner's plight but she was also frustrated with the way he was handling it. He was upsetting Jack and Martha who, quite frankly, had been through enough in their relationship without him making it worse. And it meant that, even though she had nothing to do with it, Leah was feeling somewhat estranged from a woman she considered to be one of her best friends.

* * *

Joey had woken with a particular spring in her step that morning so, after seeing the kids safely off to school, she headed out for a surprise visit to the trawler, offering to work with her old crew for at least half a day, or until her shoulder gave out. She knew she would likely be in trouble with Charlie over it but every so often, the call of the sea was too much for her and she had to follow it. And besides, she and Charlie could never stay mad at each other for long. Now, out on the ocean and doing the job she loved so much, she smiled into the sunshine.

"You always look so happy when you're out here," Aden commented, stepping up beside her.

Joey blushed and nodded.

"I love it," she said with a grin. "And you're looking particularly cheerful too. I take it things are going well with Nicole?"

Aden nodded a little shyly. For the longest time, he hadn't believed that he could ever so much as look at another girl who wasn't Belle. And part of him still felt a little guilty at the notion that he was starting to move on with his life. But he was happy. Nicole made him laugh and they got on so well. They were taking things slowly and hadn't yet slept together, but he was becoming even more of a feature in the house and he wondered if he might get the chance to be more of a parental figure for the kids. He never ever wanted to try and replace Romeo and he knew that was impossible, but he was happy to be beginning to settle down again and find some joy in the days.

"I'm really happy for you," Joey enthused.

* * *

Charlie sighed awkwardly. She had always wondered if something like this might happen. Roman being Leanne's father had been a local secret for a long time. She empathised with Jack for wanting to protect his family and she wondered why Roman was suddenly interested now. She understood his need to be a good father but it all seemed a bit too late. Leanne was an adult now. She was practically Charlie's daughter in law and she was the mother of hers and Joey's first and only grandchild.

"I don't really know if you can do anything," she said.

Jack sighed. He'd already known the answer. He and Charlie had trained together after all. She'd just shot up the ranks a little quicker than he had.

"It's not technically a legal matter."

"I just... I don't want him telling Leanne the truth. And I don't understand why he suddenly wants to be her Dad now. I'm her Dad. I always have been. I..."

He trailed off unhappily.

"If you really think he's going to tell her then perhaps what you need to do is tell her yourself," Charlie said. "But Jack, whether he provided the sperm or not, you're still her Dad. Like you said, you always have been. And she loves you as such. Look and me and Joey. We haven't technically had any children but we're still parents and nothing can change that."

Jack managed a smile. He nodded, feeling comforted.

"Thanks, Charlie," he said.

* * *

At the end of his shift as a lifeguard, VJ happily headed up the beach in order to get home and then, hopefully go round to his mother's house for dinner. He'd moved out a while ago now and he loved living with Jennifer. Technically, he was independent but he did tend to end up round at his Mum's for dinner or to get the odd bit of washing done. And he suspected that it was more often that Roman liked.

"Take one more step and you're dead," a voice threatened.

VJ turned with wide eyes to find himself face to face with Elliot.

**

* * *

**

December 2032

It had been a very long five months and the town was slowly starting to recover. Back in July, VJ Patterson had been abducted by Elliot and taken hostage, in much the same way Nicole had. But he'd been hospitalised for several days. Blaming Roman entirely, Leah ended their relationship without a second thought. And with nothing left, Roman had headed over to the police station to confirm that everything Elliot had told the police was true. He'd detailed exactly what had happened to Mark on that fateful day and he had since been handed over to the military police to await sentencing. Elliot had been jailed for two counts of abduction for ten years.

News of what had happened to Mark by those who knew him, and most specifically Rachel, who had once had a brief love affair with him, had rocked the town and they struggled to establish how they now felt about Roman. It wasn't so much what he had done in his past, but that he had lied about it. The only thing Jack and Martha were grateful for was that nobody had had the time to tell Leanne the truth about her paternity. Choosing not to feel hypocritical, they were glad that their family had held together and neither felt that their beloved daughter needed to know the truth.

Daria had been heavily involved with the rescue mission and since then, she had seemed to calm down a lot. Charlie and Joey had tried to talk to her on more than one occasion, as had David but she seemed to prefer to ignore how she felt, dust herself off and start again. That she felt redeemed for saving VJ after she'd let Elliot escape the first time around, helped a little.

Nicole had been left reeling over the revelations about her father. She was hurt that even after she had been abducted at Christmas, even after she had asked him outright what had happened to Mark, he had lied. But more than that, she missed him. She loved him and no amount of mistakes would change that. Aden had been a perfect support and six months into their relationship, things were going well enough that they were considering moving in together.

* * *

Now, with a new Christmas rolling around, the residents were hoping that this year would go better than the one before. They hoped that the mess with Elliot and Roman was over and nobody would continue to get hurt. As usual, Joey was going all out. It was funny really. Back when she was a child, she had never imagined that she would grow up to be the domesticated type. But creating a happy, family home was certainly something she loved and she felt very lucky to share that with Charlie. Her partner would be turning fifty the following month and Joey knew she was more than a little stressed about it. She wondered where all the years had gone and had said several times that she still felt like a teenager. Now, on Christmas Eve, with the kids in bed, Charlie and Joey sat together on the sofa wrapping last minute presents for family and friends.

"Will you still love me when I'm old?" Charlie asked with a little pout.

Joey was surprised by the randomness. Then, looking at the television, she saw than there was an advertisement playing about anti-aging creams. Grinning, she put Melissa's gift down and inched closer.

"You're not old," she said.

Charlie looked unsure. She was having to dye her hair with far more regularity now. And Joey didn't seem to be having the same problem, even though there was only two and a half years between them.

"You're not," Joey said more firmly. "But for the record... I will love you always."

Charlie beamed at her. She put Ruby's half wrapped gift down and leant in closer for a kiss.


	127. Chapter 127

_Charlie is turning fifty! Where does the time go...? I hope you enjoy the birthday party. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Seven**

**January 2033**

It was Charlie's and therefore Gina and Clarissa's birthday. The kids were turning five and Charlie had reached the age of fifty. Joey and the rest of the family had ordered that Charlie have a birthday party and while she had been adamant that she wasn't going to celebrate, she was, despite herself, having a brilliant time. The music was nice, the drinks were flowing and pretty much the whole town had turned out to wish her happy birthday. Looking around the room, she spotted Joey chatting to Nicole and Aden. The widow and widower had been together for six months now and things looked to be going well. They were both very aware of missing their late partners, but they were happy with each other. Making her way across the room, Charlie stood behind her wife and wrapped her arms around her waist and rested her chin on her shoulder. Joey beamed at her.

"Hey, birthday girl," she said.

Charlie kissed her cheek.

"Hey," she replied.

"Aw, look at you two," Nicole teased. "Together for a hundred years and still so in love."

"Not a hundred!" Charlie squeaked. "I'm only fifty!"

She paled at the number anyway.

"And I'm only forty seven," Joey added.

"Charlie, you have a toy girl!" Aden smirked.

Charlie grinned and hugged Joey a little tighter.

* * *

Seated at the bar and chatting to Alf as he served drinks, Ross was doing his best to keep up with the party. His memory was fading quicker and quicker and half the time he didn't know who he was, let alone where. He was furious one day to find that Morag had got him a band to wear around his wrist so that he could always read his name and address and if he wandered off and got lost, people could him back home again.

"She's having a really nice time, isn't she?" he commented to Morag.

They both looked over at Charlie who was still firmly attached to Joey and laughing animatedly with Nicole and Aden. Morag smiled.

"Yes, she is," she said.

"She deserves this," Ross smiled.

* * *

Tony, Rachel and Leah were sitting round a table. The couple had found their friend running around in a complete flap, wearing herself out as she and Colleen catered the party. While they were aware that Leah's life now seemed to be a series of distraction techniques, they were also concerned that she would soon run herself into the ground. Roman had been sentenced to fifteen years in a jail and Leah had sworn off having anything to do with him. It was one thing to have made a mistake but his actions and his lies had led to her son nearly being killed and she just couldn't forgive. But she was struggling terribly with missing him. VJ was around more, and not just for dinner and laundry. He wanted to support his Mum and he was worried about her being alone, especially in situations such as this where everyone seemed to be mostly coupled off.

"I bought you some drinks," the twenty four year old announced as he and Jennifer approached the table.

Tony, Rachel and Leah thanked them and they sat down together.

"I really have to get on with the cake," Leah said.

"Mum, you can sit for a bit," VJ said firmly. "Charlie isn't exactly in a hurry."

They all looked over. Charlie and Joey were dancing together, very much looking like they were enjoying the party.

* * *

With Zac being expertly taken care of by Ruby, Leanne and James were enjoying a few drinks across the room with Harry. Their friend was nineteen now and had gone off to University, deciding he wanted to be a Doctor like his Mum. James was still enjoying working on Joey's trawler and Leanne was enjoying her hairdressing course. Now that they all considered themselves adults, it was easier to be good friends again. Harry had stopped feeling like a lesser person because he was younger than his cousin and his best friend. He was excelling at University and really enjoyed coming home and having fun with his old mates during the holidays.

* * *

Charlie and Joey were dancing completely out of time to the music. The beat was fast but they were largely just holding each other in the middle of the room. Joey's hands had settled on Charlie's waist and Charlie's arms were draped around Joey's neck as they gazed into each other's eyes. Their bodies pressed close together and there was barely any air between them. Charlie leant forward and captured Joey's lips gently with her own. They smiled lovingly at each other, lost in their own world.

"Do you think we're too old to sneak off the bathroom?" Charlie asked with a cheeky wink.

Joey chuckled and pulled her closer for another kiss.

"I don't think we'd ever get too old for that," she said.

They came back together for more kisses, both interested in the idea but neither of them in a hurry. Standing together, holding each other, kissing and silently conveying their love was more than wonderful.

* * *

Jack hauled himself up on a stool in front of his wife, who was serving behind the bar. She, Alf and Xavier were busy, but never busy enough to not enjoy the party or stop of a chat.

"Having fun?" he asked.

"Mostly," Martha grinned. "You?"

He nodded. It had been a nice evening. He felt like he worked so much these days that he didn't have as much time for fun as he would like. The party definitely provided him with the chance to let his hair down. He'd caught up with his Dad and Rachel, and his brother Lucas who seemed to have bonded particularly with Melissa in recent months. And while he wasn't proud of it, Jack was relieved that Roman was no longer around to cause trouble. He felt bad for the guy languishing in jail but he had been that close to revealing Leanne's true paternity to her and Jack feared that it would have destroyed their whole family. It was now a situation that had been avoided, he hoped, forever.

* * *

Watson and Sarah were sitting down with Todd and Matthew. Nicole had been eager to get up and dance with Aden so she'd left her two year old in their care. Matthew was the same age now and they all hoped the boys would grow up to be friends.

"They are so not..." Watson remarked, looking up.

Sarah followed Watson's eyes and smirked as, holding hands, Charlie and Joey skipped off in the direction of the bathroom.

"Of course they are!" she said.

Watson cuddled Matthew a little closer, kissing the top of his head, commenting to Sarah that they didn't that kind of thing anymore.

"We do!" Sarah protested. "Sometimes."

"When was the last time?" Watson asked.

Sarah turned and began playing peek-a-boo with Todd.

* * *

On the dance floor, Ruby was still dancing with the kids. She, Gina, Clarissa and Zac all stood in a circle, having a nice time together. Ruby tried to focus and not to look up too much at Xavier. The more time that passed, the more she missed her husband but she was too afraid to talk to him about it. She knew she had gone too far by sleeping with Liam behind his back, the same Liam that nobody had heard hide nor hair of in a long time except through the media. He had long since left her behind and so had Geoff. But she knew now that Xavier was the one she wanted. All she could hope was that one day, he might be able to forgive her. One day, she might be able to make things right.

* * *

Charlie and Joey climaxed in unison. Breathlessly, they clutched each other. Charlie's head was spinning as she tried to calm down. Gazing at Joey, she kissed her passionately, running her hands through her hair.

"Happy birthday, Charlie," Joey said, a smile teasing her lips.

Charlie grinned, kissing her again and again.

"This is a very happy birthday," she confirmed.

* * *

David and Andy waited at their table for Daria to bring their drinks back. The twins were definitely aware that their parents had sloped off for some 'alone time'. David hoped that he and Andy would stay together as long and that if they did, they would be just as passionate, even if, being that Charlie and Joey were his parents, he found certain things rather cringe-worthy.

"More beer all round," Daria announced brightly, sitting back down.

* * *

Hand in hand, Charlie and Joey re-entered the party, hoping they had been discreet. Charlie squeaked when she saw Melissa sitting with Lucas with a definite smirk on her face.

"I think she knows!" she hissed at her wife.

Joey giggled and hugged her.

"Sweetheart, I think everyone knows," she said.

Charlie blushed more, hugging Joey tighter.

"Hey, if we can't be naughty on your birthday, when can we?"

* * *

Christine and Jake were dancing together when the music stopped and the lights went out. Everyone turned as Leah stepped out, pushing a huge cake on a trolley and the party goers began to sing happy birthday. Holding Jake's hand, Christine led the way over to her parents, amused by how shy Charlie looked. The song finished and everyone cheered as Charlie made a wish and blew the candles out.

* * *

Half an hour later, with Ollie running around like a maniac with Cathy and Max – high on cake – Kirsty and Miles sat back with Selena. The evening was drawing to a close and everyone had had a nice time. Selena still felt a little uncomfortable with Ruby but she was learning to live with her grudge. She told herself repeatedly that Ruby could have thrown herself at Liam but, if he had been a good guy and he had truly loved her, he would never have strayed in the first place. She was certain that there were plenty more fish in the sea and she could move on. Eventually.

* * *

Xavier stood behind the bar, serving endless drinks with Martha and Alf. It was hard to concentrate though. He kept looking over at Ruby who was dancing with the kids in the middle of the room. She looked so happy and it made him feel sad. He still missed her so much and he hadn't heeded Nicole's advice that day. He still wondered if he should. As far as he knew, Ruby hadn't dated anyone since then and he certainly hadn't. His life was feeling pretty empty at the moment and he wondered if he and Ruby could ever get over their problems and make their broken marriage work. However, he was currently occupying himself with work and chatting to Brendan, who had made the effort to come to the party. He smiled as Daria approached and sat down.

"Another round?" Xavier asked.

Daria shook her head and explained that she was escaping the table because David and Andy were getting 'mushy'. Xavier laughed and offered her a complimentary beer. She smiled her gratitude. He smiled back, wondering how his life might have been different if, back in the day, he and Daria might have been able to make it work.

"Can I have a beer please?" said a male voice.

Xavier turned and then froze as he came face to face with his eldest brother.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"I'm back," Hugo replied.


	128. Chapter 128

_The calm before the next storm...! I'm at chapter one hundred and sixty one now and the end is nigh, although I'm not entirely sure how many chapters there are left to go. I'm thinking we'll get to around a hundred and seventy and then it will be time to close. So, for now, I hope you are continuing to enjoy the story. And I vow to stick by my promise that Charlie and Joey will stay together no matter what. __Thank you to everyone who continues to read and review this story. As a struggling professional writer, hearing from you for stories I write in my personal life, really does mean the world. Love, IJKS xxx_

**

* * *

**

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Eight

**February 2033**

A couple of weeks later, Hugo was still living amongst a group of people who didn't like him. Xavier had reluctantly offered him the spare room in the house he had once shared with Ruby. Hugo had made a real effort to support his little brother in the break up of his marriage and apologised profusely for not having being there for him sooner. Xavier wasn't entirely sure how he felt about him being back. He'd lived quite well without him and while he had missed the person he'd grown up with, the guy who had stolen his cousin's girlfriend, got Belle hooked on drugs, got deeply involved in various criminal gangs and then, finally got Vinnie killed, wasn't really someone he wanted around. But blood was thicker than water and he couldn't see him out on the street, especially when he saw the effort he was making to start over. Ruby had been less than impressed by Hugo's arrival and she'd objected to Gina spending any time with her uncle. Xavier had protested and they had argued fairly bitterly. Now, the estranged pair were hardly talking. Again.

* * *

Charlie, Daria and Watson headed to Crumble in order to take their lunch break. They'd invited Jack but he had his head in a case file and it looked like he would be absorbed for some time. Leah approached her friends in order to take their order. She looked even more like the shell of the person she had once been now that Hugo was back in town. It had been hard enough to have him around once he had been released from jail after his involvement in a loan shark business, the same business which had led to Vinnie's death. Without Roman by her side, everything felt that much harder.

"How are you doing?" Charlie asked, inviting her to sit with them.

Leah sat down gratefully.

"I'm okay," she said. "Just getting on with things."

"Would you like to come round for dinner or something this week?" Charlie offered.

She had only recently realised just how little time she spend with her friend. The girls had gone to high school together and they had shared so much. But it was easy, when you saw people every day, to forget to spend real, quality time together. Leah smiled.

"I'd love to," she said brightly. "That would be really nice."

* * *

Joey, Aden, Sarah, James and David headed off the trawler together. With Joey's injured shoulder causing her less and less pain over time, she was eagerly working on the trawler that little bit more. She was up to two days a week and she was really enjoying being back out on the water again. Not many people understood her desire to catch fish all day but it was one of the things that made her tick, it was something that she felt was part of her. And she wanted to hold onto it. Aden's face changed the moment he spotted Hugo walking down the street. Joey gently tugged on his hand and told him not to react. Quite rightfully, Aden was not happy with the idea of Hugo being back in town. He'd never really like him but in light of Belle's death, the memories of what had happened between her and Hugo once upon a time, only hurt worse. Aden nodded and followed Joey and the rest of the crew in the direction of Crumble in order to eat lunch together.

* * *

Hugo paused, having seen Aden glaring at him. He'd known that coming back home was going to be hard. And he'd avoided it for years, insisting that he could be of more use for the business elsewhere. But his superiors had been adamant that he come back and fit in again. Half the reason Hugo had left the first time was because he had no hope of fitting in and he didn't see how it would be different this time. But he knew he had to try. Changing direction, he headed down to the beach to try and clear his head.

* * *

"Oh, hey," Joey beamed when she spotted Charlie sitting with Daria and Watson. "I didn't know you'd be taking your break at the same time."

She and the rest of her crew immediately pulled up chairs around the now far too small table. Joey leant over and kissed Charlie's cheek.

"How's your shoulder?" Charlie worried.

She was glad that Joey was feeling well enough to be part of the crew again, at least part time. But she was also very aware that as much as Joey tried to hide it, her shoulder hurt that little bit more by the time she got home.

"It's looking forward to your TLC later," Joey grinned.

The twins and James shook their heads. Their parents' romance was sweet but they could often do without the accidental imagery.

"How long do you have to be together before you stop being so sappy?" Aden wondered.

"Says you!" Joey pointed out.

Aden and Nicole's relationship was definitely going well. While they respectfully missed their former partners, they had definitely fallen in love with each other. And they were extremely sweet together. Daria suddenly frowned, realising that she was the only one not part of a couple.

"Nobody on the horizon?" David asked.

"Not everyone needs to be in a relationship!" Daria snapped.

"I know but... but you said... you just..." David faltered.

He'd only commented because his twin had complained

"Dave, I wouldn't argue," Charlie said.

"Yep," Daria grinned. "You'll only lose."

"I think I know that by now, sis," David replied.

Daria poked her tongue out at him and continued scoping the menu.

"If it helps," James ventured. "I think our Mums are unique. Leanne and I haven't been together anywhere near as long and we're not as cute as those two."

"We're not either," Sarah and Watson said in unison.

"They're unique," Aden added.

"We're not that bad!" Charlie and Joey protested at the same time.

"We're not criticising," Watson said with a smirk. "It's cute. You guys have always been cute. Remember all those nights we used to spend hanging out at police academy? You were swooning over Joey and..."

Charlie kicked her under the table.

"I didn't swoon!" she lied.

"You swooned," Watson insisted. "A lot. I heard you say goodnight to her photo every night."

Charlie blushed. Joey grinned. After all this time together, she still loved it when she found new things out about her partner.

"I didn't do that!" Charlie insisted to the table.

She turned to Joey and repeated her sentence.

"Oh," Joey said sadly. "I did."

"You did?" Charlie asked.

"Every night."

Charlie beamed and kissed her, quietly admitting that perhaps Watson was right.

* * *

An hour later, Hugo plucked up the courage to enter Crumble. He felt several pairs of eyes on him but braced himself to approach Leah anyway.

"Can we talk?" he asked.  
"No," Leah replied firmly.

"Please?" he begged.

"No."

She moved towards the kitchen, pausing only when he burst out an apology. Turning slowly back to Hugo, she tensed, looking him up and down.

"I know I did wrong," he said. "I messed up really badly, time and time again. I hurt a lot of people. But I really am trying to make amends. I'm so sorry. For everything."

Charlie sat rigid in her chair as she and the rest of Crumble listened to what he had to say. She felt Joey's comforting hand on hers as she sat, poised to come to Leah's rescue if necessary. Joey's eyes flickered between her partner and Aden.

"I don't forgive you," Leah told Hugo honestly. "If it wasn't for you, I'd still have a husband. My son would still have a father. I know you didn't pull the trigger but it was your fault. You got Vinnie involved in a world far darker than he could handle. You destroyed him."

"I know," Hugo said, bowing his head.

"But I understand that you're here to stay," Leah continued. "And I know you've served your sentence and I guess once someone has paid for their crimes you can't go on punishing them forever. And unlike the man who actually did shoot my husband, you did pay."

Hugo watched her, unblinking and hoping for some kind of reprieve.

"So I'm not going to make life harder for you," Leah told him. "You can come and eat here if you want. I'll happily take your money. And I'll accept your apology as best I can."

"Thank you," he said.

They nodded at each other before Hugo headed back out of the restaurant.

**

* * *

**

July 2033

Charlie and Joey headed out on the boat together in order to enjoy a nice day out for the weekend. Both had been working very hard of late and they were glad of the rest. Max had gone round to Nicole's to play with Cathy and as usual, Christine was spending time with Jake. At the wheel, Joey winced a little. Charlie noticed. Stepping up behind her, she asked if she was okay.

"Just twinging a little," Joey said dismissively.

"Do you need your cream?"

"It's at home," Joey said.

Charlie shook her head. She was worried by the regularity that Joey was beginning to wince again.

"Charlie, I'm fine," Joey insisted.

Charlie dug around in her handbag for the cream Joey relied so much on. With her partner being rather forgetful about such things, she always carried an extra. She pulled out the tube and placed gentle kisses on Joey's neck. Joey smiled, relishing the feel of Charlie's lips trailing their way down to her shoulder. Charlie slipped the strap of Joey's top and bra down, kissing her more before gently applying the cream that would hopefully make her partner feel better.

"You should have been a nurse," Joey mumbled.

Charlie wrapped her arms around Joey's waist, holding her tight.

"Only to you," she said.

"I can live with that," Joey grinned.

* * *

Hugo arrived home and found Xavier on the couch watching a football match. He plopped down beside him, wondering where Gina was.

"Ruby and Nic have taken them to the beach for the day," Xavier said. "I get her back tomorrow."

Hugo nodded.

"You do really well with her, mate," he said.

Xavier looked puzzled.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, it can't be easy to raise a child with someone you don't get on with," Hugo ventured.

"We do okay," Xavier said a little defensively.

Seeing that his brother was offended, Hugo apologised. He hadn't meant to upset him. He'd meant to commend him for being a good father.

"Well, I'm not the kind of person to bail when I'm needed," Xavier said sourly.

Hugo sighed, knowing it was a dig both at him and at their father.

"I'm just proud of you," he said quietly. "Maybe I didn't say it right."

Xavier studied him. Since his return six months ago, Xavier hadn't quite managed to figure his brother out. Surely this place would be the last town Hugo would want to return to, considering everything that had happened there. And yet here he was.

"How's work going anyway?" the younger man asked.

"Slowly," Hugo said. "Nobody really wants to take diving lessons from an ex-con."

"I'll take a few lessons," Xavier offered. "For a brotherly rate, of course."

Hugo smiled.

"I'd be honoured," he said.

* * *

Charlie and Joey lay side by side on the deck of the boat, enjoying the sunshine. Macy had made herself comfortable on a deckchair.

"How's your shoulder now?" Charlie asked.

"Your special brand of TLC always makes it feel better," Joey said.

In their swimsuits, they cuddled up close. Charlie leant over Joey, applying yet more kisses to her neck and shoulder. Her hand slipped 'oh so casually' down to her breast, teasing her over the fabric of her bikini top. Joey closed her eyes, smiling at the feelings surging within her, feelings that only Charlie could provoke. Reaching up, she pulled Charlie closer, placing a kiss on her lips. Charlie rested her leg over Joey's hip, pressing their bodies close together. Joey stroked Charlie's hair and kissed her over and over again.

* * *

Nicole and Ruby were on the beach. She'd told Aden that she and her best friend wanted a girlie day out with the kids and he had agreed on the basis that he could take her out to dinner later. Things were going very well between them and they had now reached a year together.

"So, Aden's taking you to dinner tonight, is he?" Ruby asked.

Christine had volunteered to baby-sit. The sixteen year old was keen to earn pocket money and gain as much experience and responsibility as she could. Max would be staying over and after a little bit of fuss, Christine had assured Charlie and Joey that she was perfectly capable of walking home by herself.

"Yeah," Nicole smiled. "I'm really looking forward to it. I never thought I could be this happy again."

Ruby smiled, pleased that her friend had begun to move on from her pain.

"Between losing Romeo and then everything that happened with Dad and Elliot, I really didn't think it was possible," Nicole said. "But I'm so happy with Aden. I think... I think I'm in love with him."

"Really?"

Nicole nodded.

"Do you think Romeo would mind?" she asked.

She hadn't said the words to Aden yet and she was secretly afraid of scaring him off but her feelings for him were very strong.

"I think he'd be really happy for you," Ruby said honestly. "All he ever wanted was the best for you, Nicole."

* * *

Charlie, Joey and Macy were on their way home. It had been a lovely day and both women were looking forward to their retirement when they could do this all day every day.

"Are you sure we shouldn't pick Christine up tonight?" Joey wondered.

"I want to," Charlie admitted. "But she is growing up. And she's relishing the whole independence thing so I guess we'll have to let her. And it's not like we live in a big, scary city. It's a little coastal town where pretty much nothing happens. Well, not usually."

They forced themselves not to think of all the bad things that had happened. Nicole's place was approximately seven minutes away so they at least mostly sure that she would be fine. They'd convinced her to ring when she was leaving and they all knew that they would be counting the minutes until they got back safe and sound.

* * *

Jack pulled up a stool in the Jukebox in order to keep Martha company while she worked. Things had been a little tense since Hugo had rolled back into town. While Jack and his cousin had called a truce years ago over the affair between Hugo and Martha, Jack privately admitted that it still bothered him a little bit. Between that and Roman's last year bid to get to know Leanne properly, the police officer was struggling to keep his head together. He knew he had a tendency to shut people – especially Martha – out when he was stressed and he was determined not to do that this time around.

"Do you think he'll stick around?" Martha asked, knowing that her husband was thinking about his cousin.

He fought to retort a question over whether she wanted him to.

"I hope not," he said. "But... I think so. Unfortunately."

* * *

Charlie, Joey and Macy hadn't been home very long when Christine had called to say she was getting back. Sure enough, seven minutes later, they were relieved to see her coming through the door. They hoped Max was enjoying his sleep over and were looking forward to collecting him in the morning.

"How was it?" Joey asked, making hot drinks for all three of them.

"Yeah, it was nice," Christine said. "The kids were all good. Max played up a bit at bed time but then I guess as my brother, he's allowed to."

She grinned and sat down at the kitchen table.

"Did you guys have a nice day?" she asked.

Joey smiled and then winced when she lifted the kettle. Charlie nudged her out of the way and finished the drinks herself, trying not to worry about Joey's shoulder. She didn't want to fuss but she was concerned. And she wasn't sure her partner's two days on the trawler were helping.

"We had a lovely day, thanks," Joey said.

"Can we finish my sailing lessons soon, Mum?" Christine asked eagerly.

Joey smiled and nodded, apologising for it being a while since she took her out on the water.

"Next weekend," she promised.

Christine smiled. Charlie came and sat down with them, providing drinks as she did so.

* * *

Far away in the middle of the ocean, Irene and Lou DeBono continued to enjoy a lovely extended honeymoon. Irene missed home from time to time, although the person she missed most wasn't there. Belle was gone and Irene found it hard to deal with but the wonderful time she was having with Lou definitely helped. He was a kind man. He made her laugh and she enjoyed his company. He made her happier than she ever thought she could be.


	129. Chapter 129

_I actually forgot I wrote this chapter! I'm on chapter 164 at the moment! I think it's the shortest chapter there has ever been for this story but I hope you enjoy it anyway. And as ever, if you have time to review, I'd be really grateful. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Twenty Nine**

**October 2033**

Charlie felt a little guilty at the look of disappointment on Joey's face as they sat in Rachel's office.

"I'm really sorry, Joey," the Doctor said. "But I have to agree with Charlie. Two days a week on the trawler is too much for you."

"But I was doing fine!" Joey protested, sounding heartbroken. "I was okay."

"I'm sure you were but you're not now," Rachel said gently.

Joey felt tears sting her eyes. Charlie tried to comfort her but she pulled away. It was down to Charlie that they were even sitting here. She'd been fretting for months over the recurring pain in Joey's shoulder and she'd all but forced her to come and see Rachel. Joey had only agreed because she had been sure that Rachel would tell her that it was fine. But things had not gone her way.

"So, what do I do?" Joey asked helplessly.

"I suggest you rest properly," Rachel said. "And then maybe in a month or so you could start doing one day a fortnight or something like that. And build yourself up to once a week."

Joey sighed heavily. Charlie sat anxiously in her chair.

"I hate this," Joey said, standing up and walking out of the office.

Charlie apologised, thanked Rachel and then hurried after Joey.

* * *

"Fine!" Hugo yelled down the phone, hanging up and tossing his mobile onto the sofa in frustration.

"What's up?" Xavier asked, walking into the room.

He had Gina in tow and the two of them were both covered in paint.

"Look what we did!" Gina said cheerfully to her uncle.

The five year old proudly showed Hugo a picture she had painted with her father. Hugo smiled and told her how good it was.

"Wait!" Xavier yelped when Gina was about to hop up onto the sofa.

His daughter frowned.

"Go change your clothes and wash off the paint before you sit down," Xavier said.

"Oh!"

Gina nodded and scampered away to follow her Dad's instructions. Checking that he wasn't going to get paint on the sofa himself, Xavier sat down and again asked Hugo what was wrong.

"Nothing," Hugo said. "Just business problems."

"What kind of problems?" Xavier asked a little anxiously, very aware of the kind of business deals his brother tended to get involved in.

"Nothing illegal," Hugo promised. "Just a promoter pulling out on me because he heard about my past."

"Sorry to hear that," Xavier said. "If it helps, I've been recommending you to everyone."

The brothers smiled at each other, glad that after so long, they had managed to find some level of peace.

* * *

Charlie finally managed to catch up with Joey outside the hospital. She worried about rejection but to her surprise, Joey hurled herself into her partner's arms. Charlie hugged her close, kissing the top of her head and apologising.

"It's not your fault," Joey said softly, wiping her eyes and pulling away enough to look into Charlie's face. "It's Robbo's. He's the one who did this to me. And now, even from beyond the grave he's mocking me and making me pay for... I don't even know what for."

Robbo had always hated Joey. Well, he'd always wanted her. When they were kids, he'd made a million passes at her. Then when he'd found out that she was dating his sister, he'd lost the plot and attacked her. Multiple times.

"Joey, I know it's hard," Charlie said gently, worried about upsetting her more. "And I know you love your trawler and the work you do on there. But you can still be out on the water without working. You've got the boat. Isn't that enough?"

Joey nodded.

"I am grateful for the boat," she said, reaching out to stroke Charlie's beautiful face. "Please don't think I'm not."

"I don't," Charlie assured her.

They began to walk, falling into step beside each other and holding hands.

"It's just that I feel so useless," Joey admitted. "Like... like you felt once you returned to work after the accident and you were desk bound."

Charlie nodded.

"All I ever wanted to do was work on the trawler. It was my Dad's business and I was so proud that day when he said I could join the crew. I built myself up and now it's mine and I love it so much."

"It's still yours though," Charlie said.

"I know but... I'm desk bound," Joey said sadly. "I'm stuck managing the money and that's not what I wanted to do, not predominantly. Brett was happy with that role but I'm not. And when my shoulder started feeling a bit better, I was so eager to get back out there. I guess I got too excited and I pushed it too hard. I just... wanted to be better."

"I know, darling," Charlie said. "I know. But even if you're never going to heal completely and even if your shoulder might stop you doing some things, it's not going to ruin your life. You should be proud of the way you've dealt with it. You should be so, so proud. I know I am."

Joey smiled. She stopped walking and pulled Charlie into her arms, resting her head against her shoulder.

"I just feel like a failure sometimes," she admitted.

Charlie cupped Joey's face, gazing intently into her eyes.

"Don't you ever feel like a failure, Joey," she said. "Not ever. A failure is the last thing you could ever be."

* * *

James arrived home from work, immediately frustrated at the mess the place was in.

"I've been busy!" Leanne immediately snapped, feeling defensive.

"I didn't say anything!" James protested.

"You didn't have to," Leanne frowned. "I saw the look on your face."

James shrugged. It was an argument they'd been having for a while now. He was up and out early and back later than Leanne was, having working all day on the trawler. Leanne was working part time in a salon and then collecting Zac home from school in the afternoons. Nothing ever seemed to get done around the house.

* * *

It was the evening. The kids were in bed and Charlie and Joey were enjoying a glass of wine each in the back garden, gazing at the stars. Sighing, Joey shifted to settle her body against Charlie's.

"I miss the trawler already," she said.

Charlie put her arm around her and sipped her wine.

"You've managed all this time without it," she said. "You'll cope again."

"But all that time I was just waiting to get better and get back on it again," Joey admitted. "And Rachel pretty much said that it was impossible."

Charlie nodded and sighed heavily.

"I wish there was a way I could make things better for you," she said. "Can you think of anything?"

Joey sat back up and pursed her lips, asking for a kiss. Chuckling, Charlie leant in and brushed her lips gently against Joey's.

"Better?" she asked.

"Much," Joey promised. "I just hate thinking that he's won."

"Who?"

"Robbo."

"He hasn't won, Joey," Charlie assured her.

"He'd love it if he knew what he'd done to me would stop me doing something I love."

"But it's just one thing," Charlie said. "You've got so much else going for you. You have other things that make you happy. Don't you?"

Sensing the worry in her partner's voice, Joey was quick to confirm she was right.

"I miss the trawler," she said. "And I know I've been going on about it. But I know that what I've lost could ever compare to what I have. I've still got the business. Other than my shoulder, I've got my health. I've got my friends. And my beautiful babies – even if some of them are in their thirties! And I have you."

She kissed her.

"What more could I want than that?"

* * *

The following morning, Charlie dropped Max off at school, leaving Joey home alone with the dog and stern warnings to do her exercises. Arriving at work, Charlie was surprised to find the whole station deathly still. She immediately worried that something terrible had happened. A figure in a different uniform to their standard attire turned around and Charlie concluded that something terrible indeed had happened. Standing right in front of her was Constable Angelo Rosetta.


	130. Chapter 130

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirty**

**October 2033**

"What the hell are you doing here?" Charlie demanded.

While she had personally parted with him on mostly good terms, the rest of the town wouldn't be able to say the same. He had killed Leah's husband, Vinnie, albeit by accident and after hanging around for a little while, he'd eventually left with his tail between his legs to start afresh somewhere new. Now, he was standing right in front of her. He was definitely older and a little rounder in the middle. But he had the same youthful, cheeky smile he'd always had and it was currently playing on his lips as he looked his ex-girlfriend up and down.

"I thought of all people I might get a warmer reception from you," he said, looking a little sad.

Aware that her whole team was watching her, Charlie wasn't entirely sure how to react.

"I just wasn't expecting to see you," she said reasonably. "I figured the last thing you'd want to do is come back here after... everything."

"A lot of years have passed, Charlie," Angelo said. "I'm a different man now."

"Well, I'm the Detective of this station," Charlie said. "I should have been informed."

"I believe you were sent a memo," Angelo said. "You should have been informed last week. I'm here as part of the marine services. I shouldn't be interfering too much in the daily running of the station. It's just a base."

Charlie nodded uncertainly before telling everyone to get on with their work. She headed into her office and shut the door, desperately looking for the memo.

* * *

Joey was walking Macy along the beach and enjoying taking in the fresh air. She was feeling a lot better than she had been yesterday. Charlie had been perfect and reassuring and Joey was feeling hopeful again. She might not get to work on the trawler but she knew she had a lot of wonderful things in her life.

"Hey!" she called cheerfully when she spotted Melissa up ahead.

Her friend had been swimming and was now wrapping herself in a towel.

"Hey, how's it going?" Joey asked, approaching her.

Macy leapt ahead, greeting Melissa with enthusiasm. Melissa bent to pet her.

"I'm okay," Melissa said. "How are you? I heard on the grapevine that you went to the hospital yesterday."

Joey nodded. They started to walk up the beach together with the dog bouncing ahead of them.

"I'm banned from trawler work for the next forever," Joey said.

"Oh, are you okay? You were so excited about getting back on board."

"It's alright," Joey said. "Charlie made me see that there's more to life than catching fish."

Melissa grinned.

"Have you got time for a coffee?" she asked.

* * *

Daria watched Angelo with unashamed lust. She'd hit on him once before and he'd turned her down. But she'd been a teenager then. She was a woman now. And she thought he was even more attractive than before. Sighing, she watched him disappear into Charlie's office, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Joey had had a particularly nice chat with Melissa and was now reluctantly back at home, ready to start work on the business accounts. Once she'd settled Macy down, she went into the office that had once been a bedroom. Now with only two kids, they had converted it back to what it had once been. Macy sat on Joey's feet, ready to assist her for the rest of the afternoon.

* * *

"Did you find the memo?" Angelo asked, sitting down in front of Charlie.

The Detective nodded, although she didn't look terribly happy to see him.

"Look, Charlie, I'm not here to cause trouble," he said. "I'm not the person I used to be. I've paid for my mistakes and I've moved on. I got this promotion and the chance to start again. That's all I want."

"Okay, look, I don't have particularly bad feelings towards you," Charlie said. "But there are people that do. Specifically, Leah. She's been through a hell of a lot over the last year or so, including Hugo Austin coming back here to live."

Angelo raised his eyebrows.

"Hugo?" he said.

Charlie nodded.

"Leah's dealing as well as she can but it's not easy. So having you wandering around town is going to be even harder."

Angelo nodded.

"I'm sorry," he said. "But I can't help that. I was vindicated for killing Vinnie. He got in the way of me trying to bring a criminal gang down. It wasn't my fault. You said it yourself."

Charlie nodded unhappily. The last thing she needed was for people such as Leah to be reminded of the way she had stuck up for Angelo at the hearing. That had caused a rift for quite some time.

"All I can suggest is that you keep your head down," she said. "Don't make waves."

He smiled.

"I'll try not to."

Charlie managed to smile back.

"So, how have you been?" Angelo asked, sitting back more comfortably in his chair.

"Yeah, I've been good," Charlie said. "Still got about a hundred kids. Living in the same place."

"With Joey?"

Charlie nodded, unable to keep from smiling.

"I'm happy for you," Angelo said.

"Thanks," Charlie said. "How about you?"

"I was married for a while," Angelo said. "We got divorced a few years back. But I'm happy that way. May and I weren't right for each other. Sort of seeing someone at the moment but it's pretty casual. She's off travelling right now."

"I'm glad you're doing well," Charlie said.

"Thanks," Angelo said, standing up.

Standing over her, he looked Charlie up and down.

"You really haven't aged well," he commented.

Charlie looked and felt immediately offended.

"No offence. But I'm kind of glad I got out when I did."

With that, he left.

* * *

Joey had been working solidly for a good few hours. She wondered if she would ever learn to enjoy accounts. Stretching, she almost tipped her chair too far back. Yelping and making the dog jump, Joey just about managed to right herself. Joey giggled. Charlie would not be happy with her if she came home to find her in a heap on the floor due to sheer clumsiness. Looking up, she saw one of the photos from the day she and Charlie had renewed their vows. Picking it up, she smiled lovingly, remembering what a perfect day they'd had. She stroked Charlie's smiling face. It warmed her heart. Suddenly inspired, she abandoned her accounts and went to get her art set out.

* * *

Angelo was doing his best to settle back in. He was currently staying in a hotel but was planning on looking for an apartment after work. He hadn't had any real hassle yet and he was feeling a little bit proud of the way he had hurt Charlie's feelings – even if what he had said had been a lie. If anything, Charlie's beauty had increased. And he'd always found her breathtaking. He was very aware that he had hoped things might have gone down the pan between her and Joey but judging by what she'd said and stupid smile that had appeared on her face, things were as good as ever. He hadn't quite been able to resist cutting her down to size.

"Hey, uh... would you like to go for lunch?" asked a timid voice.

Angelo looked up to see Daria hovering over him, looking extremely sweet and shy. He smiled.

"I'd love to," he said.

* * *

Stepping off the trawler, Aden froze when he saw Angelo Rosetta walking towards Crumble with Daria.

"What the hell is he doing here?" he wondered bitterly.

It was hard enough having Hugo around without making it worse. Aden did not want to have to share a town with Angelo. He'd stolen his girlfriend – twice. And it had hurt beyond the telling of it. And with Belle now gone, it was hard to deal with the emotions bubbling up inside him.

"Who's that?" James asked, stepping up beside him.

"That is a very bad man," Aden told him darkly.

* * *

Joey was seated out in the sunshine, sketching her version of hers and Charlie's picture. She'd never drawn herself before and it felt a little strange. But she'd always loved drawing Charlie. She thought her wife was the most captivating image she'd ever been lucky enough to see. She'd always thought her to be the most beautiful woman in the world.

* * *

Charlie stood in the bathroom at work for the third time, unhappily inspecting her face. She suddenly felt very ugly. She could see too many 'laughter lines' and too many speckles of grey in her hair. When she was with Joey, she always felt so beautiful, no matter what but after what Angelo had said that morning, she thought she must have been living in a daydream for sometime now. She felt stupid for all those times she'd dragged Joey off for naughties when they were out at a party – even her own fiftieth birthday. She didn't feel old or tired at all but she wondered now if she was. Perhaps she had been kidding herself all along.

* * *

Leah froze when she saw Angelo walk through the door of her restaurant with Daria. She glanced at Hugo who was sitting alone in another corner. Swallowing uncertainly, she watched Angelo approach. Daria, having not thought anything through, suddenly felt terrible to have been the one to have brought him to the establishment.

"I don't want any trouble," Angelo said honestly. "I'm back in town and I can't help where I was posted. So I hope that you and I can just get on with things. I don't expect your friendship or even your acceptance but I beg you to tolerate me while I'm here."

Leah stared at him, feeling conflicted. What would Vinnie want her to do? And why was Angelo back now? Hugo was hard enough without making it worse. She wondered why life seemed to be conspiring against her.

* * *

Joey was just finishing her picture when she felt a presence behind her. She turned and smiled to see Charlie home early from work.

"Hey," Joey greeted happily, getting up and hugging her. "What are you doing back so soon?"

"Well, I've been owed some overtime so I thought I'd come home," Charlie said.

Joey studied her face. She looked a little uncertain.

"Are you okay?" Joey asked.

Charlie nodded and then revealed that Angelo had come back to town. Joey instantly pulled a face.

"Have I mentioned that I don't like him?" she said.

Charlie laughed.

"Maybe once or twice," she said.

She looked over at Joey's discarded sketch pad.

"What's that?"

Joey blushed.

"Oh, I... just... nothing."

Charlie sat down on the bench and picked it up. Joey hovered uncertainly but was relieved by the loving way Charlie smiled at her.

"This is wonderful, Joey," she said.

Smiling, Joey sat down beside her.

"You made me look beautiful," Charlie commented wistfully.

"I didn't exactly have to try," Joey said, kissing her cheek.

* * *

Angelo had only been back at the station for a few minutes when he was told about a mayday call. Needing to head out to the distressed boat immediately, he asked Watson and Daria to come along with him. Daria had been eager, although Jack had been a little less enthusiastic. Together, they charged towards the docks.


	131. Chapter 131

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirty One**

**October 2033**

"Are you sure you're okay, sweetheart?" Joey asked.

Charlie had been a little despondent since she'd got home, although she was making an effort to be cheerful. Angelo's criticisms had got to her more than Charlie cared to admit.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Charlie said as they headed out to the car together in order to pick Max up from school.

She started the engine. Joey reached across the seat and placed a gentle hand on Charlie's thigh.

"Are you lying?" she asked.

Charlie leant over and kissed her.

"I love you so much," she said. "I hope you know that."

Joey grinned and nodded, returning her kiss.

"I do," she assured her. "And I hope you know I feel the same."

They kissed again and Charlie started the engine.

* * *

Daria had been so excited to have been included on a voyage out to a distressed boat. It wasn't something she had done before. But now she just felt sick. The mayday call had come from Irene. Lou was dead and she was stranded. They'd had to bring both Irene and the body back and Daria was struggling not to throw up. She was bitterly determined to find out who one earth had murdered such a nice man and ruined a lovely woman's life. So far, Irene had been unable to tell them anything that had happened. She was in too much of a state and Daria could hardly blame her. She just wished that there was something she could do to make her pain go away.

* * *

Hugo arrived back at the flat he shared with his brother and found it empty. Glancing at his watch, he remembered that it was school chucking out time and Xavier was likely to be collecting Gina. Sinking onto the sofa and wincing in pain from bruised ribs and a cut head, he wondered how he had got into this mess. But then, he wondered the same thing every time he got caught up in trouble.

* * *

Charlie, Joey and a very talkative Max had just arrived back home when Charlie's mobile rang. Joey began pouring a glass of juice for Max as he continued to chatter about his day at school, while Charlie listened to Watson telling her that she was needed at the station right away. Charlie hung up. Joey handed Max his juice and asked her what was wrong.

"Lou DeBono's dead," she said, whispering the last word for the sake of her son.

Joey's eyes widened in surprise.

"Are you serious?"

Charlie nodded.

"I've got to get back to work," she said. "Sorry."

She leant forward, kissing Joey's cheek and the top of Max's head before dashing back to the car.

* * *

Angelo sat in the interview room with Irene and he was getting frustrated. She was a wreck and hardly capable of telling anyone what had happened.

"Angelo, maybe we should give her some time," Watson said.

Angelo slammed his hands on the table, making Irene jump and cry harder.

"Senior Constable Watson," he said, exasperated. "A man has been murdered. We need to find out what the hell happened."

"Well, we're not going to get anything out of her in this state, are we?" Watson snapped back.

She turned to Irene.

"Let me get you a cup of tea, okay?" she said kindly. "And we can talk later. When you're ready."

She left the room, forcing Angelo to follow her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Angelo snapped.

He was frantic with need to find out what Irene knew.

"This is my case, not yours."

"Don't start pulling rank on me," Watson warned. "You and I started out together. I helped you pass your damn exams. And we both know that harassing the witness is not a good idea!"

"How do you know she's just a witness?" Angelo asked.

"What are you talking about?"

"She could have killed him."

"She loved him!"

"Sounds like a good enough motive to me," Angelo said, stalking away.

* * *

Joey doubted that Charlie would be back in time for dinner but she made enough so that her wife could warm up the leftovers later. Christine had arrived back and was helping Max with some homework while Joey busied herself in the kitchen. There was a knock on the door.

"Hey, Rubes," Joey greeted happily.

"Hi," the younger woman replied. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," Joey said. "No Gina tonight?"

"She's with Xavier."

"Well, would you like to stay for dinner? I'm clearly making enough to feed an army!"

"No change there then," Ruby teased.

Joey didn't bother to protest. It was certainly true. Ruby came in and sat down, thanking her for the invite.

"So, what's up?"

"Nothing really," Ruby said vaguely.

Joey rolled her eyes and announced that both Ruby and her sister were impossible.

* * *

"Watson did the right thing," Charlie insisted sternly.

"Yeah, of course you'd say that! Lesbians stick together and all that shit," Angelo complained.

Charlie just stared at him.

"What the hell is your problem?" she finally asked

"You lot stamping on my investigation!" Angelo yelled furiously.

He was feeling out of his depth already and he didn't like it.

"Nobody is doing that, mate," Jack said, stepping in as the voice of reason. "But we're dealing with someone very shaken up and hardly able to say her own name. We can hardly expect her to sit down and tell us how her husband ended up dead."

Angelo sighed.

"Fine," he said. "But I want to be the one who talks to her. I don't want to miss a second of her interview, okay?"

"Fine," Charlie said through gritted teeth. "But stop behaving like an arsehole."

She turned away and went to help Watson with Irene's cup of tea in a bid for distraction.

* * *

Xavier arrived home with Gina, having stopped off at Crumble to treat her to a special dinner. Between him and Ruby, neither of them was so good at cooking but he was slightly worse than her so eating out was a fairly regular occurrence.

"Hey," he greeted his brother when he saw him on the couch.

Gina hesitated in the doorway. She hadn't quite worked her uncle out yet and was a little unsure of him, although Hugo was fond of her.

"Hi," Hugo said.

"What happened to your head?" Gina asked.

Hugo touched his forehead anxiously.

"I was really clumsy and I fell over," he explained.

"Are you okay?" Xavier asked, sitting beside him.

Hugo nodded.

"It's nothing," he said, grateful that the damage to his ribs didn't show.

He turned to Gina.

"So, what did you do at school today?" he asked.

Gina immediately began to reel off everything she and Clarissa had got up to.

* * *

The evening was drawing in. The kids were in bed, leaving Joey and Ruby to talk privately.

"So, what's up with Charlie?" Ruby asked.

"I don't know," Joey said. "It's probably nothing. She just didn't seem herself for the thirty seconds I saw her this afternoon."

"Only thirty seconds?"

"Well, that's an exaggeration but she got called back into work pretty much as soon as she got home."

"Is everything okay?" Ruby worried.

"I'm not sure what I'm allowed to say," Joey admitted. "Charlie didn't have many details."

She had learnt a long time ago that being the wife of a Detective required some level of confidentiality.

"Anyway, what's going on with you?" she asked.

"I don't know," Ruby sighed. "I just... I never thought my life was going to turn out like this. When I was a little girl, I thought I'd grow up and get a good job, a nice husband, have a family. And I know I've done some of those things, but I also screwed up one of the most important things. I had an amazing husband and I lost him."

Joey nodded sadly.

"I just... I thought life would be better than this. I didn't think I'd be forty and facing divorce. Do you know what I mean? Do you ever feel disappointed?"

Joey puzzled over how to respond tactfully. Ruby grinned.

"Of course you don't," she teased. "All you ever dreamed of was being with Charlie, wasn't it?"

Joey nodded.

"I guess I'm lucky enough that I've been pleasantly surprised," she said. "I wanted Charlie before I even understood how. I wasn't even double figures when I realised I had romantic feelings for her. But I never thought I'd ever have the chance to go anywhere near her. So, life isn't how I expected it to turn out. In a lot of ways, it's better."

Ruby smiled.

"But that hasn't always been the case," Joey continued. "It was only a few years ago that I thought I would be facing the rest of my life in jail. In a lot of ways, I wonder if I should be."

"What?" Ruby squeaked. "Don't be ridiculous!"

"I killed a man, Rubes," Joey pointed out. "He might have been a bastard but it still wasn't my place to..."

"It was him or you," Ruby said firmly. "And I'm certainly not the only one glad that he was the one who ended up in the ground. That monster didn't even deserve to be alive in the first place."

Joey stared at her sister in law for a moment. She realised that Robbo wasn't something they had ever really talked about together before.

"Well, I was lucky enough to get through it," she said. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that sometimes you don't think life is offering you anything good but it can change in a second."

Ruby nodded and managed a smile.

"Do you think there's a chance that I might find love again?" she asked.

"I'm absolutely certain."

* * *

After another argument with Angelo, Charlie had told Watson to drive Irene home. She'd called Selena, who had been house sitting for her all this time, to warn her of what was to come. Irene had agreed to come back in the following morning and give her statement over what had happened. Angelo had been furious but Charlie had been adamant. She saw Watson and Irene to the door and then headed back into the station.

"Okay, guys, those of us on overtime, let's call it a night, okay?" she said. "It's been a long, hard day for all of us."

A pale looking Daria eagerly began to pack her stuff up, as did Jack. Charlie headed into her office to collect her stuff, eager to close her eyes on a horrible day. All she wanted to do was curl up in Joey's arms.

"Does it make you feel good to continuously pull rank on me?" Angelo asked from the doorway.

His glare was unnerving but Charlie remained adamant that he wasn't going to upset her any more than he already had.

"I haven't pulled rank for the sake of it, Angelo," she said. "I did it for the sake of our witness. Don't you think she's been through enough already?"

"I don't know what she's been through," Angelo replied. "You didn't let me talk to her."

"She wasn't ready!"

"What about procedure?"

"Sometimes you have to throw procedure out the window," Charlie said. "Sometimes it's people that matter."

She shouldered past him and headed to her car.

* * *

With Gina in bed, Xavier and Hugo opened a beer each and watched some mindless television.

"Gina's not sure of me, is she?" Hugo asked.

They had both noticed it.

"She's fine," Xavier said. "She just takes a while to get used to people."

Hugo nodded.

"She's pretty besotted with her mate, isn't she?"

"Yeah," Xavier chuckled. "They're inseparable."

"Do you ever worry?"

Xavier studied him curiously.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, maybe they'll turn out to be... you know, like Charlie and Joey?"

"Hugo, they're kids," Xavier said. "Five year old kids. Who knows how they're going to turn out?"

Hugo shrugged, mumbling that he was only asking.

"If Gina 'turns out' like Charlie and Joey, then it wouldn't make a difference to me," Xavier finally said. "She's my little girl and I love her, whoever she turns out to be and whatever she chooses to do with her life. So, yes, it's an option. Anyone could turn out gay. It's one of those things – some people are and some people aren't. But no, I'm not worried about it. Either way, it's not an issue."

* * *

Charlie pulled back into the drive and headed into the house. Joey greeted her with warmth while Charlie apologised for being back so late.

"It's fine," Joey said. "Is everything okay?"

"Well, Irene's a mess," Charlie sighed.

She followed Joey back into the kitchen and sank into a chair, grateful when her wife began to heat some dinner for her and pour out two glasses of wine.

"And Lou's dead?" Joey asked.

Charlie nodded, expressing her condolences. Lou and Joey were business partners after all and she knew Joey had been fond.

"That's so awful," Joey sighed.

She put a plate down in front of Charlie and sat down with her.

"I guess it must have been pretty tough down at the station," she said.

"I don't think any police station in the country is big enough to withstand Angelo Rosetta's ego," Charlie said bitterly.

"That bad?" Joey asked affectionately.

"You have no idea!"


	132. Chapter 132

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Two**

**October 2033**

It wasn't very late but Charlie and Joey headed upstairs to bed.

"So, Mrs," Joey said, when they shut their bedroom door and began to get ready for bed.

Charlie eyed her wife curiously, wondering what was on her mind.

"What's wrong?" Joey asked.

"Nothing," Charlie lied, pulling her work shirt off and dumping it in the dirty clothes basket.

Joey pulled her socks off but took a moment to leer at Charlie's tanned and toned body. Charlie realised and smiled, feeling a little better and appreciating the way that Joey still seemed to find her so attractive. She undid her trousers and then stepped back as Joey perfectly aimed her socks into the basket and began pulling her pyjama top over her head. Charlie was just about to climb beneath the blankets when Joey stepped up closer and hugged her. She gazed into Charlie's blue eyes, wondering what the matter was.

"I'm fine," Charlie lied.

"Come on sweetheart," she said. "I've known you and loved you for forty eight years. You don't need to lie to me if you're feeling sad about something."

Charlie smiled. She kissed her gently.

"Joey, do you still find me attractive?" she asked uncertainly.

* * *

Angelo had asked Daria out for a drink on their way out of the station and Daria had agreed without hesitation. They'd gone to the Jukebox and were having a nice time.

"So, what have a missed since I've been away?" Angelo asked, eager to get as much information from the Senior Constable as he could.

"What do you want to know?" Daria asked.

"How's Charlie doing?"

Daria looked awkward.

"I know we were together once upon a time but don't worry, I'm not about to try and win her back or anything," Angelo said with a grin. "She's lovely and everything but I know she's happy with Joey. I would never want to upset things."

Daria smiled her relief.

"She's good," she said. "Obviously she's doing well at work, what with being Detective and everything. I hope I can be half as good a cop as she is one day."

"Did you get into it because of Charlie?" he asked.

Daria nodded.

"She's pretty inspiring," she said.

"And things are good between her and Joey?"

"Well, they have been through a hell of a lot over the last few years but yeah, they're pretty damn strong."

"What have they been through?" Angelo enquired.

Daria looked a little hesitant. He apologised for prying.

"No, it's fine," Daria said, figuring everything was pretty much common knowledge anyway. "That Robbo guy, the one who tried to rape Joey when she was younger... well, he got out of jail and tried to kill her. She stabbed him. He died. She went to jail for like a month until the judge threw it out of court. Things were pretty awful for a while and I know Joey and Charlie really struggled but they're stronger than ever now."

Angelo nodded, trying not to look pleased over the awful time Joey had had. He did feel a little compassion for her but it was common knowledge that they had never been friends. She'd stolen Charlie's heart long before Angelo had even met her and he held both women responsible for the pain he'd had to endure in his life. It felt like every bad decision he'd made, and every wrong turn could be traced back to the moment Charlie Buckton had broken his heart.

* * *

Joey stared at Charlie in utter disbelief, thinking she may have misheard the question.

"Sorry, what?" she asked.

Charlie sighed and sank onto the end of the bed, taking her wife's hesitation as confirmation of rejection. Joey sat down beside her.

"Did you seriously ask me if I still find you attractive?" Joey asked.

Charlie nodded but didn't meet her gaze. She looked up sharply when Joey laughed.

"Of course I do, silly!" she said. "Are you kidding me? The same thrill goes through me whenever I see you as it did when I was a horny teenager lusting after your body in secret!"

Charlie giggled, gazing into Joey's eyes.

"Really?" she asked, her voice full of hope.

Joey reached out and stroked her face.

"Really," she said, kissing her. "I mean, come on! As if I could ever not find you attractive. I have eyes!"

Charlie laughed harder and hugged her, feeling completely comforted.

"What's got such a silly idea in your head?" Joey asked.

"Angelo," Charlie mumbled.

* * *

James and Leanne sat together in front of the television. Zac had long since been in bed and now, as usual, James and Leanne were bored at home and feeling restricted. As each day passed now, they were struggling to communicate. They were getting increasingly frustrated with each other and their relationship was wearing thin. Every time they tried to talk, they ended up arguing so now, they just stayed quiet. It seemed easier that way somehow.

* * *

Hugo had left Xavier to it and headed out to bar in town. As he'd hoped, he had started talking to an attractive woman and it was looking more and more likely that he would get an invitation into her bed. That was damn near impossible back home. Everyone hated him and the sooner he got out of there, the better. But he was on strict orders to stay put and get the job done and he had no option but to obey. So, trips out into town to pick up random girls were all he had.

* * *

"Angelo? What has that prick got to do with anything?"

Charlie snorted, marvelling at the way Joey so easily made her feel better.

"He said I hadn't aged well and was glad that he'd got out when he did," Charlie explained. "I guess it made me feel a little insecure."

"Have I mentioned before that Angelo is an absolute dick?" Joey asked bluntly.

Charlie giggled.

"You might have mentioned it a few times," she said.

"So, why are you letting him make you feel down about yourself?"

"He just... blurted this insult out. For however many awful things he's said to me, he never had a go at my appearance before. And now he has and I just started worrying that... you know. Maybe I'm past it now."

"Charlie, you're fifty," Joey said.

"Don't remind me!" Charlie protested.

"Let me rephrase," Joey told her. "You're only fifty. That's it. It doesn't make you old or past it or anything like that. You're beautiful, okay? Inside and outside. In fact, I'd go as far as saying you're pretty damn perfect actually."

Charlie blushed.

"Especially when you blush."

She leant in and kissed her gently. After a few moments, Joey nudged Charlie onto her back and leant over her.

"How about I show you in minute detail exactly every part of you that I love and find desperately attractive?" Joey suggested, keeping her voice low and sensual.

Charlie grinned, happy to submit to Joey's every whim.

* * *

"Forget New York," Angelo chuckled. "It's this place that never sleeps!"

Daria laughed too. Her heart was racing a little too fast at being near Angelo and she hadn't expected that to happen at all. He was her parents' ages, after all. She was shocked to still find him so attractive.

"Time to chuck you out, I'm afraid," Alf said to his remaining customers.

Angelo nodded and finished his drink, as did Daria. The two of them walked out together.

"I had a really lovely evening with you, Angelo," Daria said.

He leant in closer to her.

"You know, the night doesn't have to end here," he said, kissing her.

* * *

Sarah moved into Matthew's room where Watson was gently trying to get their son off to sleep. He had begun wailing for most of the night every single night and it was wearing thin.

"Why don't you try to go to bed?" Sarah said, taking Matthew from Watson. "You've had a hell of a day."

"But you've got an earlier shift than me in the morning," Watson pointed out.

They grinned at each other, both aware of just how stubborn they could be. Sarah sat down with Matthew in her arms, gently rocking him to sleep. Watson sat beside her. They were in this together.

* * *

Charlie smiled dreamily. She had been stripped of the remainder of her clothes in no uncertain terms and Joey had taken her own sweet time to kiss and tease every inch of her body, explaining just why she loved her so much. She'd massaged her feet, kissed the inside of her thighs, her tummy and her lips. She'd offered intimate dedication to her breasts and centre and was now lying on top of her, gazing into her eyes.

"Do you feel beautiful yet?" she asked sweetly.

Charlie's smiled widened and her eyes fluttered open. She stroked her face and kissed her lips.

"I do," she said. "Thank you."

"My pleasure!"

"I think that was _my _pleasure!" Charlie remarked.

"Well, you know how much I enjoy making you happy," Joey said, kissing her again.

"Thank you for being so amazing, Joey," Charlie said.

"Well, I don't know if I'm amazing exactly but I try my best."

She stood, retrieved Charlie's pyjama top and grabbed her a clean pair of pants. Catching her own reflection in the mirror and with physical beauty on her mind, she pulled a face. Charlie noticed.

* * *

Angelo rolled over and closed his eyes. Daria lay beside him, looking up at the ceiling, vaguely making out patterns above her. Sex with Angelo had been short and mostly sweet, if a little unfulfilling. He hadn't been interested so much in her having a good time, but him reaching his own goal. Now, lying in the dark, she wondered if she had just made a terrible mistake. This was a man who had shot Leah's husband, after all. Not to mention the fact that he had slept with one of her Mums. The thought made her shudder. It had taken a lot for her to sleep with Ben and lose her virginity and it had been the same with Sam. But she'd been comforted then in the knowledge that they really loved her. Now she thought she had rushed into something and that in the harsh light day, it wouldn't be something good.

* * *

Selena crept out of her bedroom and along the landing. She knocked quietly on Irene's door but didn't get any response. Still she could hear the crying that had alerted her in the first place. She nudged her way into the room and sat on the bed, pulling her foster mother into her arms and promising that she would do whatever it took to keep her safe and look after her.

* * *

"I didn't pull a face," Joey lied, climbing into bed.

"You did," Charlie said.

She left her t-shirt and pants on the bed and stood over Joey anxiously. Joey checked her out without shame. Charlie smirked and sat beside her, holding her hand.

"Have I been going on about my insecurities and not noticed yours?" she asked.

"They're not new things," Joey said. "You already know how I feel about my body."

Charlie nodded. Over the years, Joey had developed a lot of hang ups.

"I guess I forget sometimes," she admitted. "I just think you're so beautiful. I don't always realise that anyone who looked like you could ever be paranoid about their body."

Joey smiled lovingly at her, realising how much she meant it. She leant forward and kissed her.

"Do you need me to do for you what you just did for me?" Charlie asked.

"It's okay," Joey said.

"Please?" Charlie asked hopefully, with a wicked grin.

Joey laughed and pulled her into a hug.

"If that will make you happy," she said.

"Well, the point is really to make _you _happy," Charlie pointed out.

They kissed again.

"You make me feel beautiful," Joey admitted. "I know I have all these scars and everything but it feels like they disappear when I'm with you."

"Maybe that's because they don't matter," Charlie said, pulling Joey out from beneath the blankets and laying her on top of them. "Scars or no scars, you are still the most incredible, stunning person I have ever known."


	133. Chapter 133

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Three**

**October 2033**

Daria arrived at work in the same uniform she'd worn the night before and was feeling more than a little self conscious about it. She'd woken up to a note from Angelo about helping herself to breakfast and she thought the only thing that could have made her feel worse would have been if he'd have left some cash on the bedside table. More and more, she was wondering if she had made a terrible mistake. She wanted someone to tell her that everything was okay. She wanted her Mum. But Charlie was the one person she was most afraid to tell.

"Morning," Watson said from her desk.

Daria managed a little wave and began to start work for the day, opting to keep herself to herself. Watson studied her for several long moments, wondering what was wrong.

* * *

"Okay, but I really, really have to get up," Joey said.

Charlie shook her head, keeping her partner pinned to the bed.

"You just watch," Joey warned. "The kids will come bounding in here..."

The door burst open.

"Any minute now," Joey concluded smugly.

Charlie moved into a more decent position. Christine was dressed and looking irritated while Max was half in his school uniform and half in his pyjamas. Also, his shoes were on the wrong feet.

"We've been waiting ages for you to get up," Christine said.

"Blame her," Joey said.

"I was feeling lazy!" Charlie protested.

Christine smirked.

"Yeah, lazy. Sure."

Charlie coloured. Joey snorted.

"Can I trust you two to get Max to school because I'm going to be late?" Christine asked, sounding far too grown up for a sixteen year old.

In a lot of ways, she reminded them both of Joey when she was growing up. Joey had had to mature too quickly after losing her mother and enduring a difficult home life. She and Charlie just hoped that that wasn't the reason Christine had become wise beyond her years. They hoped they had given her the happy home life she might otherwise have missed out on.

"We'll be good," Joey said. "Get yourself to school and have a good day."

"See you later!" Christine grinned cheerfully, heading out of the room.

* * *

Hugo arrived back at the apartment just in time to say goodbye to Xavier as he took Gina to school.

"Good night?" Xavier asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Pretty good," Hugo smirked. "I'm just going to get showered."

"I'll be back in half an hour," Xavier said. "Maybe we could head to Crumble for a coffee?"

"Sure," Hugo nodded.

He watched his youngest brother bundle Gina out the door and then headed to his room, flopping down on the bed and looking up at the ceiling. Last night had been a good escape from the world but he hated the feeling of coming back. This was the place where his love for Martha had got him hated by his cousin. He'd been judged for getting Belle hooked on drugs – and now she was dead she really didn't need to take any responsibility at all. And his foray into the world of the loan shark business, had got Leah's husband shot. No matter what he did, nobody would ever forgive him for the things he had done, even if, on the surface, it looked like he was changing his ways. He dreaded to think how things would turn out if someone discovered the truth.

* * *

Angelo arrived at work. Daria looked up sharply but he walked past without so much as a second glance. She bowed her head again and closed her eyes. Watson watched their interaction, or lack of, and began to draw her own unhappy conclusions.

* * *

Charlie and Joey dropped Max off at school with his packed lunch and told him that one or both of them would be there to collect him at the end of the day. Parked up outside the police station, Charlie unstrapped herself and kissed Joey goodbye. It lingered and quickly developed.

"I'm going to be late," Charlie eventually said.

"You didn't mind this morning," Joey reminded her.

Charlie grinned and kissed her again, deciding that if she was the boss, there was at least nobody who could tell her off.

* * *

When Xavier arrived back home, Hugo looked fresh faced and clean again.

"I am in desperate need of that coffee," the eldest Austin said.

Xavier nodded and they headed right back out.

"Where did you go last night?" Xavier asked.

"I headed into the city," Hugo explained, falling into step beside him. "Went to a couple of bars. Met a girl."

"Nice?"

"Okay," Hugo shrugged. "I didn't really get her name but it was a welcome distraction from living here."

He sighed heavily. Xavier glanced at him.

"Why did you come back if you don't like it here?" he asked.

"I do like it here," Hugo said. "It's just that other people don't like me being here."

He tried to laugh but it got stuck in his throat.

"You can't exactly blame them," Xavier pointed out. "You did a lot of things to hurt a lot of people here."

"I know," Hugo said quietly. "But that doesn't make it easier."

"Then why put yourself through it?"

"Redemption," Hugo lied. "I want the chance to make things right again. I want to fix things and make up for all the shit I did, all the pain I caused. I want to be a good man. I hope it's better late than never."

Xavier nodded, smiling at the thought that even after the chaos he had caused and the hearts he had broken, Hugo wanted to make up for it all. And he hoped that despite his own misgivings when Hugo had first shown up, that their mother would be glad that their boys were rebuilding their relationship again. Not a day went by when Xavier didn't miss his Mum and he still felt touched that Ruby had suggested naming their daughter over both their lost mothers. He hoped that wherever Gina was, he was making her proud.

"Plus," Hugo added. "You're pretty much the only family I've got. I mean, I know there's Uncle Tony and Rachel but after the whole Jack and Martha thing, I'm not as close to them as I could have been. And I've enjoyed making overtures to Brendan. I don't see him as much as I could but I'm working on it. And living with you, mate, that's been amazing. I've loved getting to know you again and getting to know little Gina. She's beautiful. You should be so proud of her."

"I am," Xavier grinned. "Even after everything that's happened with Ruby, I'd never regret a thing because I got my most perfect little girl out of it. She makes my world go round."

* * *

Watson waited until Charlie had got her morning coffee and settled down in her office before she knocked and entered. As usual, she sat down without being asked and put her feet on the desk. As usual, Charlie gave her 'the look' and she set them down on the floor again. It had long since become their private joke.

"What can I do for you?" Charlie asked.

"I'm worried about Daria," Watson said, getting right to the point.

Charlie instantly offered her full attention. Daria wasn't just her employee. She had essentially been her daughter for most of her life.

"What's happened?" she asked worriedly.

"I think she and Angelo might have..."

She raised her eyebrows suggestively. Charlie looked blank.

"You know..." Watson urged.

Charlie shook her head in confusion.

"They might have... _you know_!" Watson hissed.

"What are you talking about?" Charlie asked.

"Angelo might have sampled mother and daughter both!" Watson bellowed.

Charlie blanched.

"You think they slept together?" she asked, her voice nothing but a squeak.

Watson nodded.

"Why?"

"Well, she was in the same uniform she was wearing yesterday and she had that look of 'oh no, I just did something terrible, how can I take it back?' And Angelo walked in particularly smugly with that 'I just got laid' look – both of which I have done at any one time in my life."

She sighed heavily.

"And as soon as he walked through the door, she gazed at him all longingly and he wouldn't even look at her," she added.

Charlie was surprised when her pen snapped. She hadn't realised how hard she had been holding it. Standing up, she charged out of her office.

"Charlie!" Watson yelled. "Don't!"

Charlie kept walking.

"Be tactful!" Watson cried desperately.

* * *

Irene hadn't wanted to wake up at all that morning but she knew she had to sit down and have an interview with the police about what had happened to Lou. She'd tried hard to explain the night before that she didn't know what had happened but they'd insisted that she had to put everything in a statement anyway. Charlie and Watson had been kind to her but she felt sick at being interrogated by Angelo. She was still firm in her belief that he ought to be behind bars himself, let alone trying to put other people there.

"Are you ready to go?" Selena asked gently.

Irene nodded unhappily.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she said.

* * *

Joey collected Macy from home and headed out for a walk along the beach with her and Melissa. The sun was shining and as soon as they hit the beach, Joey let Macy off the lead. She smiled as she saw her beloved dog charge across the sand, barking merrily at some seagulls who glared and then flew off.

"So, how are things?" Joey asked.

Her friend hadn't been quite the same since Mink had upped and left without a word.

"Yeah, pretty good," Melissa said vaguely.

Her phone beeped. She read the message and smiled. Joey eyed her with curiosity. Melissa blushed and shoved the phone back into her pocket.

"Just some girl," she said.

"Some girl?" Joey asked. "There's some girl? Who?"

"You don't know her," Melissa said. "She's not from round here. I've just been talking to her online. I'm thinking about meeting her but I'm not sure."

"Of meeting someone you don't know?"

Melissa shrugged.

"Of getting hurt again," she admitted.

* * *

Charlie called Daria into her office abruptly. Watson vacated and Charlie instructed Daria to sit in her chair. The Detective perched on the edge of the desk.

"What's happened?" she asked, reminding herself repeatedly that if Watson was right, it was Angelo she was angry with, not her daughter.

"Nothing," Daria lied.

"What happened with Angelo last night?"

Daria coloured. Charlie gritted her teeth.

"Right..." Charlie said.

She stood up and marched out of her office again.

* * *

While Hugo got up to get two coffees and two bacon rolls from Colleen, Xavier sat at a table and watched the world around him. He sighed when he spotted a couple in their late thirties with a young daughter. They reminded him of what he and Ruby had once been. He missed her.

"Here you go," Hugo said, sitting back down beside his brother. "Rolls are on their way."

Xavier thanked him and just about managed to tear his gaze away from the couple.

"Hey, I was thinking, maybe you'd like to come to the city with me some time," Hugo suggested.

Xavier turned back to him, surprised.

"You know, get you out a bit? As far as I'm aware there hasn't been anyone since Ruby and that ended a while ago..."

"I know," Xavier said sharply.

He felt like he had spent his whole life loving Ruby but the more he thought about it, the more he believed she hadn't ever loved him best. She'd gone off to boarding school and met some guy, which had led to Xavier dating Freya for a while. Then they'd broken up again while Ruby had been studying to become a teacher. Ruby had gone off with Geoff and Xavier had dated Daria for a bit. He and Ruby had reunited while she'd supported him through his grief over losing his mother. And then she'd cheated on him with Liam. To this day, he wondered if he had been right and she'd also gone off with Geoff again but during the times they had rowed about it, she'd firmly denied everything.

"I wasn't being critical," Hugo said. "I was just wondering if you wanted to meet someone new. We could have a boys' night out or something?"

"Maybe," Xavier said. "I just... I guess I keep holding out for things to get better with Ruby somehow."

* * *

Irene and Selena were just arriving at the police station when they saw Charlie dragging Angelo outside.

"Just go on in," Charlie said kindly, changing her demeanour entirely. "Watson will make you a cup of tea and settle you in and then we'll have a chat."

"Thanks, love," Irene said quietly, gripping onto Selena's hand like her life depended on it.

Once they were safely out of earshot, Angelo opened his mouth to protest and tell Charlie off for interfering but she yelled first.

"Don't you fucking dare," she warned.

Angelo folded his arms over his chest like a petulant child and glared at her.

"What the hell is your problem?" he demanded.

"My problem is that you had sex with my daughter last night."

"Jealous?" he asked with a smirk.

Charlie looked and felt disgusted.

"You took advantage of her," she said.

"How do you know? You weren't there. She was giving me the eye all day. You must have seen it! If anyone came onto anyone, it was her coming onto me," Angelo said.

"You didn't have to say yes!"

"I have needs. What can I say?" he said unapologetically.

Charlie pulled another face.

"How can you stand there so proud of what you did?" she asked.

"Because I didn't do anything wrong."

"She's vulnerable, Angelo," Charlie said desperately. "She's vulnerable and you took advantage. Not to mention how damn weird it is! You slept with me about a hundred years ago! Daria's my daughter!"

"Well, judging by the state of you, it _was _a hundred years ago," Angelo commented.

Without thinking, Charlie grabbed him by his collar and slammed him against the wall. He laughed but was winded.

"I don't know what the hell you're doing back here but you'd better leave my family alone," she warned.

She let go of him and headed back into the station as if nothing had happened. She just hoped nobody had seen.


	134. Chapter 134

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Four**

**October 2033**

Charlie sent Jack in on Angelo's interview with Irene. Constable Rosetta had objected but he was painfully aware that Charlie outranked him, even if he was on a special task force. Returning to her office, the Detective found Daria still sitting there. She sat down in her chair and studied her daughter who looked meek and tearful.

"What did you say to him?" Daria asked, sounding more like a petulant teenager than a thirty four year old.

"I just told him how disgusted I am by his actions," Charlie said.

"He didn't do anything wrong, Charlie," Daria said. "I'm an adult."

"You're vulnerable," Charlie said firmly.

"How?" Daria demanded. "He didn't take advantage. I wanted to."

"Then why do you look so upset this morning?" Charlie asked.

Daria looked down and mumbled something about the breakfast message he'd left.

"And how did that make you feel?"

Daria looked back up and sighed heavily.

"Used," she admitted.

* * *

Watson sat down with Selena, who was despondent over not having been able to go into the interview room with Irene. Watson sadly explained that it was standard procedure but that she was hopeful it would all be cleared up fairly soon.

"How was she last night?" she asked.

"Lost," Selena replied. "I don't think I've ever seen her so broken in all my life."

* * *

Joey invited Melissa back to the house for a cup of coffee after their walk with Macy.

"Ooh, what's this?" Melissa asked.

Joey hurried over to close the sketch pad she had been working on between dropping Max and Charlie off and taking Macy out for a walk. She was still embarrassed about her work.

"It's nothing," she said.

"Oh, show me," Melissa begged.

Sighing, Joey sat down and opened it up.

"This is my Charlie folder," she explained.

Melissa smiled at all the different pictures Joey had sketched of her wife, dating from childhood to present day.

"Some of them were done from photographs," Joey said. "Some from memory. Some I've just captured in the moment, like this one."

She pointed to a beautiful image of Charlie asleep on the sofa.

"She didn't know I'd drawn it until she woke up but I made her pose all sleepy for another straight after."

Joey pointed to the next one. It had been painted, capturing the perfect blue of Charlie's eyes. Melissa smiled, unable to help but marvel at how in love they were.

* * *

"Daria, Angelo isn't a guy for you to be hanging around with," Charlie said.

She pulled up a chair beside her daughter so that there was no longer a desk in between them, wanting things to be as informal as possible. She wasn't being a Detective now, she was being a mother.

"I think I'm a little bit old for you to tell me what to do, Charlie," Daria said sourly.

"He will hurt you," Charlie told her firmly.

Daria shrugged and told her it was her business.

"Daria, listen to me," Charlie pleaded. "Doesn't the fact that he left you like that this morning tell you everything you need to know?"

Daria shrugged, although silently she knew that her Mum was right.

"Daria, please?"

"I like him, Charlie."

"He's going to hurt you."

"At least he's interested! It's not like I'm beating them off with a stick!"

"Just because you've been a bit lonely, you don't have to go with some guy who's not worth it."

"You thought he was worth it once," Daria pointed out.

Charlie sighed.

"So I can tell you first hand that it was a mistake," she told her.

"You must have seen something good in him back in the day," Daria said with a hint of her usual smirk.

Charlie chuckled. She had definitely seen something good in Angelo once upon a time and privately, she thought she had been at least partially responsible for how his life had turned out. The cheeky chappy she'd met at police academy was a far cry from the man he was today.

"Once upon a time, I did," she admitted. "But honestly, I don't think that the things that attracted me to him are there anymore."

"But isn't that because you're gay?" Daria asked. "And nobody else on the planet exists for you except Joey?"

They grinned at each other.

"Well, obviously that's part of it but the decent guy I met thirty years ago, isn't the man you slept with last night," Charlie said. "He's changed and I don't want him hurting you."

Daria sighed and then stood up.

"Look, thanks for your concern, Charlie," she said. "You know how much your opinion matters to me but... let me handle this myself?"

Without waiting for an answer, she left. Charlie sank back in her chair.

* * *

"We'll let you know if you need to make a further statement," Angelo said, escorting Irene out of the interview room. "But don't think this matter is over."

Irene froze and gazed at him, wide eyed and afraid.

"What do you mean?"

Angelo was about to speak when Jack interrupted him.

"We might just have more questions," he said kindly. "It's nothing to worry about."

Irene nodded uncertainly. Jack waved Selena over to help her out of the building.

"Irene?" Jack said softly.

She turned back to him.

"We're all so sorry for what's happened."

"Thanks, love," Irene said gently.

Selena offered the police officer a smile and led her foster mother out of the building. As soon as they were out of earshot, Angelo whirled on Jack.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"What?" Jack snapped back.

"Comforting a suspect!"

Jack laughed and brushed past him, desperate for coffee.

"Don't walk away from me," Angelo warned.

Jack turned back to him and folded his arms.

"Irene is not capable of killing anyone," he stated.

"She's also not capable of explaining what happened to Lou," Angelo replied.

Jack merely turned his back on him and headed over to the coffee machine, offering Watson a caffeine pick-me-up also. Angelo glared for a moment before storming outside for some air. Timidly, Daria, who had caught the tail end of the argument, followed Angelo out.

"Are you okay?" she asked, when she found him leaning against a wall.

"Fine," he snapped.

"Is there anything I can do?"

He stood up and glared at her.

"You can leave me alone," he snapped. "The last thing I need is for Charlie to come down on me like a tonne of bricks again."

"We've talked about it and she won't..."

"I'd love to date you, Daria," Angelo lied. "I think you're awesome. But there is no way I'm making my life harder than it already is by crossing your mother and my ex-girlfriend, okay?"

"But..."

"If you want to be pissed at someone, make sure it's her and not me."

He stormed back into the building.


	135. Chapter 135

_Okay, I am finally up to date. Yay! I hope you enjoy the chapter. I'm so close to writing the end of this story now (although I'm ahead by a lot so it won't be over for you for a while yet). This has been such a long fic! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Five**

**November 2033**

Irene had been floating around like a ghost since Lou's death. Selena had moved in and Damian had returned home. He and Geoff had been flitting between countries over the years but while Geoff was back out in Africa again, Damian had vowed to look after his mother. Lou's body had not yet been released and his killer had not been found. No funeral meant no closure and every day, Irene's heart broke a little bit more.

* * *

"Daria, this is ridiculous," David said, absolutely exasperated.

The twins were sitting at Crumble together and enduring the same argument they'd been having for weeks. Daria had blamed Charlie entirely for her lack of relationship with Angelo and while Charlie had tried to talk to her daughter every single day, Daria had not been willing to play ball.

"You don't even like him that much!" David said.

"Don't tell me how I feel," Daria snapped, finishing her milkshake.

"I have known you and loved you for thirty four years, Daria Buckton-Collins and I know you better than anyone," David said firmly. "Therefore, I know that you've clung onto this on a point of principle. You've been told you can't have something and that's why you want it. It's not about him and it's not about Charlie so why don't you just get over yourself and move on?"

Daria sat back in her chair, frowning. She supposed her brother was right. He usually was. It was one of the things she disliked immensely about him.

"I do like him," she said sullenly. "And he said that the only reason he won't be with me is because of Charlie."

"And that's a load of crap," David said certainly. "Angelo's a creep, Daria. Can't you see that?"

Daria shrugged and mumbled something about not getting to spend enough time with him to figure it out.

"He's pretty hot though," she said with a smirk.

David snorted.

"There's someone out there better for you than him," he said. "Believe me."

* * *

It was a Saturday and Xavier and Ruby both found they had the day off. In a brave move, they had decided to spend the day together and take Gina and Clarissa both out to the beach for the day. The five year olds were happily building sandcastles while estranged husband and wife sat side by side, looking out at sea and feeling awkward.

"How are things at work?" Xavier asked.

"Pretty good," Ruby smiled. "I'm getting a whole new class in January so it'll be fun to get to know a new group of kids again. I like the fresh challenge each year."

Xavier smiled.

"How about for you?"

Xavier shrugged.

"You know bar work was only ever meant to be a stop gap," he said almost sadly. "Shoot forward twenty years and..."

He shrugged.

"I miss you," they both said in unison.

* * *

Charlie and Joey were walking through the park, hand in hand. Macy had skipped off ahead of them and Max was strolling ahead with Ollie and Cathy. Charlie sighed heavily. Joey dropped her hand and put her arm around her.

"It'll be okay, Charlie," she said gently. "You know what Daria's like. She'll come round."

"She's never behaved like _this _before though," Charlie said. "I feel like she hates me."

"She loves you," Joey said firmly. "You know that."

"Then why hasn't she spoken to me for twenty two days?" Charlie asked. "Not that I'm counting."

She managed a smile and hugged Joey a little closer.

"Are you sure you don't want me to get all parental?" Joey asked.

"I'm sure," Charlie said. "It's bad enough that she's rejecting me without her falling out with you too. I swear, I could swing for Angelo every time I see him. Smug git."

She pulled a face. Joey held her closer.

"Not to say I told you so but... I totally told you so," she smirked. "I never liked him. Not from day one. Never saw what you saw in him."

"Really? You hid your feelings so well!" Charlie teased.

Joey giggled.

"I think I did actually," she said. "Well, not that I didn't like Angelo but that I loved you. For a while there, I think I hid it too well. Think of all the time we wasted..."

Charlie stopped and hugged her.

"I like to think we did things in our own perfect time," she said. "And while we both thought we were hiding things well, retrospectively, our feelings were blindingly obvious."

Joey kissed her and they started walking again, holding hands.

"Yeah, I think so," she agreed. "All those times we nearly kissed. All those moments. The whole New Year thing!"

"Not to mention the way you spent my whole graduation looking at my boobs!" Charlie giggled.

Joey blushed and laughed.

"That night is pretty much a drunken haze," Joey said. "But for the record, I've always been a fan of those!"

* * *

David said goodbye to Daria and headed back home to see Andy. Daria trudged back to her own apartment, pondering what her twin had said. She missed Charlie and Joey, the people who had given her and David the first and only stable home environment they had ever known. And the more she saw of Angelo, albeit at a distance, the more she thought he was the bad guy everyone else believed him to be. But she just couldn't let it go.

* * *

Xavier dropped Ruby and Gina home and then headed to the Jukebox for a beer. His head was full of confusion and as usual, he found himself wishing that Romeo was around for him to talk to. He very much missed his best mate. While the kids had been playing and enjoying themselves, he and Ruby had had their first frank discussion about what lay ahead for them. Admitting to missing each other had been somewhat of a shock but Xavier was glad they'd said it. Neither of them wanted to rush into anything and with Gina only just getting used to her parents being apart, they certainly didn't want to tell her or anyone that they might be getting back together until they were sure. Xavier paused when he heard hushed voices nearby. Looking around, he saw Hugo arguing with Angelo. Creeping closer and staying out of sight, Xavier listened.

* * *

Charlie and Joey took the kids home for their dinner. Max, Ollie and Cathy were a strange but happy little threesome, although they were feeling fragile now that Cathy, who was a couple of years older than the boys, was going up to big school all on her own. Leaving the kids to watch television together, Charlie and Joey began making their food. Charlie smiled when her hand brushed Joey's and she felt the same spark of electricity between them. It was something that had never gone away and she hoped it never would. Pulling Joey into her arms, she kissed her.

* * *

"You'd better not mess up again," Angelo threatened. "I'm warning you."

Angrily, Hugo pushed Angelo up against the outer wall of the Jukebox, holding him there and letting his eyes burn into his.

"Well don't warn me then," he snapped.

Angelo broke away from him, his fists clenched.

"Well why don't I just send you right back to jail in that case?" the police officer suggested bitterly. "It won't exactly be hard."

"All I'm saying is that it's not fair, Angelo," Hugo said.

"And all I'm saying is that I don't care," Angelo replied. "Now stop trying to contact me. You're leaving a trail all over this damn town."

He stormed away. Still undetected, Xavier watched his brother lean back against the wall and rub his temples.

* * *

Daria was still wandering aimlessly when she caught sight of Angelo sitting in his patrol car, drinking coffee and looking unhappy. She headed over and bent down to the open window, smiling.

"Hey," she said. "How are you?"

"Peachy," he said without looking at her.

Daria tried not to be disappointed.

"Well, I'll just let you get on," she said, turning away.

Angelo looked up and watched her walk away. After a few moments he called her back.

"What do you think about keeping a nice big secret from Charlie?" he suggested.


	136. Chapter 136

_Do you guys ever the feeling I'm not an Angelo fan...? Oh, and I just read that there's going to be a new character on the show and her name is... Daria! They're stealing from me! How rude! Now let's just hope they steal a Joey Return plot from someone! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Six**

**November 2033**

Lou DeBono's funeral finally arrived and Irene approached with a heavy heart. She was touched by just how many people showed up to say goodbye. He hadn't been in town very long really before they'd married and gone off on their travels. But people cared. They had taken him quickly into their hearts and Irene certainly felt loved by her community. She missed Belle more than ever now but Aden, Selena and Kirsty had been amazing to her. Damian was still there supporting her and Fin had returned temporarily for the funeral also, as had Geoff. Charlie and Joey arrived in their smartest suits in order to pay their respects. Irene and Joey both knew that decisions would need to be made about the business as Lou had left everything to his wife in his will. But Irene had no idea how to manage a trawler company so while she didn't want to let it go, she knew she would have to stay hands off and leave it to Joey to take care of things. But all of that could wait. Now was the time for grieving for her husband and trying not to get bogged down by the horror of what had happened and wondering who was behind it all.

* * *

Angelo had not attended the funeral. He'd been working. It had been a particularly difficult month, trying to find someone to pin Lou's murder on. Hugo had been causing him hassle behind the scenes and his dalliance with Daria was proving to be more complicated than he'd intended. He just wanted a bit of fun but she was demanding and clearly getting attached. Really, he just wanted to ditch her but he hadn't quite got round to it yet. Charlie so far remained oblivious to the affair but he was smugly aware that she and Daria still weren't talking. Bracing himself, he climbed into his car and drove to the wake.

* * *

Encouraged by Joey, Charlie psyched herself up to approach Daria at the buffet table at Crumble. Her daughter hesitated between annoyance and wanting to talk to her.

"How are you?" Charlie asked.

Daria shrugged.

"I've missed you. So has Joey."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have interfered in my love life," Daria pointed out.

Charlie sighed and then looked into Daria's eyes.

"Look, we're at a funeral, okay?" she said. "Surely someone dying like that should teach us that life is too precious and too short to have stupid arguments? Can we just forget the whole thing please?"

"I'm still seeing him," Daria said, mostly to test Charlie's response.

Her mother was typically unimpressed but fought her desire to react.

"I don't like it," she said reasonably. "But I'll support any decision you make."

Daria managed a small smile.

"Friends again?" Charlie asked hopefully.

Daria pulled her into a hug.

* * *

Angelo arrived at the wake. Everyone turned to look at him. He approached Irene and asked for a quiet, private word. She was reluctant, needing her loved ones around her to hold her up.

"It's important," Angelo said urgently.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it can wait," Selena said protectively.

"It's can't," Angelo told her.

Selena looked stubborn. Irene didn't want to move away from her.

"Fine," Angelo said. "I wanted to do this discreetly but Irene DeBono, I'm arresting you on suspicion of murdering your husband."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Selena demanded.

"We found Irene's fingerprints on the gun used to shoot Lou," Angelo explained. "With no evidence of another person on board, there's only one conclusion we can draw."

Charlie stepped up quickly.

"Angelo, you don't have to do this," she said. "Especially not now."

He turned to her and fixed her with an icy stare.

"Charlie, you of all people know that time is of the essence in a case like this."

"She's just buried her husband!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Yeah, because she shot him!" Angelo argued.

"I didn't!" Irene said desperately, bursting into tears.

Selena put her arm around her. Angelo cuffed her and led her away. Disgusted, Charlie followed them, as did Watson. Selena asked to come too.

* * *

With Irene in custody, the wake had broken up and nobody quite knew what to do with themselves. Leah had busied herself with cleaning Crumble up with Colleen. Hugo had disappeared, undetected by anyone other than Xavier. Joey had gone with Ruby, Max and Gina to the beach. Max busied himself with playing with his cousin in the surf. Joey and Ruby sat side by side, inevitably talking about what had happened with Irene.

"Anyway, what's going on with you?" Joey asked. "You've been a little coy over the last week."

Ruby shook her head and explained that things had got a little weird between her and Xavier.

"How so?"

"Last week, we admitted that we missed each other and we tentatively started talking about maybe getting back together," Ruby admitted.

Joey looked elated.

"Ruby, that's awesome!" she enthused.

"Except..."

The younger woman looked awkward.

"What's happened now?"

"He got all weird today when he saw that Geoff was back," Ruby said. "And nothing is going to happen between Geoff and I but..."

She sighed heavily.

"But...?"

"But Xave's face told me everything I needed to know. He's not ready to forgive me for anything and I don't think either of us are ready to deal with it all. I think... I think it's finally too late."

Xavier found Hugo at home.

* * *

"What were you arguing with Angelo about?" he asked immediately.

Hugo looked up confused.

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw you outside the Juke last week," Xavier said. "You were arguing and I want to know why."

Hugo merely shrugged.

"There's hardly any love lost between Angelo and I," he said. "He holds me responsible for what happened with Vinnie."

"Yeah, maybe because you _are _responsible," Xavier snapped. "If you hadn't been fucking around with Vinnie and earning cash by making people's lives hell, Angelo would never have fired that gun."

Hugo shrugged again.

"But what was it about this time?" his younger brother demanded.

"It was about that," Hugo lied.

Xavier came to sit beside him on the sofa.

"I don't believe you," he said. "And I want you to tell me the whole truth about whatever mess you've got yourself into this time or I want you out of my house."

Hugo stood up quickly, feeling defensive. He demanded to know why everyone always thought the worst of him.

"Because you've got form!" Xavier said, also getting up.

"Nobody's ever going to forgive me for the past, are they?" he asked. "You know, I really thought you and I were building something here but..."

He offered Xavier a disgusted look and then stormed into his room to pack his things.

* * *

Irene had been charged with murder. Charlie was livid but her hands were tied. She couldn't prove Irene's innocence and technically, it was Angelo's case. Still, once Irene had been led to her cell, Charlie quickly dragged Angelo into her office to demand what on earth he thought he was doing.

"My job!" Angelo shouted.

"You had no reason to arrest Irene."

"If I didn't have a reason, I wouldn't have done it," Angelo argued.

"Even if you thought she was guilty, dragging her out of her husband's wake was a sick and twisted thing to do, Angelo and I'm going to make a formal complaint about it," Charlie snapped.

"Oh no," he mocked. "I'm terrified."

He folded his arms, looking particularly smug. Charlie wanted to hit him.

"And speaking of shitty decisions," she said. "Why the hell are you still carrying on with my daughter?"

"It's fun," he replied.

"What, so you actually care about her, do you?" Charlie asked.

"I didn't say that," he replied.

"Then what are you saying?"

"I'm saying I love the way that me screwing Daria pisses you off," Angelo told her.

Charlie looked appalled, demanding to know what his problem was.

"My problem is you, Charlie. You ruined my life!"

"Oh, tell someone who cares!" Charlie said, exasperated, pushing past him.

"I know you think I'm a bad guy and maybe I am but rest assured that I wasn't always this way, Charlie," Angelo said. "You used me in just the same way I'm using Daria. And any bad thing I've done, any bad decision I've made will always rebound on you. You're the evil one. You're the one who destroyed me."

* * *

Hugo spent the night in a hotel, feeling sorry for himself. Irene spent the night in a prison cell. Xavier lay alone in bed, fretting about Ruby and Geoff and coming to the sad realisation that nothing had really changed. Alone in her own bed, Ruby mused over the same thing. Daria cried herself to sleep. Having headed to the police station to see if she could help, she'd overheard the argument between Charlie and Angelo, knowing her mother had been right all along about Angelo not caring about her. Angelo settled down with an action DVD and some beers.

* * *

Charlie crawled tiredly into bed beside Joey, after an excess of time spent at the station. Nuzzling in close behind her, she kissed her wife's back.

"Joey, you don't think I'm a bad person, do you?" she asked anxiously.

Joey rolled over and gazed into Charlie's eyes despite the dark.

"Do not let that horrible man and whatever he's said this time, get into your head," she said firmly. "You're an amazing person and I won't stand for anyone accusing you of being anything different."


	137. Chapter 137

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Seven**

**February 2034**

The police station was becoming an increasingly tense place to be. Having overheard Angelo insulting her several months ago, Daria had finally decided to give him a wide berth – after she had given him a piece of her mind. Things were better between her and Charlie and both mother and daughter were glad of that. Irene was still in jail, pending trial for the murder of her husband. Charlie had been told to stay out of it, as had her officers. It was a case for the sea police and Angelo, who was leading the team, had already found her guilty. Between that, his insults to Charlie, his treatment of Daria and his past misdeeds, Angelo was not a popular man. He didn't seem to show any hint of caring though, unlike Hugo, who had moved out of Xavier's apartment and was desperately awaiting an apology from his brother for his accusations. Hugo was adamant that he was here to start again and make things right. People believed in his remorse and were slowly starting to come round. Jack had recently made some overtures of friendship and many other locals had followed his lead. Leah tolerated him slightly better than she tolerated Angelo but she personally wished that both men would leave town for good.

At the end of a particularly long day, Charlie headed into the locker room. She shrugged herself out of her usual suit jacket and opened her locker. Angelo walked in and began to undress.

"I bet you think you look so hot in that suit," he commented. "_Detective _Buckton."

"It's Detective Buckton-Collins actually," she replied coldly.

Angelo merely snorted and stripped down to his underwear without any sense of bashfulness. He stood and watched her pull her leather jacket on and zip up, folding her suit jacket into her bag, ready to go home.

"You must be so frustrated after a life of kidding yourself," he said.

Charlie turned back to him in sheer confusing.

"What are you banging on about now?"

"Well, you ended up with some chick when you could have been with a man like me," he said.

She looked him up and down.

"Yeah, I really think I got the better deal," she said honestly and unkindly. "I don't know if you think that parading around in your underwear is doing anything for me but it's really not. I've been there, done that and it really wasn't anything to write home about. Joey on the other hand... well, she's got tricks you've never even heard of."

She turned and left without another word.

* * *

"I think that's a great idea," Martha enthused from behind the bar.

Her granddad, Alf, had approached on his day off with a suggestion of holding a Valentine's Night Ball at the Jukebox. Couples could celebrate romance together and they wouldn't make it exclusive to singles either. He had ideas for special cocktails and decorations and all sorts and she was surprised to find him so enthusiastic about it all.

"Really?"

Martha nodded and asked Xavier what he thought. Her employee merely nodded without any kind of enthusiasm. Things had gone wrong with Ruby before they'd even started going well again and the last thing he really wanted to do was spend a lonely Valentine's Day working behind the bar and serving drinks to a bunch of sappy couples. And he suspected that one of those happy couples could well turn out to be Ruby and Geoff. The missionary had come back to town for good and was working full time for the church and it was not lost on Xavier that he and Ruby were becoming largely inseparable. It hurt more than he could ever explain.

"Oh, ignore Mr Grumpy," Martha said, noting the deflating in Alf's expression over Xavier's lack of enthusiasm. "It really is a good idea. Let's have dinner tonight and we can get it all going."

* * *

Joey was sitting in the garden, sketching the shape of the clouds as the sun began to slowly die on the horizon, when Charlie arrived home. She found her partner, who, ever self conscious, closed her sketch pad and kissed her. Charlie sat down beside her partner and smiled.

"Will you let me see?" she asked, gently coaxing her into sharing her work.

Reluctantly, Joey opened it back up and showed her. Charlie smiled. She was always impressed with her wife's work and found it very endearing that she was always so shy about it.

"It's beautiful," she said. "Everything you draw is beautiful."

Joey blushed and kissed her, closing the sketch pad again.

"How was your day?" she asked, moving to lie down and rest her head in Charlie's lap.

Charlie idly stroked Joey's hair.

"It was okay," she said. "I had a hilarious moment on the way out."

"Oh?"

Amused, Charlie explained Angelo's inflated ego as she'd left the station. Joey snorted.

"So, seeing him in his underwear didn't turn you then?" she teased. "I don't have to get all butch and possessive?"

Charlie laughed.

"It definitely didn't turn me," she said. "But it was pretty funny. Somehow, I don't think Angelo Rosetta is the cure to lesbianism."

* * *

One week later, most of the locals were gearing up for Alf's Valentine's Night Ball. Martha, Alf and Xavier had worked hard to decorate the Jukebox and even Xavier had to agree that the place looked lovely. He was still dreading the party itself but he hoped that he would be busy enough not to have any time to watch Ruby or see what she was doing or who she was doing it with. He also hoped that his estranged wife would have more decency than to parade a potential new romance in front of him and their daughter.

"Okay, I'm going to take my break and get some food and then I'll be back in time to finish setting up," he said.

"Okay, mate," Alf said cheerfully. "See you later."

Xavier waved and headed out, approaching the beach. He paused when he saw Angelo and Hugo arguing in an animated fashion on the sand. Angelo lashed out and pushed Hugo in the chest. Xavier stepped closer, ready to intervene if an actual fight broke out.

"Don't you dare fuck this up tonight," Angelo warned. "Once it's over with, we're home free okay? Then we can both get out of this shitty little town and start again."

Hugo nodded. The pair of them stalked away from each other. Unseen, Xavier licked his lips and tried to figure out what to do. Making a decision quickly, he headed towards the police station.

* * *

"You know, I really don't mind working tonight," Daria told Charlie with a sour expression.

"Nope," Charlie said. "Me, Joey and David all agree that you have to get out more."

"And hang around a bunch of smug marrieds?" Daria asked.

"There will be lots of single people at the party," Charlie said firmly.

Watson approached looking cheerful. She put her arm around Daria, trying to jostle her into some kind of cheer. Daria squirmed out of her embrace, rolling her eyes and complaining.

"Oh, come on," Charlie said cheerfully. "Who knows what kind of hot guy you might end up meeting tonight."

"There _are _no hot guys!" Daria complained before announcing that she was going to do a coffee run.

She waved briefly at Xavier as he walked into the station. He barely registered her as he approached Charlie, asking her for a private word.

* * *

Joey had collected Max, Ollie and Cathy from school in order to give them dinner and bring them to the party. With Joey busy making their food, the kids were up in Max's bedroom. Ollie announced that he was going to the toilet and disappeared, leaving Max feeling nervous.

"Will you be my date tonight?" he asked rather quickly.

Cathy looked up in surprise.

"Your date?" she asked.

He nodded. Cathy burst out laughing.

* * *

Xavier sat in the interview room with Charlie and Watson. All the while feeling guilty, he explained the two arguments he had seen Angelo and Hugo having.

"It could be nothing," he said anxiously, wondering if he had blown everything out of proportion. "I mean, they have history. They could have been arguing about that but I just... just in case it's something to worry about, I thought the only right thing to do was tell you."

He sighed, glad to be unburdened.

"Did I do the right thing?" he asked.

"You definitely did, Xave," Charlie said. "Thank you. We'll keep an eye on both of them."

Xavier nodded and stood up, eager to leave. Alone in the interview room, Charlie and Watson turned to face each other.

"What do you think?" Watson asked.

"I think we need to put them both under surveillance," Charlie said. "And I don't know about Hugo but Angelo said he was going to the party tonight so perhaps we can keep an eye on them there. For now, why don't you have a scout around and check Hugo out. I'll find out where Angelo is."

"Yes, boss," Watson said, getting up immediately.

* * *

Max cringed as Cathy continued to guffaw.

"My friends are going to have such a laugh when I tell them about this," she said. "Getting asked on a date by a nine year old!"

She laughed harder. Max didn't have the courage to point out that she was only eleven herself.

"And a loser at that!" she added, still finding the whole thing hysterical.

"I thought we were friends," Max said quietly.

Suddenly Cathy looked serious.

"We're not friends," she said.

Ollie walked back into the room looking confused.

"I'm not friends with either of you," she said. "The only reason I'm even here is because our stupid parents haven't figured that out yet."

Max and Ollie remained quiet and offended.

"I mean, Ollie's Dad is a criminal and Max doesn't even have a Dad. You've got two lesbian Mums who aren't even related to you! Why would I ever want to hang out with losers like you? I've got my own life and my own friends. And I just hope Mum figures that out soon."

* * *

Charlie arrived home late and was even then only able to quickly get changed. She was disappointed as she and Joey had indulged in buying new outfits for the party. They had been looking forward to relaxing and getting ready together but now it looked like Charlie wouldn't really be off duty. With the kids eating their dinner, Charlie arrived back downstairs in the skinny jeans and low cut, sparkly top she'd bought. She ruffled Max's hair and kissed Joey goodbye at the door, promising to meet them at the party. Then she hurried out, telling Joey to get a cab to the party and she would drive them home afterwards. Still at the table, Cathy smirked at Max who focussed all his attention on his food.

* * *

Morag rushed into the bedroom when she heard an almighty crash.

"Ross!" she said.

He had tipped the wardrobe over and was now sitting in an array of mess.

"I couldn't find my suit," he said, close to tears.

"It's here, darling," Morag said gently. "It's laid out on the bed for you."

He turned to see that she was right and finally burst into tears. Morag held him and kissed the top of his head. She doubted they would be going out tonight after all.

* * *

Angelo said goodbye to his colleagues and headed home to get changed. He smiled at Daria but she ignored him. She had barely spoken to him since she'd realised that he was using her. He thought it was childish and couldn't believe that the revelation could really have been that much of a shock. He was a lifelong bachelor and that was the way he was planning to stay. The first and last girl he had ever really loved was Charlie and that hadn't exactly turned out well. The closest he had come since then was his ex wife and then Belle and again, neither of those had been a success. Since then, he had confined himself to being single and that was the way he liked it. Daria had merely functioned the pass the time.

* * *

Charlie waited a few moments in the police station car park before she pulled out and began to tail Angelo. She followed him back to his current apartment and waited in the dark, wondering if he would be heading straight to the party of if he would make some kind of pit-stop. She pulled out her phone and called Watson, letting her know where she was.

"I'm outside Hugo's hotel," Watson told her. "He had dinner at Crumble and then he came here. I'll let you know where he goes."

* * *

At the Jukebox, Alf, Xavier and Martha were perfecting the decorations when a pretty woman walked in and approached the bar with a cheerful smile.

"Is this the lamest party ever or am I just fashionably early?" she asked.

Alf laughed at the hippy looking chick.

"You're fashionably early," he said.

She sat down on a bar stool and smiled, wondering if being the first guest entitled her to a free drink.

"Just because you're so cheeky," he said. "Yes, you can."

* * *

"Are you okay, darling?" Joey asked.

She, Max, Ollie and Cathy had opted to walk instead of getting a cab to the Jukebox as it wasn't very far. The music had begun and several locals and some people Joey didn't know, had already arrived and were already drinking and dancing.

"I'm fine," Max mumbled unhappily.

Cathy spotted her mother, brother and sister at a table and hurried over to them without so much as a goodbye.

"Are you sure?" Joey asked.

"I'm fine," Max snapped before sulking off into a corner.

Ollie followed him. Unhappily, Joey headed up to the bar to get a cocktail for herself and a couple of soft drinks for the boys.

* * *

Xavier looked up, later in the evening when Hugo waltzed into the bar looking like nothing had happened. A few minutes later, dressed up in her party gear, Watson also arrived and quickly found Sarah sitting with Joey, deep in conversation while Matthew waddled round the room, playing some kind of game with Todd. Hugo approached the bar and asked his brother for a beer.

"How are things going?" he asked cheerfully.

"Pretty good," Xavier said, although he was a little on edge over what he had told the police.

Angelo walked into the bar and stepped up beside Hugo, waiting to order his own drink. Charlie came in a few minutes later and immediately wound her way over to Joey, Watson and Sarah.

"Is this you done for the night or...?" Sarah asked.

"We'll be on duty until we find out what's going on," Charlie said unhappily.

She leant over and gently squeezed Joey's knee, apologising.

"It's okay," Joey said, kissing her cheek. "It's your job. You've got to do what you've got to do."


	138. Chapter 138

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Eight**

**February 2034**

The party was in full swing now and Alf was pleased with the turnout. Angelo was sitting in a corner, careful not to drink too much. Tonight was an important night. Glancing at Hugo, he found he was propping up the bar and making conversation with his brother. The conversation was halted regularly as Xavier was serving customers in quick succession.

* * *

Having worn themselves out dancing, the twins fell onto a couch together. Despite herself, Daria was actually having a nice time and it was easier than she expected to forget that Angelo was there looking dark and mysterious in the corner. David beamed when he saw Andy coming towards them, having finally escaped work for the night. Daria rolled her eyes as the couple hugged and kissed each other hello.

* * *

Charlie and Joey had taken Max outside to try and find out why their normally happy little boy was being so sullen. Ollie had escaped to his mother and Max was becoming increasingly miserable. Sitting at the edge of the beach, Charlie and Joey waited for him to open up. Charlie had positioned them so that she could still see the entrance of the Jukebox in case Angelo or Hugo decided to leave early. Watson was still keeping watch inside.

"There's nothing wrong!" the nine year old insisted although even he knew it sounded hollow.

"Max, I swear to you, from experience, that it is always best to talk to someone who cares about you when you have a problem," Joey said gently.

"I don't have a problem," Max lied.

"Max..." Charlie said.

Finally he sighed and began to explain what Cathy had said earlier in the day.

* * *

Tony went to the bathroom, leaving Leah and Rachel to sit together. The girls were considering dancing but the wine was definitely taking hold. Leah sank back in her chair, sighing dramatically.

"What's up?" Rachel asked.

"I'm sitting alone at a Valentine's Ball," Leah said unhappily. "I'm not only a widow but I'm also a divorcee and my most recent ex is in jail for killing a fellow soldier when he was in the SAS. I'm also fifty years old and I don't think I am ever going to fall in love again."

She sighed again.

"Of course you'll find love again," the Doctor replied. "You're beautiful, you're funny, you're smart, you're kind..."

"I am the only singleton amongst our little school group," Leah said. "I mean, once upon a time it was me, you, Martha and Charlie. Then Joey and Aden joined us. And now Charlie and Joey are together, Jack and Martha are happily married, you're with Tony. Geez... even Aden has managed to find love with Nicole after..."

She frowned, thinking of Belle.

"You'll meet someone new and wonderful," Rachel insisted. "I know you will."

"Maybe," Leah said, unconvinced.

She sighed again.

"Valentine's Day is never the easiest day for me anyway," she admitted. "Even when I was with Roman, it..."

"It was the first day you met Vinnie," Rachel remembered.

Leah nodded. She glanced at Angelo, still skulking in the corner and then at Hugo, still propping up the bar.

* * *

"What about him?" David suggested, pointing across the room at a guy around their age.

"Yeah," Andy enthused. "He's pretty."

Daria looked and then frowned.

"So is his girlfriend," she pointed out.

The three of them watched him pull a woman into his arms and kiss her.

"Have you considered women at all?" David asked, mostly to get a reaction.

He succeeded in making her choke on her drink.

"If there's a gay gene in our family, it missed me," Daria smirked.

David laughed.

"It's a shame because _she _really is hot!" Andy remarked, pointing across the room at a hippy looking woman.

"For a girl," he added when David looked curiously at him.

"And for someone the same age as our parents," Daria remarked.

* * *

Aden and Nicole were dancing together and having a wonderful time. It was nice to let their hair down and spend time together, knowing the kids were included without needing to be watched each and every second. Todd and Matthew were playing a game that involved running round Watson and Sarah's chairs and generally making an amusing nuisance of themselves. As usual, Clarissa and Gina were inseparable and sitting over with Zac, Ruby and Geoff. And Cathy was hanging around with some of her mates from school. The music switched from one song to another. Aden and Nicole stepped closer to each other and kissed. Drawing away, they smiled happily at each other.

"Uh, guys?"

They turned to see Charlie and Joey looking awkward.

"Can we have a word?" Joey asked.

* * *

With the next lot of drinks in their hands, James and Leanne wound their way back over to Ruby, Geoff, Zac, Gina and Clarissa.

"Thanks!" Gina and Clarissa said in unison, happy with their orange juices.

Zac, who was clearly growing sleepy, climbed onto Leanne's lap and closed his eyes.

"Do you need to go home?" James asked him.

He nodded. Both Leanne and James' hearts sank. Bickering immediately ensued as they debated whether or not both of them should have to go home. Zac tried to tune it out and not feel guilty for being tired.

* * *

"Cathy Smith, you get over here right now!" Nicole bellowed, gesturing for her eldest daughter to approach.

Cathy shifted unhappily over to her mother, Aden, Charlie and Joey.

"Do you want to explain yourself please?" Nicole demanded.

Cathy shrugged and mumbled that she didn't know what she was talking about.

"I'm talking about Max," Nicole said. "Did you say something unkind to him earlier?"

"No! He's lying!" Cathy insisted.

"What's he lying about?" Nicole asked.

"I didn't say... um... whatever he says I said to him."

She sank into a chair beside her mother and glared at Charlie and Joey.

"He asked me for a date," she said. "And I said no. It's not my fault if he's too immature to accept that."

She folded her arms and pouted.

"Max said that you laughed at him and said you weren't friends anymore," Charlie ventured.

"I might have laughed a little," Cathy admitted. "And we're not friends anymore."

"But you and Max have always been friends," Nicole pointed out.

"Well, I'm in high school now," Cathy complained. "I have my own friends and I don't want to hang out with a kid."

"Okay, well that's a shame but we do understand," Joey said gently. "But the thing is that there are ways to handle that. You don't have to be mean to someone just because they're younger than you are."

Charlie studied her wife's face, wondering if she had behaved as badly when they had been kids. With Charlie being two and a half years older than Joey, for a brief period at least, she had left Joey behind at around the same age. In the end though, Charlie had missed her best friend far too much and they had made amends. It was the first fall out they had ever had.

"Okay, fine, sorry," Cathy sulked.

"Well, you need to say that to him, Cath," Aden said.

She glared at him, resenting him for not being her Dad.

"And you can apologise to Charlie and Joey for your homophobic remarks," Nicole said.

"Homo-what?" Cathy asked indignantly.

"Apparently you teased him for having gay parents," Nicole said.

Cathy denied it but looked guilty.

"You do not make comments like that, young lady," Nicole told her sternly. "Is that clear? There is nothing wrong with being gay. And I can tell you now that if it hadn't been for Charlie and Joey, you might not even exist. When your Dad had nowhere to go, they took him in and helped him."

Cathy forced herself not to comment that Charlie was also the reason he was dead. She wasn't entirely clear on the details but she knew there had been an accident in which her Dad had died and Charlie had been injured.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"It's fine," Charlie said. "But please apologise to Max."

Cathy glanced at her friends, wondering what she could tell them to cover for her humiliation. Then she nodded and agreed to apologise to her former friend.

* * *

Ruby and Geoff exchanged glances after Leanne and James took Zac off home together without so much as saying goodbye to anybody.

"Mum, we're going to the toilet," Gina said, taking her best friend's hand and disappearing.

"They really are two peas in a pod, aren't they?" Geoff commented.

"Yeah," Ruby chuckled. "It's pretty cute. It reminds me of..."

She sighed, having intended to say that it reminded her of herself and Xavier before she had been sent to boarding school. But it didn't feel appropriate now.

"Charlie and Joey," she finally said. "They were the best of friends and absolutely inseparable back then too!"

She laughed. Geoff did too. They both reached for their glasses at the same time and brushed hands. Without thinking it through, they leant in for a kiss.

* * *

At the bar, Hugo jumped when Xavier dropped a bottle. It smashed and its contents poured out over the floor. Martha jumped back and teased Xavier for being clumsy but he had barely reacted. Looking heartbroken, he was watching Geoff and Ruby kissing.

* * *

Charlie and Joey had left Nicole and Aden to it and reassured Max that everything was okay. They just hoped that they were telling the truth – and that Cathy would get over the angsty, opinionated phase that she was going through.

"Uh oh," Joey suddenly said.

"What?" Charlie asked.

Joey nodded towards Ruby and Geoff in the corner. Charlie looked and then looked back at Xavier who looked mortified.

* * *

Gina and Clarissa finished washing their hands and found their way back to the party together.

"No," Gina said, stopping stock still when she saw her mother kissing Geoff in the corner.

Clarissa immediately put her arm around her. They had talked before about whether Gina thought her Mum's 'friend' was a boyfriend and now it seemed the answer was yes. But she had heard her Dad talking to his brother about how much he still loved her Mum and Gina had been hoping that they would one day find their way back to each other after all.

* * *

Angelo's phone burst to life. He picked up the text message immediately, abandoned his drink and left the party calmly and quietly, nodding at Hugo on his way out. From their separate tables, Charlie and Watson both noticed but waited. At the bar, Martha patted Xavier on the shoulder and told him to go and take a minute. He left quickly. Hugo watched him go and then walked out of the Jukebox. Charlie and Watson waited another ten seconds, apologised to their partners and followed their suspects.

_

* * *

_

Next time on 'Interwoven' TWO people are going to get shot. Oh dear...! Love, IJKS xxx


	139. Chapter 139

_Here is what would have been yesterday's update. One more to go. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Thirty Nine**

**February 2034**

Charlie and Watson had split up. Watson had opted to go after Angelo while Charlie was in pursuit of Hugo. Alone in her car, without her lights on, Charlie felt a little nervous. Being out on the road still unnerved her sometimes because of what had happened with Romeo, Zoe and Brett. Angelo wound his way towards the outskirts of town. On her hands free kit, she called Daria, deciding that the safest option was to get back up. Who knew what Hugo could be capable of?

* * *

The world came rushing back to Ruby and Geoff and they felt awkward as they realised where they were. Ruby glanced up to the bar and was relieved that Xavier wasn't there. Looking around the small bar, she spotted Gina and Clarissa with their backs to her. She just hoped they hadn't seen her and Geoff. Across the room, Daria picked up her phone and marched outside.

* * *

Watson followed Angelo down to the docks. Parking a short distance away, she watched her suspect step out of his car and approach a vessel that was just pulling in. Feeling out of her depth, she phoned Jack.

* * *

Joey and Sarah remained at their table, hoping that their partners would soon return safely. It was always worrying when Charlie and Watson charged out on a mission. While Watson had largely been lucky during her time on the police force, Charlie had been injured a fair amount of times and the thought of it always made Joey feel a little unwell. Daria had left soon after without saying goodbye and now Jack had departed in order to take a phone call.

* * *

Hugo paused with his hand on his illegally obtained gun, ready to pull it out and fire if he came under attack. Currently, he just couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched and it was unnerving him. This was the final leg of his scheme. Once he had transported the evidence of the last shipload of cargo, and helped Angelo bring the next load to the shore, they would have earned enough to walk away. They could operate things from a distance and not have to live under the scrutiny of this horrible little town.

* * *

Jack reappeared and approached Martha behind the bar.

"I have to go," he said apologetically.

"Why?" Martha asked.

"Work," Jack explained. "I'd tell you more but I don't really know any details. I just got a call so I have to... Sorry."

Martha smiled at him, assuring him that it was okay. Moving out from behind the bar, she hugged and kissed her gently on the mouth.

"I'll see you later," she said. "And if you're not too tired, we can definitely celebrate Valentine's Day when we get back home."

She grinned naughtily and he returned the gesture.

"I will look forward to that," he said, kissing her again before heading out into the night.

* * *

"Hey, guys, where are Charlie and Watson?" Melissa asked, dropping into a seat beside Joey.

"Work," Joey and Sarah both said glumly.

Melissa chuckled, wondering aloud if she had been that lost whenever Mink hadn't been around. She chose to ignore just how lost she had been since they'd been apart for good.

"They should be back soon," Joey said more cheerfully.

"We hope," Sarah added.

"Mummy, I need a wee!" Matthew announced, bounding up to Sarah.

She got up to help him to the toilet. Joey chuckled.

"So glad I don't have kids!" Melissa remarked.

"You kind of get used to toilet demands," Joey assured her.

* * *

Daria caught up with Charlie down at an industrial estate that neither of them had ever been to before. Hugo was out of his car and making his way into the building.

"What do we do?" Daria asked, still not entirely sure what was going on.

"We follow," Charlie said, climbing out of the car.

Daria did the same and both women reached for their weapons and keeping close together.

* * *

Watson felt sick as she watched Angelo and an unknown man haul dishevelled and malnourished looking people onto the shore and into a van. She was grateful when Jack arrived and from their safe distance, she updated him on what she thought was going on. It was all a little hard to comprehend but the truth was largely obvious. Waiting until all of the victims were in the van, Watson and Jack made their presence known.

* * *

A slow song came on, signalling that the end of the night was nigh. People began to couple up, although Ruby and Geoff remained awkwardly in their seats. Xavier had long since returned to the bar but he hadn't looked at either of them. Joey and Sarah remained at their table, missing their partners and wondering how long they would be. Shyly, Selena and Damian, who had spent most of the evening talking at a mile a minute with each other, got up to dance. The hippy stranger crossed the room and asked Melissa to dance without so much as knowing her name. But she had had her eye on her from the start and figured now was as good a time to get to know her as any. Promptly ignoring her mother, Gina got up to dance with Clarissa, and Max watched Cathy longingly from his corner of the room.

* * *

Guns poised, Charlie and Daria worked their way around the rows of shipping containers, trying to find Hugo and figure out what the hell it was that he was up to. Hearing footsteps, Charlie jerked out of the way. Hugo walked past them, on the phone and struggling to get reception. The police officers watched him and were about to follow when Daria pointed. One of the shipping container doors was ajar. Charlie gestured for Daria to stay where she was while she went to check it out.

* * *

"Stop!" Watson shouted. "Police!"

Angelo and his colleague froze. Jack and Watson charged up to them, ordering them to drop their weapons. In panic, Angelo lifted his gun and fired.

* * *

Charlie fought the urge to vomit when she saw the horrific state of the people who had obviously been trapped inside the shipping container. Opening the door wider, she panicked over what to do.

"Charlie!" Daria suddenly yelled.

Charlie looked up just in time to see Hugo charging up to her. Like Angelo down at the docks, he too, fired his gun.


	140. Chapter 140

**Chapter One Hundred and Forty**

**February 2034**

Daria screamed as she saw her mother fall to the ground. Hugo spun to face her quickly, putting his finger back on the trigger, ready to fire again. With shaking hands, Daria fired first. This time, Hugo hit the ground.

* * *

Watson hesitated for a moment too long. Leaving the illegal immigrants where they were, Angelo and his colleague broke into a run, disappearing into the night. Deciding not to follow them, Watson skidded onto her knees beside Jack, lying lifeless on the ground. His eyes stared at nothing and blood seeped from his chest.

"Jack?" Watson almost screamed, shaking him and searching desperately for a pulse.

She found nothing.

"Jack!" she shouted.

Pulling her jacket off, she pressed it against the wound to stem the bleeding, all the while knowing it was already too late.

* * *

Most of the party guests had left and the evening was petering out. Joey and Sarah approached Martha at the bar. Nobody had heard from their partners, or from Daria. All four had disappeared to goodness knows where and they were trying not to worry about them, or miss them too much as people continued to couple up.

* * *

"Would you stop fretting?" Andy pleaded.

He and David had arrived home but David's mind was on Daria more than anything else. Andy moved in and kissed him. David smiled, happily distracted from his concerns.

* * *

Back at the Jukebox, Xavier kept his head down and wiped tables, intent on keeping himself to himself. Ruby and Geoff had taken Gina and left together half an hour earlier and the thought of what the pair of them might get up to was excruciating. He had hoped so much last year that he and Ruby might be able to make a go of things after all but now it looked like any optimism was over. Geoff was back and he had stolen Ruby all over again.

* * *

Lurching forward, Daria pulled out her handcuffs. She unceremoniously dragged Hugo over to the nearest shipping containing and attached him to it. Pulling off her jacket, she handed it over to Hugo and told him to stem the bleeding in his arm. Then she raced over to Charlie, unconscious on the floor. She begged her to wake up and was relieved to find a faint pulse. Hugo had shot her in the leg. Trembling, Daria stemmed the bleeding with her Mum's jacket and called an ambulance.

* * *

Sirens wailed in the distance as Watson remained, tearful, with Jack's body. She gently closed his eyes for him and wondered how on earth she was going to be able to break the news to Martha and the rest of Jack's family. Her tears dripped onto Jack's chest, mingling with his blood.

"Watson?"

She looked up to see Carol and another paramedic standing over her. Watson moved away, vaguely explaining that Jack had been shot. Sitting on the floor, she watched them work in vain.

* * *

Martha sat on one side of the bar with Joey and Sarah on the other. Max had cheered up and was playing a card game with Ollie while Christine and Jake were in another corner with their school friends. Matthew was fast asleep. Sarah looked lovingly at her son.

"We'd better be making tracks," she said. "My little boy is exhausted."

Joey hugged her goodbye. Checking that Max and Christine were still lively, Joey accepted the free cocktail Martha was offering.

"Our significant others have a lot of making up to do when they get home!" Martha giggled.

"Yep," Joey agreed with a smirk. "I do love it when Charlie owes me stuff!"

* * *

Ruby had invited Geoff in for a coffee. They were both feeling shy about their kiss and anxious over who might have seen. Xavier hadn't exploded like Ruby expected him to but he had avoided them for the rest of the night. And after Gina had eventually been prised away from Clarissa, she had been particularly quiet and then eager to get to bed. Ruby was worried that her daughter had seen something and she knew she might well have a lot of making up to do in the morning. If she and Geoff were going to make a go of things, she wasn't going to apologise for it. But she knew she had probably handled it very badly.

* * *

Daria had called for backup and a couple of her colleagues had come to drag Hugo back to the police station. Daria had climbed into the ambulance beside Charlie who was awake and screaming in pain. She had a bullet in her thigh, very close to her hip. The paramedics had provided her with as much pain relief as they were allowed to, as well as oxygen and temporary treatment for the wound. Daria sat beside her mother, holding her hand and reassuring her that everything would be alright. She also promised to call Joey as soon as they got to the hospital.

* * *

Watson followed the ambulance to the hospital in her car. She could hardly see the road from the tears in her eyes. She didn't dare try and call Martha or Tony yet. She had no idea what to say. Turning left, she pulled into the hospital car park. Pulling into a space as quickly as possible, the police officer hurried up to the ambulance as Carol and her colleague, deflated and sad, stretchered Jack into the building.

* * *

"I guess we'd better get going," Joey said, still unhappy that Charlie hadn't come back yet.

She began to round up the kids.

"How are you getting home?" Aden asked, approaching her.

"Walking," Joey said. "Same way we got here."

"I can give you a lift," Aden offered. "Nic's still gasbagging with Leah and Kirsty about something or other so I can drop you back and then come and collect her and the kids."

Joey accepted gratefully and began to gather her rabble together. They were just about to leave when Joey's phone rang.

* * *

Ruby and Geoff remained on the sofa, having been kissing for a while. It had been such a long time since they had been an item and so many things had happened in between but somehow it just felt right. It felt natural to be together again. All Ruby could hope was that nothing would explode in terms of her and Xavier, especially for Gina's sake. For now though, alone, Ruby was enjoying Geoff's company immensely.

* * *

Martha picked up her phone a few moments after Joey had answered hers. She stumbled back against the counter, immediately overwhelmed and afraid. After a few moments of talking to Watson, she hung up, just about managing to explain to Alf that Jack was in hospital.

"What happened?" Alf asked worriedly.

"He was shot," Martha managed, feeling sick and weak.

Across the room, having been told by Daria about what had happened to Charlie, Joey wasn't coping any better. She hurried back to the bar, using it to prop herself up and fighting nausea. Aden stayed with her, supporting her and offering to take her to the hospital.

"No," Joey said. "No, um... I'll get a cab. I... Can you look after the kids?"

"Of course," Aden said.

Joey glanced up and saw how pale Martha was. She said her friend's name.

"Jack's been shot," the bar owner said.

"So has Charlie," Joey said weakly.

Noticing the stress surrounding them all, Leah hurried over, asking what was wrong. Alf explained. Realising just how close Martha and Joey were to panicking, Leah stepped in. She requested that Alf look after Jake for the night and told Aden to take care of Max and Christine. She then carefully bustled Joey and Martha out of the Jukebox and into her car in order to take them to the hospital.

* * *

Watson and Daria sat anxiously in the hospital corridor. Since arriving, Watson had spent a significant amount of time in the bathroom, emptying the contents of her stomach. She couldn't get the image of Jack's dead body out of her mind. Sitting beside a trembling Daria, Watson held her hand.

"What happened?" Watson finally asked.

"Hugo..." Daria managed. "He just... he shot her and..."

Charlie's daughter cried harder. She and Watson both looked up when Martha, Joey and Leah burst through the door. The three new arrivals raced up to them, desperate to know what had happened. Daria and Watson sat Joey and Martha down, separately and gently explaining what had happened to their loved ones.

* * *

Charlie woke up slowly. She felt sick and struggled for breath until she realised she was wearing an oxygen mask. Pulling it off, she regulated her breathing herself before putting it back on again. Her body hurt and she was confused as to how she got there. Then she remembered that the last thing she had seen was Hugo and the last thing she had heard was Daria screaming her name. Panicked about her daughter, Charlie sat up quicker than she should have. Wincing in pain, she hit the call button, hoping that the nurse would come quickly.

* * *

Once Rachel, Tony and Lucas had arrived, a Doctor had taken them and Martha into a relatives' room in order to break the news to them that Jack had died. Daria and Watson remained in the waiting room, while Joey headed on in to see Charlie.

"Are you okay?" Daria asked, knowing before the words came out that it was a ridiculous question.

"I can't believe he just... died," Watson said, her voice catching. "One minute we were charging over, all set to bring Angelo down and the next..."

"It was Angelo who fired?" Daria asked.

Watson nodded, feeling guilty. She couldn't help but think that if only she hadn't called for backup, things might have gone a different way. Daria felt sick to know that she had slept with Angelo and she had wanted to be in a relationship with him. She felt like a fool for not having seen through him the way other people had. And now Jack was dead and Charlie, the woman who had spent her life protecting her, was lying in a hospital bed. Daria was terrified that she wouldn't pull through. She hated the months she had recently missed by being angry with her.

* * *

Joey held Charlie gently, kissing the top of her head and keeping her close. She tried hard not to cry.

"You got to stop doing this to me, sweetheart," Joey scolded gently.

Charlie managed a laugh.

"Like you're one to talk," she said, pulling back and wiping her eyes.

Joey moved to sit beside her partner on the bed, holding her hand. She was still tearful.

"What's the damage?" Charlie asked anxiously.

The doctor hadn't really explained anything yet.

"You've had surgery on your leg," Joey explained. "They said that nothing major got hit but..."

She sighed heavily. The Doctor had warned of permanent damage. Joey could empathise only too much.

* * *

Two hours later, Martha, Tony, Rachel and Lucas had each been in to say goodbye to Jack before he was taken down to the morgue. They filed out of the hospital and towards home in silence. Having made sure that Charlie was okay, Daria had allowed herself to be convinced to go home. A still tearful Watson had volunteered to drive her, leaving Joey adamantly staying by Charlie's side in the hospital. The Detective was due to be sent up to a ward any time now but Joey was determined to stay with her for as long as she could. Charlie was broken over Jack's death and the shock of what had happened to her and its repercussions was still sinking in. She was facing months of physiotherapy and was terrified over how the injury would affect her life from here on out. She'd seen Joey struggle for years with her shoulder and she didn't know if she was strong enough to face the same thing.

* * *

Having paced her apartment for half an hour and realising there was no way she was getting any sleep tonight, Daria escaped and headed back over to the Jukebox. The doors were locked but there was a light on inside. She knocked. Several minutes later, Xavier pulled the door open.

"Oh, hey," he said. "I heard what happened. Are you okay? How's Charlie?"

"She's going to be okay," Daria said. "But my head's all over the place. I was hoping for a drink."

He nodded and welcomed her inside, locking the door behind them and explaining that the party had broken up and he'd offered to finish all the clearing up. Moving behind the bar, he began to pour a couple of drinks.

* * *

Ruby was in a state, having received a call from Joey, telling her that Charlie had been in an accident. She'd been advised to wait until the morning to come to the hospital and see her and she'd been assured that it was nothing life threatening but Ruby was definitely scared. To this day, she was afraid of something happening to her elder sister in the line of duty, especially when she was out on a night shift. Ruby was grateful only that she now had Geoff to comfort her.

* * *

With Jake spending the night with Alf, Tony and Rachel invited Martha to come and sleep in their spare room, wanting to look after her. Nobody felt terribly able to communicate as they tried to comprehend everything that had happened. How could Jack be gone just like that? It wasn't fair and it wasn't right. And his killer had stolen into the night. Who knew where he could have run off to by now?

* * *

Watson arrived back home, exhausted and emotional. She immediately crawled into bed beside Sarah, having stopped off to kiss Matthew goodnight. Tearfully, she curled up in Sarah's arms, never wanting to let her go or face the world again.

* * *

Hugo sat in his police cell. He'd refused to answer any questions until he had a lawyer present but that couldn't be arranged until the morning. Knowing he was entitled to one phone call, he had attempted to ring Angelo but got no response. They'd treated him at the hospital quickly. Daria's bullet had only grazed him enough to incapacitate him momentarily. She had just wanted to distract him in order to handcuff him and then help Charlie. Hugo dreaded to think what would become of him now.

* * *

Angelo had grabbed as much stuff as he could carry and hot footed it out of town, taking out as much cash as the ATM would allow in order to leave as little a paper trail as possible. He was still shaking from what he had done and he worried about Jack. Back in the day, the boys had been friends. They had even shared a room at police academy. For all the wrong Angelo knew he had become capable of, killing a friend had never been in the equation. He felt sick at the thought.

* * *

On the ward, Joey had fallen asleep with her head resting on the edge of Charlie's bed. Her partner was also asleep and the couple continued to hold hand, dreaming fretfully over what would become of them tomorrow.


	141. Chapter 141

_I wrote this chapter ages ago so I am ignoring the whole 'Shandi being an imposter' story that has been going on in the actual show at the moment. (I've included her in this story for a bit). Otherwise, I hope you enjoy (if that's the right word) the aftermath of the shootings. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Forty One**

**February 2034**

Charlie woke feeling groggy and unwell the following morning. Joey had stayed beside her all night, clutching her hand and holding her tight.

"Morning," Joey managed sleepily.

"Last night wasn't a bad dream, was it?" Charlie asked, noting that she was on a hospital ward.

"I'm afraid not, sweetheart," Joey said sadly, kissing the back of her wife's hand.

"What about Jack?" Charlie asked.

"Watson confirmed last night that he'd died."

Charlie burst into tears all over again. Joey stood up and pulled her into a cuddle. She kissed the top of her head and closed her eyes, wishing the whole situation away.

* * *

Martha hadn't been to sleep all night. She'd remained in Tony and Rachel's spare room, desperately trying to recall the last thing she had said to her husband. Had she said a proper goodbye to him? Had he died knowing how deeply he was loved? And how was she meant to tell the kids? She'd bundled Jake off to stay with Alf and by the time Rachel had called him, Jake had fallen asleep. And Leanne, James and Zac had left significantly early. She'd tried her daughter once on her mobile before deciding that telling her that her Dad was dead could wait for a few hours.

* * *

Watson kissed Sarah and Matthew goodbye and headed into work early. The station would be a nightmare for the next long while. Not only would all of Jack's colleagues be grieving for a dear friend, they also had his killer to catch and a monstrous illegal and immoral operation to bring down. On top of that, their Detective had been injured in the line of duty and nobody had any idea when she would be well enough to return to work. Watson was exhausted at the mere thought of being involved in this mess but she knew the sooner she cracked on with it, the sooner it might be resolved. Sighing heavily, she hauled herself out of her car and tried to prepare herself to face the day.

* * *

Ruby arrived at the hospital as soon as visiting hours opened on the ward. Without having been able to get in touch with Xavier, she had been left with no option but to take Gina with her to the hospital. She didn't feel right about dumping her on Nicole at such short notice but Geoff, who had slept on the couch for the night, had offered to take her and Gina in and then keep the six year old amused while Ruby went in to see her sister.

"Okay, I'll see you in a little bit," Ruby said, kissing Gina goodbye before heading onto the ward.

Geoff watched her go and glanced a little anxiously down at Gina.

"Hey, I saw a play area outside," he said brightly. "Do you want to go and play on the swings or something?"

"I don't want to do _anything _with you," Gina said sourly, glaring at him.

* * *

Zac was obliviously playing with his computer games console while his parents silently stormed about in the kitchen, making breakfast and generally getting in each other's way.

"Look, it's not my fault we overslept!" Leanne finally snapped.

"Well, yeah, it is," James snapped back. "You were meant to set the alarm on your phone."

"I left my phone in the lounge!"

"Obviously!"

Unable to bear looking at her boyfriend of any longer, Leanne stormed into the living room and picked her mobile up, just for something else to do. She frowned when she saw a missed call from her mother. She immediately rang back.

* * *

Daria woke up with a rather sore head. She supposed it was a combination of stress and alcohol. Rubbing her eyes, she paused with the realisation that she wasn't at home. She glanced to her right and saw Xavier sound asleep beside her. Groaning, Daria sank against the pillows as all the memories for their after hours evening together came flooding back.

* * *

Ruby had been sitting with Charlie and Joey for half an hour when Ross and Morag arrived.

"Hey, Dad," Charlie said weakly, reaching out to him. "Hi, Morag."

They both came to kiss her cheek and offered up gifts of grapes and magazines.

"Have they said how long you'll be in here for?" Ross asked, sitting down.

A nurse appeared and looked a little awkward.

"Um... I'm really sorry but you're only allowed three visitors at a time," she said.

Everyone glanced at each other. Finally, Joey stood up.

"Why don't I leave you guys to it for a while?" she suggested, although her eyes said that she didn't want to leave Charlie even for a second.

"I think that's a good idea," Charlie said seriously. "You've been stuck here since last night and you slept awkwardly. It's not good for you."

"I'm fine," Joey assured her. "But I do smell."

The couple grinned at each other.

"So, I could do with a shower."

She bent to kiss Charlie's lips and promised to be back in a couple of hours.

* * *

Tony, Rachel, Martha, Leanne, James and Jake were all assembled in Tony and Rachel's sombre living room. Alf had taken Zac off to play. He was too young to have to deal with the pain of the situation. His parents could explain things to him in their own way later. For now, Jake was bundled into his mother's arms and Leanne was relying heavily on the support of her boyfriend. All arguments had been forgotten now. All James wanted to do was support the girl he loved through the hardest time of her life.

* * *

Watson sat opposite Hugo and the interview wasn't quite as difficult as she'd assumed it would be. She'd thought it would be hard to get the truth out of him but today, he was singing like a canary. Apparently, after he had left town last time, he had fully intended to start again on the straight and narrow. But then a familiar voice had called him and arranged to meet. It had been Angelo. He was still working for the police force but he had found a sure fire way to make some cold, hard cash and lots of it if only he was prepared to make the commitment. And once the job was completed, they would both be set up for life.

"How could you do that to those people?" Watson asked incredulously.

She felt sick as Hugo described the human trafficking ring. She had seen the photos from Charlie's crime scene and even without the vision of her injured best friend in them, the sight was a sickening one.

"I don't think I thought it through," Hugo said. "And I got in too deeply and too quickly. Before I knew what was happening, I was drowning."

"Let's not paint yourself as a victim here," Watson suggested coolly. "Thanks to yet another criminal gang you've been involved in, one officer is dead and one is very badly injured."

"How is Charlie?" Hugo asked.

Watson was surprised by his seemingly genuine concern.

"She's not well," she said coldly. "And don't you even care about your cousin?"

"Of course I care!" Hugo snapped. "I've fucked him over for years and I've never forgiven myself for it. From the day I first slept with Martha, I lost him. And now I've got him killed. Of course I feel sick about it."

"Good," Watson said.

Hugo looked down and studied his hands. He took a deep breath and looked back at the Sergeant.

"Jack isn't the only person who died," he admitted.

"We know most of your 'cargo' haven't survived," Watson replied.

Hugo shook his head.

"I'm talking about Lou DeBono."

* * *

Charlie lay in her hospital bed, feeling sorry for herself but sorrier for Jack and his family. She still couldn't quite get her head around the idea that he was gone. She had known him for such a long time. They'd gone to school and then police training together. They'd worked together for thirty years. And now he was dead. She wondered how the world kept turning when things like this happened all over it every day. Ruby, Ross and Morag surrounded her, trying to be strong and supportive as she explained that surgery had failed to remove all of the fragments of bullet from her leg. She would now have to live with a permanent but hopefully not too terrible disability. Her days of chasing bad guys were officially over but at least predominantly desk bound, at a Detective level, she would still be able to do her job until retirement. However, she had a long time before she would be allowed back to work at all. And she would have to deal with chronic pain and mobility problems.

"You'll have a great time getting through security at an airport," Ruby said, trying not to cry. "You'll set all the metal detectors off!"

She managed a weak smile. Charlie smiled back and pulled her closer for a hug.

"Sorry," Ruby said unhappily. "I just don't know what to say. I mean, how can this... any of this... how can it happen?"

* * *

Joey caught a cab to Aden's house to collect the kids and then he drove them all back to the house that Charlie and essentially Joey, had grown up in. Sitting together in the lounge, Joey reiterated that Charlie was definitely okay. But she explained in further detail that she was also very poorly and would need a lot of looking after.

"How poorly?" Christine asked. "Will she be able to walk?"

"She'll need help walking, most probably," Joey said.

"What kind of help?" Max wondered.

"A walking stick, I think," Joey told him. "And she'll need physiotherapy, you know, like I've had with my shoulder?"

Christine and Max both nodded.

"Who hurt our Mum?" Christine finally asked.

Joey looked uncomfortable and glanced at Aden who had remained silent but supportive throughout the conversation.

"It was Hugo," Joey said, deciding that honesty was the best policy. "You know, Gina's uncle?"

Christine and Max both nodded unhappily.

"But Daria was so good," Joey enthused. "She saved your Mum and she got Hugo taken to jail. You'd be really proud of her."

Christine grinned and put a comforting arm around her brother.

* * *

Crumble was busy but subdued. The news of Jack's death, Charlie's injury, Hugo's arrest and Angelo's escape was typically the talk of the town. In the kitchen, Leah and Colleen worked in sync but unusual silence. Colleen hadn't really been in town very long, comparatively to other locals but she already knew everybody and their business. But today she was determined to stay respectful and quiet. She had grown particularly fond of Jack and Charlie during her time in the small, beachside town and she felt absolutely bereft for poor Senior Constable Holden's wife and children.

* * *

Out in the main restaurant, Shandi and Melissa waltzed through the door cheerfully but halted when they noted the mood of the staff and patrons. The girls had hooked up the night before and were still on cloud nine.

"Geez, who died?" Shandi asked.

Someone burst into tears.

"Seriously," Melissa said, concerned. "Who died?"

Leah took them both aside, despite not actually knowing who Shandi was, and explained the heartbreaking situation.

* * *

Christine had sought permission to stay at home and wait for Jake to get in touch with her. She didn't want to abandon Charlie but she very much wanted to be there for her boyfriend in his time of need. Max had obediently gone off with Aden, despite last night's argument with Cathy and David and Daria had arrived to go to the hospital with Joey. Daria was still pale and shaken from the night before. She'd struggled to get the image of Charlie, broken and bleeding, out of her head, hence her somewhat dodgy decision making afterwards. She had escaped Xavier's apartment rather awkwardly and had no idea where they stood now or what they ought to do next.

* * *

James had taken Zac home and Alf had stayed for a little while with Tony and Rachel. Martha, Leanne and Jake were in their own family home, still trying to process what had happened. Last night, all Martha had had to complain about was that Jack had had to leave the party and she might not get the Valentine's smoochies she'd craved. And Leanne couldn't help but regret all the time she'd spent fighting with James when she could have been nice to him or, better, spent some time with her Dad. She hated the thought of how many opportunities she had wasted with her father. Jake just couldn't stop crying.

* * *

Cathy was in her bedroom but Clarissa had happily agreed to hang out with Max while he was visiting. The nine and six year olds busied themselves with playing with Todd in the garden while Aden and Nicole prepared them all some lunch. The idea of Martha losing her husband had brought back horrific memories for both of them. Pausing in sandwich making, Aden pulled his partner into a hug. They held on tightly for a good long while.

* * *

Charlie smiled when James appeared with a box of chocolates.

"So many of my babies have been visiting me today," the Detective grinned. "I feel very special."

James approached and kissed his mother's cheek and sat down on the opposite side to Joey. Daria and David had been and gone. It had got particularly emotional with Daria as Charlie had thanked her for saving her life while Daria struggled to take the praise. She felt terribly guilty for not having done more.

"How's Leanne?" Joey asked gently.

"She's pretty broken," James said. "She, Martha and Jake went to spend some alone time together. Zac's with Alf."

Charlie wiped her eyes.

"Poor Jack," she said. "Poor Martha. Poor everybody."

Joey crept a little closer and held her.

* * *

Leanne had gone to collect some things for herself from home in order to stay the night with her Mum and brother. Jake had escaped at the first opportunity, needing space to figure himself and his feelings out. The first thing he did was call Christine. Nobody understood him like she did.

* * *

Watson slung Hugo back into his cell, cold and angry. He had smuggled people into the country in vile, dangerous conditions. He'd shot Charlie and left her permanently disabled. And now it turned out that he had shot and killed Lou, leaving Irene to take the rap. And that wasn't even counting the hideous crimes and acts of immorality he had committed in the past. He'd had an affair with Martha behind his cousin's back. He'd got Belle and countless others hooked on drugs and left her to take the fall. He'd run a loan shark business that had resulted in Vinnie dying at the hands of a man he had then allowed to become his business partner – a man who had then gone on to shook Jack. And now they were struggling to find him. The longer Angelo was missing, the deeper Hugo's troubles became.


	142. Chapter 142

_It looks like the story that people want me to replace 'Return to Sender' with is 'Unforgiven' so get your votes in if you want 'Falling in Love' instead. Otherwise, I will finish 'Return to Sender' tomorrow and start 'Unforgiven'. And just to let you know, from Sunday, I might be disappear for a few days as I have a friend visiting from the States. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Forty Two**

**March 2034**

It had been a long month to say the least. The town had laid Jack to rest and Martha was rarely seen anymore. She had abandoned her post at the Jukebox, leaving Alf and Xavier in charge. After lengthy discussion with James, Leanne had taken Zac and temporarily moved back in with her Mum in a bid to look after her. Between school and dating Christine, Jake did his best for his family, trying hard to be the man of the house now that his Dad was gone, even if he was only twelve. But every day, he felt like he was falling short. Aden and Nicole had made extra special efforts with Martha, having also known the pain of losing a partner. Aden had always been fond of both of them, having gone to school when them when they were teenagers. And Nicole felt like she was getting to know Martha properly for the first time. She just hoped she was being supportive enough.

Charlie had been trapped in hospital for three long weeks, much to her annoyance and her bosses had come round to visit and insisted that she not return to work for a good long while. It was frustrating to be trapped at home, especially as the rest of the local police force were working flat out to try and track Angelo down. So far, they hadn't had any luck and Charlie desperately wished she could be of some use to her team. She was, however, enjoying the extra time she got to spend with Joey. Despite the circumstances, the couple had used it as much to their advantage as possible. They'd had happy afternoons as a couple and with the kids, and Joey had spoilt her partner as much as she could with nice food and comfort. They'd managed to go out on Joey's boat a couple of times and Joey was devoted to driving Charlie to physiotherapy every week. Charlie felt largely humiliated at having to use a walking stick when she was only just fifty one years old, but they had picked a nice, funky one – pink and pretty, no less – and Charlie had firmly decided that if she was going to be disabled then she was going to do it with style.

Hugo had made a full confession and was now being held in custody, awaiting trial. The police and the lawyers were busy arguing whether the court hearing should be sooner or later. Watson had made a case for delaying proceedings so that Hugo, Angelo and the rest of the people involved could be punished together, especially considering that Hugo wasn't going to fight the charges against him. He already knew he'd live most of the rest of his life in jail – if not all of it – and he felt like he had no fight left in him. He'd been charged with human trafficking, shooting Charlie and murdering Lou DeBono.

With Hugo's confession in place, it had just been a case of paperwork to finally set Irene free. She had been in jail for months and was released just in time for her sixty fifth birthday, although she hadn't wanted to celebrate. Kirsty and Miles, plus Selena and Damian, who had started dating each other again on Valentine's Day, were doing their best to look after her, as were Aden and Geoff, but they all felt like their efforts were falling short of what she really needed.

While Geoff had decided to make a go of things with Ruby once and for all, Xavier and Daria had surprised everyone by announcing that they were now an official item. Gina was struggling to deal with all the changes. The six year old had desperately hoped that her parents would reconcile. They had, after all, started to get along better again for a while there. But now her Mum was with someone new and so was her Dad – well, actually, they were going out with exes. But Gina was more than a little disappointed. She had so far opted not to say anything to them and she remained friendly with Daria, who was her cousin, after all, even if not by blood. But she was determined not to be nice to Geoff, even if he was funny and bought her presents. Her confidante was most definitely Clarissa. Gina didn't think she could live without her best friend. She meant more to her than anything.

* * *

It was Sunday morning and Joey was surprised to wake up alone. Stretching, she rolled out of bed and pulled her dressing gown around her. Padding downstairs, she found Max watching television in the lounge and munching on cereal.

"Morning," Joey greeted.

"Hey," Max said, turning and waving cheerfully. "Mum's outside."

Confused, Joey headed through the kitchen and peered out of the window. Charlie was dressed and somewhat awkwardly polishing her bike. In slippers, Joey headed outside to find out what her wife was up to.

"I'm going to sell the bike," Charlie said.

Her voice indicated that she was heavy hearted about the decision. Joey stepped up beside her and put her arm around her.

"Are you sure?"

"I'm not going to be able to ride again, am I?"

She almost hoped that Joey might somehow come up with a way for it to be possible but they both knew it wasn't. Charlie sighed heavily and leant against her partner. She smiled sadly and allowed Joey to lead her back inside.

* * *

Martha sat on the couch in her pyjamas, trying to eat a slice of toast and watching dodgy daytime television. Leanne came and sat beside her.

"Why don't we try getting out and doing something today?" she suggested.

Martha shook her head and took another bite of her food.

"It will do you good," Leanne said.

"Nothing will do me good," Martha replied.

"Just come for a walk."

"I'm not a dog."

Leanne sighed. She stood up and said that she was taking Zac to play on the beach for a little while later that morning and that it would be really nice if he could spend some quality time with his grandmother.

* * *

Charlie sat at the computer and put a poster together to advertise the sale of her bike. Joey watched her from the doorway, nursing a cup of coffee and feeling ever so sorry for her partner.

"You don't have to do it immediately," she said gently.

Charlie set the poster to print and looked up at her.

"I do," she said. "I just need to get it out of the way. I'm going to take some posters down to Crumble and the Juke and then down to the docks and stuff."

Joey stepped forward, offering to do it for her.

"Are you sure?" Charlie asked.

Joey nodded and took the posters from the tray. She kissed the top of Charlie's head and began to get ready to go out.

* * *

When Martha had continued to decline the invitation to the beach, Leanne had taken Zac anyway and arranged to meet up with James. Neither of them liked to say so but life seemed that much easier now that they weren't living together. Leanne was still grieving for her Dad but not having to see and therefore fight with James every day, was a relief. Sitting on the beach together, they watched fondly as Zac began building a sandcastle with gusto.

"How's your Mum?" James asked.

"A mess. How about yours?"

James nodded and sighed. He didn't think he had ever seen Charlie so vulnerable before.

"She's really struggling," he said. "She's always been so independent and now she can barely walk. It's awful."

"At least she's alive," Leanne said, more bitterly than she'd intended.

James immediately lost his rag, telling her that she didn't have the monopoly on grief. Zac continued to play, pretending that his parents hadn't started tearing chunks out of each other within minutes of meeting up.

* * *

"Thanks so much, Colleen," Joey said earnestly, accepting the lunch hamper and handing over her cash.

Joey had put the posters up in all the relevant places and then ordered a hamper from Crumble. Her plan was to get Max and Christine looked after for the day and then take Charlie out on the boat. Perhaps some sea air and being spoilt a little bit would help her feel better. Joey had ordered all of Charlie's favourite things and she hoped it would do her partner some good.

"No worries, love," Colleen said.

Joey smiled, thanked her again and headed out to the car. She drove down to the precious boat that Charlie had bought her and sorted the hamper out. Heading back off the boat, she was just about to drive home when she spotted Irene sitting on the pier, expression sad and feet dangling in the water. She quickly approached and sat down beside her.

* * *

"This is getting ridiculous," James finally sighed. "Every time we see each other, we fight. And we don't even have good makeup sex anymore."

Leanne nodded quietly.

"Is this it?" she asked, gazing out to sea.

"I think so," James replied, also staring at some point on the horizon.

They held hands in grief.

* * *

"How did you do it?" Irene asked Joey.

Joey didn't reply, although she knew exactly what the woman was talking about.

"How did you leave prison and start all over again?"

Joey sighed, trying to figure out what she ought to say.

"It wasn't easy," she said. "Being in prison is an experience like nothing else. It was hell for me and I can't imagine it was any better for you."

Irene laughed bitterly. Joey put her arm around her.

"But the only way I could cope was by letting my family in," she said. "I'd been isolated for what felt like forever and I got so lost. I'd been beaten up badly almost every day and I had all these bruises and cuts and burns all over my body. I wouldn't... I wouldn't let Charlie touch me and I really hurt her by shutting her out. I hurt both of us."

Irene nodded and wiped her eyes. She'd seen some violence too, although not as much. And she was struggling to communicate with her family.

"But once I started opening up to her," Joey said. "Once I let her start helping me... it got easier. Every day it got that little bit easier and now... now I can go whole days without thinking about what happened to me."

She smiled encouragingly.

"Really?" Irene asked.

Joey nodded.

"All I can advise you to do is keep communicating," she said. "Kirsty and Miles, Selena and Damian, they all love you so much. They'd do anything for you. They'll listen to whatever you have to say and they want to help you. So let them in. Give them a chance."

Irene nodded.

"And if you need to talk to someone who's been there, well, I'm only a phone call away," Joey said. "I feel bad for not being around sooner but I swear, from now on, just call and I'll be there. We can always meet up for a coffee and a chat. Or even if you just need to rant and rave. Whatever you're feeling, it's okay."

"Thank you, Joey," Irene said softly.

She wiped her eyes again. Joey hugged her gently.

* * *

Leanne arrived back home with Zac and found Martha still in the same position on the sofa. Letting Zac run off to play, Leanne came to sit beside her mother.

"James and I split up," she said.

Martha looked up sharply.

"What?"

"It's been on the cards for a while."

Martha hugged her, feeling sad all over again.

"Can me and Zac move in with you properly please?" Leanne asked.

Martha continued to hold her.

"I'd love that," she said softly.

* * *

"Oh, Joey, this is so sweet of you," Charlie said.

They'd taken Max, along with Macy, to go and spend the day with Ollie and Tony and Rachel had agreed to let Christine spend the day with them and Jake. Then Joey had driven Charlie down to the boat and helped her on board.

"You really didn't have to do this," the police officer said.

Joey caught hold of her hands and gazed into her eyes.

"Yes, I did," she said.

"Why?" Charlie asked, confused.

"Because I love you and because I've vowed to always try and make you happy," Joey said earnestly. "And I want to keep my promises."


	143. Chapter 143

_Sorry I disappeared again. I've caught the dreaded throat infection that seems to be going around so I have been laid up for a few days feeling sorry for myself. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Forty Three**

**March 2034**

"This is an absolutely perfect way to spend our day," Charlie said, looking and sounding more relaxed than she had been in a good long while. "Thank you so much."

She was stretched out on the padded bench lining one side of the deck of the boat. Joey stopped packing up their hamper and came to sit with her, lifting Charlie's head so that it rested in her lap. Charlie smiled as Joey began to play with her hair.

"It's my pleasure," Joey said. "I know things have been horrible for the last few weeks but I want to give you as much happiness as I can."

"You do," Charlie said. "Every single day, just by looking at me or smiling at me... you do."

They gazed lovingly at each other and Joey continued to play with her partner's hair. She bent a little to kiss her lips.

"Did you put the posters up for me?" Charlie asked.

Her voice was still tinged with sadness over giving up her beloved bike. She had had such a nice time on it all these years and it had been so hard to get back on it after the accident that had killed Romeo. But she'd been glad when Joey had helped her tackle her fears. And if it hadn't been for her injury, she would have hopped back on. But it was just impossible now and it made her sad.

"I did," Joey said. "I put them up in Crumble and the Juke and then down to the post office and the local shops. And I put one up down at the docks."

"Thanks," Charlie said softly.

"I ran into Irene while I was down there actually."

"Irene?"

Joey nodded and explained the conversation they'd had.

"You're very sweet to help her," Charlie said. "Not that I would have expected anything less."

She reached behind her and held Joey's free hand, giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Well, I just remember how hard it was when I came out of prison," Joey said. "I would never have got through it if it hadn't been for you and the rest of the people that cared about me. You know, like Rachel and Melissa."

Charlie nodded.

"Hey, speaking of Melissa," she said. "How are things with her and that woman? Um... I want to call her Lager but I don't know why."

Joey snorted.

"Shandi," she corrected.

"That's the one!" Charlie laughed.

"Yeah, I think things are going okay," Joey said. "She's cautious, of course. Mink broke her heart pretty badly before."

Charlie nodded again and closed her eyes. That time had definitely been hard for all of them. Romeo still haunted her dreams on occasion.

"So, how long will Kirsty and Miles look after Max?" she asked, changing the subject.

"They said they'd give him dinner and everything so you and I have pretty much as long as we like."

Charlie sat up, leaning in to kiss her.

"Sounds like heaven to me," she said.

* * *

"Gina! Would you just be quiet for one minute?" Ruby screeched.

The insolent six year old stuck out her bottom lip in protest, fixing her glare first one her mother and then on Geoff.

"Why can't I go and play with Clarissa?" she demanded, folding her arms unhappily.

"Because you can't spend every single day playing with your friend," Ruby said.

"Why not?" Gina challenged, still glaring. "You have your _friend _round all the time."

She poked her tongue out at Geoff.

"Gina Austin, you apologise right now!" Ruby snapped.

"Make me!" Gina yelled before hurrying off to her bedroom and slamming the door.

Ruby sank into a chair and rubbed her temples.

"Is she six or sixteen?" she wondered.

Geoff put an arm around her, trying to offer some sort of comfort.

"She's just testing the boundaries," he said. "And it's normal that she'd be unsettled by you dating someone new."

"She doesn't have a problem with Xavier and Daria," Ruby pointed out. "And it's not like Xave and I have only just split up. We've been apart for ages."

She chose not to mention that for a while it had looked like a reunion might be on the cards. Things were going well with Geoff and she wanted them to stay that way.

* * *

"Dance with me," Joey requested gently.

They had been relaxing in the sunshine for most of the day, listening to a selection of their favourite songs. Now, their wedding song was playing and it made Joey feel nostalgic. She looked at Charlie who looked startled and then sad.

"I can't..." she said, gesturing to her leg.

"If I held you?" Joey asked, not wanting to push her further than she was able.

Charlie smiled and allowed Joey to guide her a little clumsily to her feet. They moved to the middle of the deck, slowly dancing in each other's arms. Charlie leant on Joey, trusting fully and grateful for her support. Joey kept her close, losing herself in the song. When the music came to an end, they leant in for a kiss.

* * *

Miles had challenged Ollie and Max to Wii wars in the lounge, giving Kirsty a chance to sit and talk to Irene in the privacy of the patio. Mother and foster daughter sat side by side on chairs as Kirsty waited patiently for Irene to begin to unburden herself.

"I saw Joey today," Irene finally ventured.

"Was it helpful?" Kirsty asked.

She had a vague awareness that Joey had been wrongly imprisoned a few years ago but didn't know the full story.

"It was," Irene said with a gentle nod. "She really went to hell and back, that girl. And seeing her today... well, it gave me hope that I can pick myself back up. I mean, look at her. She does so well for herself. I know she has Charlie. And I know I've lost Lou. I miss him so much and I'd got so used to being part of a team, part of a couple again. But maybe I can start again on my own. Do you think I can? Do you think I can be strong enough?"

Kirsty put an arm around her.

"I know you can," she said confidently.

* * *

Charlie and Joey held each other close, contemplating going home but not quite feeling ready. In light of recent events, the day had been a particularly lovely one. They'd talked, they'd kissed, they'd danced, they'd eaten and they'd held each other. They'd escaped the world for a good few hours and lost themselves in each other.

"This has been a perfect day," Charlie said, idly playing with Joey's fingers.

Joey smiled and kissed her.

"It really has," she said.

* * *

Out in the city, Watson waited for her suspect to leave the motel she'd tracked him down to. Calling on Daria to follow her lead, and confirming the other half of her team were in place, Watson spotted him. She lurched forward and tackled Angelo Rosetta to the ground.


	144. Chapter 144

_We've skipped ahead a few years but life is very much full of hustle and bustle! I hope you enjoy it. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Forty Four**

**July 2037**

Several years had passed and with them, had come a lot of changes. Charlie was still the Detective of the town but she was mostly deskbound and her injury from being shot by Hugo had never healed adequately. Watson was her right hand woman and both Daria and a couple of other officers had put themselves up for promotion to Sergeant. The colleagues were getting extremely competitive about it and Charlie just hoped the decision would be made soon so they could get it out of the way. Secretly, she hoped that Daria would be in receipt of the promotion but then of course, that was why she wasn't allowed to make the decision. As for Angelo and Hugo, they had now served three years of twenty year sentences for a long list of crimes.

In his will, Lou had left everything, including his share of the trawler business to Irene so now, the waitress was also Joey's business partner. They had struck up a firm friendship over the years, having been able to identify with each other in a unique way. Irene knew nothing about trawlers themselves and trusted Joey to get on with it, which she did, from land. Occasionally, she hopped on board with Sarah, Aden, David and James but these days, it was rare.

Ross's Alzheimer's had developed too significantly for him to live safely at home anymore and his family were painfully aware that they could lose him at any time. He lived in a care home, where Morag visited him each and every day, often accompanied by Alf. Charlie and Joey went to see him at least three times a week and Ruby visited at weekends. It was hit and miss as to whether he recognised them for all or any of the time they were there and he constantly referred to Geoff as Xavier.

After his break up with Leanne, James had temporarily moved back in with his parents but a year ago, he and Harry had decided to rent an apartment together. They had since been having a whale of a time, although they had to do a massive clean up every Thursday night in order to make the place habitable for Zac spending the weekend with his Dad. Leanne had continued to live with her mother, who had slowly but surely put the fragments of her life back together since losing her husband. She had been bereaved all over again the previous year, however, when Tony had died of a heart attack at the age of seventy four. And in a bid to start again, away from all the painful memories of losing her husband, Rachel had run off to America to start a new job there.

And while Damian and Selena had settled down and tied the knot and Nicole and Aden had bought a house together, one that neither Belle nor Romeo had lived in, Lucas, VJ and Jennifer had all moved away and Melissa and Shandi had cast caution to the wind and gone off travelling indefinitely.

* * *

"Max!" Joey bellowed for the fourth time.

The twelve year old was getting harder and harder to get to school these days and his slow, sullen behaviour was beginning to drive both Charlie and Joey crazy.

"Finally," Joey said, when she heard someone appear in the kitchen.

Her face fell when it wasn't Max, but Christine instead.

"Don't look so disappointed!" Christine remarked, foraging for breakfast.

"As if I could," Joey laughed, patting her affectionately on the shoulder.

Christine was fifteen years old now and studying partly at school and partly at home. A year ago, she had been diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and the pain, aches and exhaustion affected her badly. It had thrown a spanner in the works when it came to her studies but she was getting through it. Her parents helped a great deal and she'd already been settled and comfortable enough with Jake by that point that, although it was difficult, they muddled through.

"I'll do that," Joey said, sitting her daughter in a chair.

She began making toast and tea for her daughter, all the while screaming for Max again.

"Geez, woman," Charlie complained, appearing in her suit for the day. "You could wake the dead with that voice."

"Shame I can't wake Max," Joey complained, kissing her wife good morning.

She put Christine's breakfast down in front of her.

"Max!" Joey hollered again before promptly tripping over the dog who had been nagging for food for the past twenty minutes.

* * *

Across town, Aden and Nicole were also struggling to get the kids to school. Cathy was fourteen and had an opinion on everything. Nicole just hoped she didn't cause as much trouble at school as she did at home. Nine year old Clarissa was continuing to blossom into a lovely little girl, who still had to be surgically detached from Gina at the end of every school day. Todd was now seven and looked more and more like Romeo as the years passed. It made Nicole happy to see her late husband live on in her children.

"Mum, I spilled," Todd said unhappily.

Nicole turned to find milk poured all the way down his school shirt.

"Todd!" she complained.

He promptly burst into tears and apologised.

"I keep telling you to feed him when he's still in his PJ's," Aden said smugly, finishing the last of his toast.

"Telling me that you told me so doesn't help," Nicole snapped. "Taking him upstairs and getting him into a new school shirt does."

Aden groaned but happily raced Todd up the stairs, just about able to stop themselves from careening into Cathy as she finished making herself look beautiful and made her way down the stairs.

* * *

Charlie kissed Joey goodbye and headed out to work. Her walking stick choices got funkier year by year and she now had quite the outlandish collection. Joey had just about recovered from her stumble and Max had left for school at long last. Every day, he seemed to leave later and later. He was definitely not the keen academic that Christine had always been. But still, they were very impressed with him in other ways. Arriving at the station, Charlie headed into her office. She smiled when she spotted the envelope she wanted in her pile of post. Tearing it open quickly, Charlie smiled happily to herself and then called Watson in.

* * *

At home, Joey and Christine indulged in some daytime television and another cup of tea.

"How are you feeling this morning?" Joey asked her daughter.

"Pretty tired," Christine said. "I'm going to do some study in a bit and then go back to sleep."

She sighed heavily. Joey hugged her.

"Just take it easy."

"I always have to take it easy," Christine frowned.

She found the hardest part of her condition was pacing herself. There were some days when she felt full of gusto but if she overdid it, she always felt worse than normal the next day. It definitely wasn't easy. And she was grateful that both Charlie and Joey had experiences of long-term injuries that affected their lives. It meant that they understood her.

"We'll figure this out, Chris," Joey said certainly. "We just have to get to a happy medium where you can cope. You're already doing all the right things. The rest will come in time."

* * *

At Crumble, Leah was rushed off her feet when a stranger approached her.

"Hi," she said a little breathlessly, trying not to reveal that she thought he was gorgeous. "What can I get you?"

"Just a coffee, please," the man said.

"Coffee," Leah said, busily making his drink. "Are you new in town?"

"Yeah," he said. "I've only been here for a few days. My name's Reverend Elijah Johnson."

He reached out and shook her hand. She hesitated for a moment, a little thrown by him being a pastor. Shaking hands, she introduced herself and handed him over his coffee. Irene approached and said hello to him as well, calling him by name. Leah looked surprised.

"Elijah, Damian and Geoff are going to be working together," Irene explained.

"Oh! Oh, that's wonderful," Leah enthused, becoming more and more smitten.

* * *

"Good morning, gay boy."

Max froze, his heart sinking into his shoes as he heard Cathy's mocking voice. He turned around and glared at her, trying to look tougher than he felt.

"I'm not gay," he said through gritted teeth.

"Oh yeah, that's right!" Cathy said, conferring with her friends. "It's your _parents _that are queer!"

"They're not even his parents!" one boy remarked.

"Yeah, he got kicked out by his real parents," another girl said. "And ended up with a pair of dykes!"

Max stormed past them and into his classroom. He had no idea what to do.

_

* * *

_

Next time... someone gets a promotion, there's trouble in paradise for Christine and Miles grows concerned about Max...


	145. Chapter 145

**Chapter One Hundred and Forty Five**

**July 2037**

"You look happy," Watson commented.

As usual, she sat down and propped her feet up and as usual, Charlie firmly indicated that it wasn't acceptable. It had become quite the routine.

"We've got the promotion results," Charlie said.

"And...?"

"And it's Daria!" the boss squeaked happily. "So we need to tell her! And then... well, then we need to tell the others."

She looked less happy about the latter part of the task. Watson grinned.

"Well, I vote bad news followed by good news," she said. "Do you requite assistance?"

"Yes, please!"

* * *

Joey left Christine and Jake to it when her daughter's boyfriend came round to see her. Opting to take Macy for a walk, Joey headed for the beach, glad for the chance to enjoy the sunshine. Walking past Crumble, she saw Leah clearing tables and looking particularly cheerful.

"Hey," she greeted warmly.

Leah beamed at her and bent to pet the dog.

"How's things?"

"Yeah, pretty good," Joey said. "I just left Chris and Jake to spend some time together."

"How's she feeling today?"

"Bit of a bad day," Joey admitted.

Leah nodded sympathetically.

"Anyway, you're looking particularly perky today," Joey commented. "Anything I should know?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Leah said bashfully. "I just met the hottest guy!"

Joey immediately sat down, eager to hear everything.

* * *

Miles frowned as he walked through the corridor. He was sure he'd heard Max Buckton-Collins being called names. Deciding to check, he tapped him on the shoulder and asked to have a word. The twelve year old followed him into the classroom, looking at the floor with his hands shoved in his pockets.

"Max, is there anything you want to talk about?" he asked.

"Like what?" Max replied stiffly.

"Are you having any problems or...?"

Max shook his head. Miles sighed, wondering what to do.

"Can I go?"

"Sure," Miles said. "But if there is anything on your mind, you can talk to me any time, okay?"

Max nodded and headed out into the corridor to catch up with Ollie, his one and only friend.

* * *

The man who had been the runner up for the position trudged out of Charlie's office, feeling miserable. He caught Daria's gaze and glared at her.

"Well done," he said. "You always get what you want, don't you?"

"What are you talking about?" the Senior Constable asked, genuinely confused.

They had never managed to be friends and always seemed to rub each other up the wrong way. "Dar," Watson said. "Can you come in?"

* * *

"Chris, what do you think about us making more of a commitment?" Jake suggested.

"What do you mean?" Christine asked, her head swimming a little.

Her boyfriend shook his head and held her hands.

"We're turning sixteen soon and I thought, as a special occasion, we could... you know."

Christine looked horrified and shook her head.

"I'm not ready," she said firmly.

"But..."

"Jake, right now, it hurts to even breathe," Christine said a little desperately. "I can't think about stuff like that yet..."

Jake looked thoroughly disappointed.

"When... when do you think you'll be able to think about it? When do you think we'll be able to have a normal life together?"

"How dare you?" Christine snapped bitterly, pulling away from him.

"I didn't mean it like that," Jake replied quickly.

"Well, what did you mean?"

"Just... Chris, I love you. I want us to be together. When we finish school, I want us to live together. Maybe get married or have a family... I..."

"I can't," Christine said, feeling anxious. "I can't even think about those things yet."

"I'm not saying now," Jake said. "But in years to come..."

"In years to come, I might well be in exactly the same position I am now," Christine told him.

"Don't be so pessimistic!"

"I'm being realistic," Christine insisted. "If I live with my head in the clouds and refuse to accept that this might just be how my life is then I'm going to wake up disappointed every single day that I don't receive a miraculous recovery. I have to hope for the future without forgetting to live in the here and now."

Jake shook his head.

"I'm sure if you just try and get better..."

Christine promptly asked him to leave.

* * *

"I mean, it's not going to go anywhere," Leah said. "He's a Reverend. I don't think they... well, it's not my religion. I'm not sure..."

"Damian's with Selena," Joey pointed out. "He's been ordained, hasn't he? And Geoff and Ruby are together. He's not got a collar but he's pretty much the next best thing."

Leah nodded, blushing a little.

"I don't know why I'm getting so excited about it," she said. "We just had a conversation. It's not like he's asked me out or anything. He's probably not interested..."

"What guy wouldn't be interested in you?" Joey said.

"To date... a lot of them!" Leah laughed.

Joey felt sorry for her. Leah's dating record hadn't been amazing. She'd been single for much of her teens and then lost her virginity on a one night stand with the vile Gardy. Then she thought she'd be happy for the rest of her life because she'd met and married Vinnie. But he'd got into debt with Hugo and been killed by Angelo. Then she and Roman had got together but the sordid truth about things that had happened in the army had come out and he wasn't due to be released from jail until the year 2048. Leah would be sixty five years old and Roman would be seventy.

"Well, maybe this guy... what's his name?"

"Elijah."

"Elijah. Maybe things will go well with him."

* * *

At lunch time, Miles caught up with his step-son.

"Ollie, can I have a word?" he asked.

"Sure," the twelve year old replied.

"Is there something going on with Max?" Miles asked.

Ollie looked immediately cautious.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I thought I heard a few of the other kids having a go at him earlier," Miles explained.

Ollie continued to look on edge.

"Honestly, Ollie, if there's something going on, as his friend, the best thing you can do is tell me so I can help him sort it out."

Hesitating for a good long while, Ollie finally sighed and sat on a chair.

"He's going to kill me," he said. "But I've been worrying about him for ages."

* * *

"I love you so much!" Daria squeaked, launching herself at her mother.

"I can't take credit for the decision," Charlie chuckled. "But I honestly think you deserve it."

They hugged. Then Daria hugged Watson.

"We're proud of you," Watson said.

"Thanks," Daria beamed. "I'm going to call Xavier."

She dashed out giddily.

* * *

Joey arrived home to find Christine a little bit tearful.

"Hey, darling," she said gently, sitting beside her on the sofa. "What's up?"

"I think Jake and I just broke up."

Joey pulled her carefully into her arms and instructed her to tell her all about it.

_

* * *

_

Next time... Miles takes action on Max's behalf, Ruby and Geoff fall out and Gina secretly struggles with her Mum's relationship...


	146. Chapter 146

**Chapter One Hundred and Forty Six**

**July 2037**

Charlie, Joey, Nicole and Aden sat in a classroom with Miles. He had called them once Ollie had confessed the truth about the way Cathy and her friends were bullying Max.

"Oh, geez, this again?" Nicole asked, rubbing her temples and looking anxious.

She turned to Charlie and Joey and immediately apologised.

"Has this happened before?" Miles asked.

Nicole nodded unhappily and explained everything that had kicked off a few years ago.

"I guess now they're all at school together, it's started up again."

She apologised once more to Charlie and Joey.

"It's not your fault," Charlie said.

"It reflects parenting skills though, doesn't it?" Nicole sighed.

She shook her head. Aden held her hand.

"What do you think we should do about this?" he asked Miles.

"I think talking's the way forward," Miles said. "I mean, they used to be friends. Maybe they could sit down together and work through whatever the issue is?"

Charlie and Joey glanced at each other, feeling sure that they were to blame for their son's predicament.

"We will," Joey said. "We'll talk to them tonight."

She glanced at Nicole and Aden for confirmation. They both quickly agreed.

* * *

That evening, Christine invited Jake back round to the house to try and make things right between them. Joey and Charlie had taken Max round to Nicole and Aden's and she was expecting them to be some time. Joey had left her with some cash to order a takeaway but Christine was thrilled when Jake showed up with dinner, chocolates and a dozen roses.

"I'm sorry for messing up yesterday," he said. "I just find it so hard to watch you suffer and not be able to help you."

"You do help me," Christine assured him. "I just... I have to take things slowly, you know?"

He nodded.

"Can we make up now?" he asked.

She pulled him into a gentle hug.

* * *

Gina and Clarissa were thrilled to be allowed to get to have a sleep over on a weekday. Nicole had asked Ruby to take care of her daughter for the night and her son had gone off for a sleep over with Matthew at Sarah and Watson's house. The boys had become good friends at school and the girls were glad that they weren't being imposed upon. They couldn't bear it when Todd joined them and very much appreciated their girlie time. While they had a lot of friends of school, everyone knew that they loved each other best.

"Does that Geoff ever go home?" Clarissa wondered.

She and Gina were upstairs in bed, talking over a DVD.

"Nope," Gina frowned. "He might as well live here!"

Clarissa sighed.

"I heard Mum and Aden talking and apparently Geoff used to be my Mum's boyfriend too."

Gina pulled a face.

"For a so called religious person, he's sure had a lot of girlfriends! I thought you were meant to be married or something if you're in love with someone," she said.

Clarissa nodded. It wasn't that she didn't like Geoff. Actually, she thought he was really nice. But Gina didn't like him so therefore, Clarissa didn't. It was just the way it worked.

* * *

"Why am I here?" Cathy asked sourly. "And more importantly, why are _they _here?"

She nodded towards Charlie, Joey and Max.

"For exactly _that _reason, Cathy!" Nicole snapped. "You do not speak to people that way, do you hear me?"

"It's a free country," Cathy said. "I can say what I like."

"It's a polite country," Aden said. "And nobody deserves to be spoken to badly. And nobody deserves to be bullied."

Cathy glared at Max and immediately called him a snitch.

"One of your teachers heard you, actually," Nicole said. "And I want you to apologise. Again."

"No," Cathy said.

Max hung his head. He hadn't wanted to come here in the first place and he was certain that this little meeting was only going to make things worse.

"Catherine!" Nicole snapped.

"If this whole thing is anyone's fault, it's theirs," Cathy said, glaring at Charlie and Joey. "They're the abnormal ones!"

"Don't you dare speak like that about them!" Aden yelled.

Charlie and Joey grew more and more uncomfortable. They wanted to defend themselves. They wanted to put Cathy in her place. But they didn't feel it was their place to tell her off or what to do when her mother and step-father were both there.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Cathy yelled at him. "You're not my real Dad! _She _killed my real Dad."

"Charlie did not kill anyone!" Nicole snapped. "And your father would be horrified if he heard you say that."

Cathy sat back and folded her arms.

"Well, he can't hear me, can he?"

She glared at Charlie again, who was visibly shrunk away from her.

"Because he's dead and everything."

Joey held onto tightly to Charlie's hand.

"Charlie didn't kill your Dad," Nicole said more calmly. "Zoe and Brett did."

"And who are they?" Cathy remarked. "Oh yeah, Joey's ex and Joey's brother."

"Why do you have such a vendetta against us?" Charlie finally asked.

"I don't like you," Cathy replied flatly. "My Dad died because of you. And being gay is just weird. And Max is a loser."

"You know what?" Max challenged, surprising everyone. "If anyone's a loser, it's the girl with a chip on her shoulder over things she knows nothing about."

Cathy looked outraged but both Nicole and Aden agreed.

"You have to stop this behaviour now," Nicole told her daughter. "There is nothing wrong with being gay. For goodness sake, even some of the most old fashioned people have got over it by now. A fourteen year old girl with an open minded family in an open minded community should certainly not have a problem. We've talked time and time again about what happened to your Dad and you must know by now what happened."

Cathy shrugged, kept her head down and nodded.

"You're a good girl, Cathy. You're wonderful. Why are you being like this now?"

"Don't tell me you were a good girl when you were my age."

Aden smirked.

"That's not the point!" Nicole said with a hint of a smile. "Please, please don't take whatever issues you have out on Max. It's not fair. I never thought I would have raised a bully."

Cathy looked horrified at the description as reality began to dawn on her.

"Fine," she eventually said. "Can we forget about it now?"

"Apologise to Max first," Nicole said.

"Sorry."

"It's okay," Max replied quietly.

They shook hands.

* * *

Ruby tucked Gina into bed and Clarissa into her camp bed on the floor and headed back into the kitchen to find Geoff pouring out two glasses of red wine.

"Oh, you read my mind!" Ruby grinned, kissing him.

"Any trouble with the kids?" he asked.

Ruby shook her head and led the way into the lounge, explaining that so long as Clarissa was around, Gina didn't strop.

"I wish there was something I could do," Geoff admitted.

"It's not personal," Ruby assured him.

"Well, it kind of is," Geoff remarked. "She doesn't have a problem with Daria."

"Yeah, but she grew up with Daria," Ruby pointed out. "Kicking up a fuss wouldn't make any sense. Although I still find it weird that her cousin is essentially her step-mother."

She shuddered. Geoff laughed and reminded her that there was no blood between them.

"Anyway, do you think there's anything I _could _do?" Geoff asked. "To encourage her to like me a bit better? I mean, she's far from a bad kid. But I know she prefers it when I'm not around."

Ruby sighed. Then she had an idea.

* * *

Charlie, Joey and Max arrived home and found Christine looking a lot happier than she had been when they'd left.

"How did things go?" Joey asked.

"We worked things out," Christine said.

She came and sat at the table with her family as Charlie made toast for herself, Joey and Max. It was already too late for a big dinner and Max needed to go to bed.

"Good," Joey said. "I'm really pleased."

"How did everything go at Nicole's?" Christine asked.

She patted Max gently on the shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

The twelve year old nodded and tucked into his food.

"I think things will be better now," he said. "Thanks to our Mums."

He smiled at them. They smiled back.

* * *

"Maybe I should just give in and accept this is how things are," Gina sighed.

She rolled on her side and peered over the edge of her bed, seeking Clarissa in the dark.

"Maybe," her friend agreed.

"I just... this isn't how I imagined my life would be," Gina said. "I always had my Mum and my Dad and now they're apart and Dad's with Daria and Mum's with Geoff and..."

She trailed off.

"Yeah," Clarissa said quietly.

"Oh, I'm sorry!" Gina suddenly said.

She leapt out of bed and onto Clarissa's mattress, feeling guilty. Here she was, complaining about her parents being separated and at least her Dad was still alive.

"It's okay," Clarissa said, sitting up and hugging her friend. "My Dad dying isn't your fault. And I hardly even knew him anyway."

She sighed heavily, having never quite been able to figure out if that made it better or worse.

"And I have Aden," she said brightly. "I love Aden."

She smiled. They continued to hug.

* * *

Nicole and Aden headed to bed, rather exhausted. They'd stayed up a good long while with Cathy, mostly talking about Romeo. The teenager had surprised them by crying over her loss. It had been a long time since Nicole had seen her little girl so vulnerable. She still couldn't figure out why the gay thing was an issue but she supposed she was just picking on anybody else that could be deemed different and Max had been an unfortunate target. All Nicole hoped was that both he and Cathy would be alright and that hers and Aden's relationship with Charlie and Joey wouldn't be damaged in any way.

* * *

"Why don't you move in with me?" Ruby suggested, holding Geoff's hands.

He looked surprised.

"Really?"

Ruby nodded eagerly.

"I mean, it makes sense, doesn't it? Gina will get more used to you being around and you'll get to spend some real time together. You can be her step-dad and... I mean, well, you practically live here anyway. Why don't we make it official?"  
Geoff looked awkward. Ruby's face fell.

"You don't want to," she realised.

"It's not that," he said. "It's just... I'm in ministry. I can't... live in sin."

Ruby snorted with laughter. He looked offended.

"Geoff, what on earth do you think we've been doing for this long? We're dating. We're sleeping together. How is that not living in sin?"

"I know!" he said. "I know. And I'm being a hypocrite. But... I guess, dating and not living together doesn't seem as... official."

Ruby sighed.

"And you're not budging on this?" she asked.

He apologised.

"Fine," she said, her pride most definitely wounded. "I'm tired. Why don't you go home tonight?"

She stood up and began to bustle him out the door, firmly ignoring his protests.

* * *

Alone in their bedroom, Charlie and Joey held each other close. Cathy had opened a few wounds for both of them and they were only able to take comfort in each other.

"Do you think Nicole really means it when she says I didn't...?"

Charlie's words were interrupted by Joey's kiss.

"Without a shadow of a doubt," she said. "Nicole doesn't say anything she doesn't mean – especially not that sincerely."

Charlie smiled. She leant in and kissed her again and again and again.

_

* * *

_

Next time... Geoff has an important question for Ruby, Daria celebrates her promotion and things improve for Max...


	147. Chapter 147

**Chapter One Hundred and Forty Seven**

**July 2037**

It was the following evening and Charlie and Joey were relieved to receive reports from both Max and Miles that things had gone well at school that day. Cathy hadn't befriended Max as such but she had stayed away from him and left him to his own devices, for which everyone was grateful. Her friends had been perplexed but she was clearly the leader of her gang so they hadn't argued too much.

"Are you two ready?" Joey called up the stairs.

With Daria's promotion in mind, Charlie had suggested that they go for a family meal so Charlie, Joey, Daria, Xavier, David, Andy, James, Christine, Jake and Max were all heading out to Crumble.

"Nearly," Christine called back. "I'm just... struggling."

Glancing worriedly at Charlie, Joey bounded up the stairs to see if their daughter was alright. She found her struggling with her straighteners.

"I can't finish it," Christine said unhappily.

"Oh, that's okay," Joey said gently.

She moved closer and picked the up herself, carefully finished Christine's hair for her.

"Thanks," Christine said. "Sorry for being useless."

"Oh, as if!" Joey scolded. "You could never be useless, Chris."

* * *

Geoff checked his reflection, grabbed the roses and chocolates he'd bought Ruby and resolved to leave the house. The night had ended rather badly between them and he was desperate to make things right. Having chatted to his pastor, Elijah at work that day, he knew for sure what he had to do. He just hoped that Ruby would think it was a good idea too. Checking he had everything he needed, Geoff headed out to see his girlfriend.

* * *

"Xave, have you seen my earrings?" Daria asked.

It wasn't often that she got the chance to dress up and even if it was only dinner at Crumble, it was in honour of her and her promotion and she wanted to look her best.

"They're here," Xavier said, presenting her with a box.

"Not those... Oh."

She grinned. He offered out the gift to her.

"They're beautiful," she grinned.

"It's a congratulations present," he said, suddenly feeling shy. "If you don't like them, you can always take them b..."

Daria kissed him.

* * *

Joey headed back downstairs. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw Charlie looking dressed up and stunning. She wondered how, after all this time, her wife could still have such an effect on her. But she was glad and hoped it was something she'd never lose. Realising she was being watched, Charlie turned around.

"What?" she asked self consciously. "Is there something wrong with my dress?"

"Definitely not," Joey smiled.

She stepped forward and pulled Charlie gently into her arms, kissing her with tenderness.

"Is Chris okay?" Charlie asked when they eventually parted.

"She was having a straightening problem," Joey said. "But it's fine now."

They kissed again, pulling apart only when Max appeared, wondering aloud if they ever stopped 'doing the kissing thing'.

"You'll be exactly the same when you have a beautiful partner, young man," Joey told him, ruffling his hair.

"Hey!" Max protested. "I just brushed!"

He ran off to check the damage.

* * *

Ruby was surprised when she opened the door to Geoff and she told him so. She'd been expecting a night in front of the television. Gina had convinced her to let Clarissa stay the night again. It kept them both amused and Ruby had no objection to them spending time together so she'd readily said yes. Geoff offered out the red roses he'd bought her.

"Thanks," she said, accepting them and letting him inside.

"Did you have a good day?" Geoff asked.

"It was alright," Ruby said, busying herself with arranging the flowers. "Usual. Glad it's the weekend."

"Marry me," Geoff suddenly blurted out.

* * *

David and Andy arrived early to Crumble with James in tow. David had invited his brother round after work in order to give him a lift to their family meal. James didn't like to admit it but he had been a little lost since he and Leanne had split up. His life was divided between work and caring for his son but he didn't socialise as much as he would like to and he hadn't really dated anyone since. He'd been out on a handful of dates with a handful of girls but none of them had ever gone anywhere. Leah approached their table and took their drinks orders.

* * *

"Okay, are we ready now?" Joey asked when everyone was assembled.

"All set," Christine confirmed.

The foursome headed out together, stopping at Martha's on the way in order to collect Jake. Max sat in the back, watching his sister hold hands with her boyfriend and his mothers chat affectionately with each other. He wondered if he would ever find a girlfriend of his own.

* * *

"Geoff, are you serious?" Ruby asked.

She'd dropped the roses in shock and was now staring at her boyfriend who had got down on one knee and was holding out a ring. Geoff nodded eagerly.

"What do you think?"

"I think I'm already married," Ruby pointed out.

"You can get divorced though, can't you?" Geoff asked. "I mean, you and Xavier are over. Right?"

Ruby nodded although she felt a strange twinge of pain at the confirmation. Geoff stood up and rubbed his knee but moved closer and offered out the ring.

"Ruby, I love you," he said. "I've always loved you. And things have been so perfect between us. I truly want to spend the rest of my life with you if you'll let me."

"What about Gina?" Ruby asked.

"Hopefully she and I will get to a happier place," he said. "But you're really not encouraging me here!"

He managed a self conscious laugh. She studied his face. Even in their forties, she could still see the same beautiful face he'd had as a boy.

"Sorry," she said.

He looked crestfallen.

"Sorry for hesitating," she added. "And yes, of course I'll marry you!"

* * *

Charlie and Joey sat round the table with their family. It was strange in some ways to see Xavier as Daria's partner and not Ruby's but it had been a good few years now so they supposed they ought to be used to it. And their family had never exactly been conventional. Really, it was just the way they liked it.

"Well, here's to Daria," Charlie proposed. "Our beautiful baby girl..."

"Charlie!" Daria squeaked with a blush.

"Who is now Sergeant of our humble little police station," Charlie continued, undeterred.

She turned to look at the woman in question.

"We're so, so proud of you sweetheart."

_

* * *

_

Next time... Rachel returns for a visit, Elijah asks Leah out and Ruby telling Xavier about her engagement doesn't quite go to plan (and of course, Charlie and Joey are at the heart of it all!)...


	148. Chapter 148

**Chapter One Hundred and Forty Eight**

**August 2037**

It had been a fortnight since Geoff had proposed but Ruby had stalled on telling people. She'd shared the news with Charlie and Joey. They were the people she told almost everything to. But she was anxious about telling Xavier that she wanted a divorce and she was scared of Gina freaking out about it. Her daughter was only nine but she was not short of an opinion or two, especially surrounding her mother's relationship with Geoff. Ruby definitely envied Xavier. He had been dating Daria for the same amount of time but because Daria was her cousin and she already loved her, Gina accepted it far more easily than she accepted this 'new man' storming into their lives and stealing her mother's attention.

* * *

"What if that means she's not really into it?" Geoff worried.

He'd found his way to Elijah's office in the back of the church they worked in, desperate for advice. The Senior Pastor was sixty, very wise and very handsome according to most of the female population of their small community.

"Well, have you asked Ruby about it?" Elijah asked.

"Not exactly," Geoff admitted.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm scared I'm right."

Geoff sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. A headache was brewing.

"It's just... I've waited this long to find the love of my life," he said. "What if... what's if I'm not hers?"

* * *

Daria was feeling the pressure as she began to delegate. There had been a big car crash with a couple of fatalities, though fortunately not anyone they knew, and Daria, as the new Sergeant of the station was trying to wade through everything the police were required to do. Charlie watched, impressed by her daughter's capabilities. She also felt sad. Once upon a time, she would have been leaping into her car or onto her bike and charging full steam ahead into the thick of the action. These days, she was mostly deskbound and it was more than a little frustrating. Still, at least the community were in the safe hands of her colleagues. Watson and Daria were all good officers who gave their all to their job.

"Am I needed?" Charlie asked, stepping forward with her new, shiny, blue walking stick.

She was due to be finishing her shift and had arranged a nice evening at home.

"No, we're good," Watson said. "You get on home."

"Call if you need me," Charlie said, grabbing her bag. "Not that I can really do anything."

"You'd be surprised how useful you are, Charlie," Watson said affectionately. "Good leg or bad leg, you know that you're absolutely amazing."

Charlie grinned, thanked her and headed on out, wishing Daria luck as she went.

* * *

Ruby had finally arranged to go round and see Xavier and tell him that she and Geoff were engaged.

"So, what brings you here?" Xavier asked as they sat on the sofa together. "Besides Gina."

She had brought their daughter round to spend the weekend, as usual, with her Dad.

"I have some news," Ruby ventured.

"Oh?"

"It's about Geoff and I."

Xavier tensed. He loved Daria. And he was happy with her. Sometimes he wondered why he had ever let her go in the first place. She had since opened up to him about her horrific childhood, back before Charlie and Joey had rescued her and he just wished that she had spoken up sooner. Perhaps then they would never have drifted apart the first time around. Perhaps then he wouldn't have let Ruby break his heart all over again.

"Okay," he said evenly.

"He's asked me to marry him."

* * *

Charlie arrived home to lots of raucous laughter and was glad that their gathering was already in full swing. Rachel had returned from America to celebrate her birthday with her oldest friends so she, Charlie, Joey, Martha and Leah had all got together for a girlie night in. It was a throwback to the old days when they had been mere kids at school and Charlie and Joey had been particularly looking forward to it ever since it had been arranged.

"Hey ladies," she greeted cheerfully. "I hope you haven't started too far without me!"

She arrived in the lounge and Joey immediately pulled her into her lap, kissing her cheek.

"How could the party possibly start without you?" she asked sweetly.

The other women all cooed. Charlie blushed and began to help herself to wine and top up everyone else's glasses.

* * *

"You're getting married?" Xavier asked.

"Yeah," Ruby said awkwardly. "So... well, I guess you and I will need to get divorce."

Xavier nodded.

"Sure," he said, although he was struggling to process the news. "How... how do we go about that?"

"I don't really know," Ruby admitted. "I thought I'd talk to Morag and figure it out."

Xavier nodded and sank back on the couch.

"Wow," he finally said, shaking his head.

"What?" Ruby asked meekly.

He studied her face and smiled sadly.

"I remember the first time I met you," he said. "We were only kids then I thought you were the most beautiful girl on the planet. I was so desperate to be your boyfriend. I loved you so much."

Ruby smiled wistfully. She'd very much felt the same.

"Then we drifted apart because you went to boarding school," Xavier said.

"And when I came back you were dating that girl... Freya, wasn't it?"

Xavier nodded.

"But we got it together in the end. Then we broke up. Then we got together again and... we got married and had Gina and I... I thought it had it all made. I thought I had everything. Honestly, Rubes, what on earth happened to us?"

* * *

"So, how's the States?" Charlie asked Rachel.

The Doctor nodded and said she was getting on well. She had a nice home and had made a lot of friends. She loved her job and was studying for a PhD as well, which was certainly keeping her busy.

"We miss you," Martha said.

She understood too well how Rachel felt. If it hadn't been for Leanne and Jake, she thought she might well had upped and left too. Losing Jack had been the worst thing to ever happen to her and she knew Rachel felt the same about Tony. It was an impossible situation that both women were struggling to heal from.

"I miss you guys too," Rachel said. "But remember, you can always come and visit me!"

She grinned.

"Well, we're doing our boat trip in a few years," Joey said. "And we're planning on going all over the world on our own private cruise so we'll definitely come and see you."

Charlie had relocated to the seat next to her partner, remaining very close. She smiled at the thought of their upcoming trip when she retired from her working life.

"When are you guys planning on going?" Leah asked.

"Well, the plan is for me to retire at sixty," Charlie said. "So in six years if all goes well. Joey's going to hand the running of the business over to David and off we'll go."

"I look forward to seeing you in that case," Rachel said.

"Our original plan had been to do the travelling thing in between school and work but it didn't happen," Joey explained, sipping her wine. "So this is the next best thing."

"Plus, we didn't have our act together then," Charlie laughed. "We were both still trying to pretend that we weren't in love with each other!"

The others giggled.

"Honestly, thinking back, I still have no idea how we didn't twig," Martha admitted. "You were just so... together. But it was still a surprise when you came out."

"If I could go back, I'd give myself a serious talking to," Charlie admitted. "Honestly, what was I thinking by refusing to love the most amazing person on the planet?"

Joey blushed as Charlie kissed her on the cheek.

"Anyway, speaking of love and romance, I hear Leah has some news," Martha said when the three women had stopped clucking over how sweet Charlie and Joey still were.

* * *

"Do you ever wish things would have been different?" Xavier asked.

He and Ruby had opened a bottle of wine and begun reminiscing about the past.

"Yes," Ruby said honestly. "The worst mistake I ever made was Liam. I couldn't see it at the time but..."

She sighed. Xavier matched her expression.

"I guess I probably drove you to it," he said. "I was so jealous even before you actually did anything. I felt justified at the time but maybe if I'd have calmed down and given you a chance, you wouldn't have cheated."

"I guess it doesn't do any good to go over it," Ruby said sadly. "At the end of the day, regardless of what you did, I was unfaithful. I broke our marriage vow. I'll never forgive myself for that."

"I guess we just have to move on and make sure we don't make the same mistakes with our current partners," Xavier said.

* * *

Leah blushed as she told the group that Elijah had finally asked her out on a date. Charlie, Joey and Martha were particularly enthusiastic as she had liked the Reverend from the first moment she'd seen him.

"Where's he taking you?" Charlie asked.

"Dinner, I think," Leah said. "He was nervous because of my profession but honestly, that's nothing compared to his profession! How on earth am I meant to date a priest?"

"Maybe you need to chat to Selena to find out what life as a vicar's wife is like!" Joey giggled.

"Maybe I should!" Leah agreed. "Oh, he's so lovely though. I love his voice and his hands and his smile and..."

"I feel this list could go on for a while!" Rachel chuckled.

Leah blushed.

"I feel like a teenager!" Leah admitted.

"Do you remember when we all used to sit around talking about this kind of thing when we were kids?" Martha asked. "I was going on all the time about Jack. You two were in love but denying it..."

She pointed to Charlie and Joey.

"Oh and you fell in love with Vinnie at first sight."

Leah smiled sadly at the memory.

"And when the military boys came to town," Rachel said.

She'd kissed Mark, Leah had lost her virginity on a one night stand with Gardy and Charlie had been swept off her feet by Roman.

"Yeah, that was less fun for me," Joey pouted.

Charlie put her arm around her.

"Roman really was nothing to me," she assured her.

Then she glanced at Leah.

"No offence."

Leah smiled. She had married Roman but she still couldn't quite figure out how she felt about him now that he was in prison for the death of his friend, Mark.

"None taken," she said. "Hey, if only he'd have been into me first! It would have saved me all that Gardy stuff!"

Charlie pulled a face. She had never liked him.

* * *

"So, how are things with Daria?" Ruby asked.

The wine was going to her head a little and while she knew she ought to go home, she didn't want to leave Xavier's company. Even though they were talking about unhappy topics, the bond was still there.

"Yeah, they're good," Xavier said, leaning forward and pouring out the last of the wine into both their glasses.

"She's amazing."

Ruby smiled.

"And I guess I don't have to ask how things are with Geoff if he's proposed."

"No, I guess not," Ruby said quietly.

Xavier leant closer, studying her face and looking into her eyes.

"You are happy with him, aren't you?" he asked.

"Mostly," Ruby said before she'd thought it through.

"Rubes...?"

Spontaneously, she leant in and kissed him.

_

* * *

_

Next time... Ruby confides in Nicole, Xavier confesses and Charlie and Joey spend a romantic day together


	149. Chapter 149

_For Movie249. Just because. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Forty Nine**

**August 2037**

"What are you doing?" Xavier asked, startled.

He pulled abruptly away from his ex-wife, although for a moment there, he had been sorely tempted.

"Sorry," Ruby apologised. "I got carried away."

"I think you'd better go," Xavier told her, standing up.

She stood also, grabbed her bag and headed towards the door, hoping the fresh air on the walk home would fix her head.

"Sorry," she said again, keeping her head down.

"Rubes," Xavier said gently. "If you're here tonight kissing me then maybe you should think it through before you decide to marry Geoff. If your heart's not in it then you're risking breaking other people's hearts all over again."

Ruby nodded and slipped out the door. Sighing heavily, Xavier headed into Gina's room to check that she was sleeping soundly.

* * *

"Ah, what happened to our youth?" Rachel chuckled, shaking her head. "We had such big ideas when we were kids, didn't we?"

"You achieved your big ideas though," Leah pointed out. "Doctor Rachel Holden."

She grinned. Rachel blushed.

"I think we all got to do what we wanted to," Charlie said reasonably. "We've all achieved a lot."

"I never wanted to be a bar manager," Martha said.

"You like it though," Leah reminded her.

Martha nodded. She definitely did like it and she especially liked working with Alf and building a relationship with him.

"And I never wanted to be an accountant!" Joey said, pulling a face.

Charlie laughed and hugged her.

"You're a businesswoman," she corrected.

Joey smiled, a little placated. She did like the idea of being a businesswoman.

"Cheers to us!" Rachel proposed, lifting her glass.

* * *

The next day, Ruby awoke with the world on her shoulders as she battled with yet another mistake. She was half glad and half disappointed that Xavier had spurned her advances. Part of her didn't quite know why she had tried to kiss him in the first place. She knew she would always have feelings for her ex-husband but she also knew she loved Geoff and wanted to be with him. She supposed that she'd thought moving in together would be a big step but not too big. But getting married again felt like a whole new thing and if she was honest, it was filling her with dread.

* * *

Daria had worked all night but instead of going home, she headed straight over to Xavier's house, eager to see him before she crashed out.

"How was work?" Xavier asked.

Gina was sitting at the table awaiting the breakfast that her father was cooking for her.

"Exhausting!" Daria said, sitting beside Gina who smiled at her. "But I think it was a good test. And I think I passed."

"Well done," Xavier said, coming to kiss her before putting a cooked breakfast in front of his daughter. "Can I tempt you with breakfast or do you just want to crash out?"

"Um... breakfast would be good!" Daria said.

"You can have juice like me," Gina offered, reaching to pour Daria a glass.

* * *

Jake and Christine had gone for a gentle stroll and Max had gone down to the Jukebox to hang out with Ollie and his friends, leaving Charlie and Joey to enjoy a leisurely morning together on their own. They both had a slight hangover from the night before but it had definitely been a lot of fun to catch up with the girls. It made them feel extremely lucky. Rachel, Martha and Leah were all widows now. First Vinnie had been shot by Hugo, then Angelo had shot Jack who had been hunting him down in the line of duty. Then Tony had died. Charlie and Joey were the only lucky ones who had been granted the grace to stay together for all their lives so far. Lying in each other's arms, they kissed tenderly. Charlie trailed her hands down the length of Joey's body, enjoying the feel of her against her palm and fingertips.

"You're so beautiful," she whispered.

Joey blushed. She hadn't been a fan of her body for a long time but Charlie did make her feel attractive. She smiled and kissed her.

"I'm very glad you think so," she said. "I think it goes without saying that you're the hottest girl in the land."

Charlie laughed and kissed her, settling her hand on Joey's breast, teasing her slowly. Joey moaned, crushing their lips together and hooking her leg over Charlie's good hip.

* * *

Ruby headed round to Nicole's house in need of a girlie chat to share her troubles.

"Seriously?" Nicole exclaimed. "You kissed him?"

Ruby nodded, full of shame.

"And did he kiss you back?"

Ruby shook her head and sipped her tea.

"I guess he's over me and in love with Daria now," she said, pulling a face.

She had never been comfortable with her ex partner dating her niece. It just didn't make sense in her head.

"How have you left it?" Nicole asked.

She'd sent Aden out with the kids to do the weekly shopping. He hadn't been terribly impressed but had agreed when he saw how stressed Ruby looked. Nicole was grateful that he was so understanding.

"Awkwardly," Ruby said. "And what am I meant to do about Geoff? He's all ready to get married and I'm..."

She sighed.

"I don't know what I am."

"Do you want to marry him?"

"I don't know."

"Then I suggest you don't," Nicole said honestly. "If you marry someone, you should be in it for keeps."

Ruby sighed and nodded. The last thing she wanted was to have _another _divorce behind her.

"What about you and Aden?" she asked.

Nicole shook her head.

"Aden and I are happy together," she said. "We'll muddle along merrily forever. But we don't want to get married. I only want to have had Romeo as my husband and he only wants to have had Belle as his wife. We love each other. Sometimes I can hardly believe how much I love him. But we both know full well that if we'd have had things how we wanted them, we wouldn't be together. Romeo and Belle would still be alive and we'd still be with them."

She smiled sadly.

* * *

Gina was doing her homework under some duress at the kitchen table while Daria, having woken from her sleep, was helping Xavier wash the car.

"You look pretty hot, you know," she remarked with a grin.

Xavier laughed and approached her for a hug. She dashed away, squealing that she didn't want to get soapy. Eventually, he caught her and kissed her, gazing into her eyes.

"Dar, I need to tell you something," he said awkwardly.

The police officer eyed him anxiously, worried about what bad news he might be about to break.

"Ruby came onto me last night," he said.

"What?" Daria screeched.

"I knocked her back and I wasn't interested but I wanted to tell you," Xavier said quickly. "I wanted to be honest with you."

"Well, thanks," Daria said a little sulkily.

He put his arms around her.

"Sorry," he said. "Should I not have said anything?"

"No, she shouldn't have done anything," Daria said. "It's not your fault."

She rewarded his honesty with a kiss.

* * *

"Mmm... I suppose we should consider getting up," Joey said, stretching out on the bed where she was happily snuggled beneath the covers.

"Why?" Charlie asked, cuddling up to her. "I'm perfectly happy here."

"Me too," Joey giggled.

They kissed.

"Do you ever think about what we were like before we actually got together?" Joey mused.

Charlie studied her face, wondering where she was going with this train of thought.

"Sometimes," she said. "Why?"

"I just... I wonder how I ever managed to keep my hands off you!" Joey laughed.

"Tell me about it!" Charlie agreed. "There were so many times when I nearly lost control!"

Joey smirked.

"Oh really?" she asked.

Charlie nodded, enjoying the way Joey's hand was beginning to wander.

"Like when?" Joey enquired.

"Like... when we kissed on that Valentine's night," Charlie said. "When I broke up with Angelo and you broke up with Zoe."

Joey nodded. She remembered it well.

"I was so ready to do more," Charlie admitted. "And the following New Year as well. Oh and when you fell of the boat."

"When I fell off the boat?"

"It was totally inappropriate," Charlie cringed. "Robbo pushed you off the boat and I found you on your way home. And you were stripping off out of all those wet clothes. They were clinging to you and you were all cold and I had to help you get out of them."

Joey grinned, remembering it well. It hadn't been a very good day but thinking that Charlie had found her desirable, helped the memory somewhat.

"I really had to force myself to behave," Charlie admitted.

Joey nuzzled in closer, kissing Charlie's neck.

"I really wish you hadn't," she said.

"It would have been taking advantage!" Charlie protested.

Joey wrapped herself around her wife.

"Well, you can make up for it by taking advantage of me now if you like," she whispered.

Charlie needed no further encouragement.

* * *

_Next time... Ruby and Geoff celebrate their engagement, Leah and Elijah start dating and Daria has a revelation to share..._


	150. Chapter 150

**Chapter One Hundred and Fifty**

**September 2037**

Most of the town had turned out to celebrate Geoff and Ruby's engagement and wedding plans were already underway for a Christmas Day wedding.

"Why the hell do I have to go to this thing?" Daria asked unhappily.

"Because Xavier asked you to," her twin replied.

Andy pulled into a car parking space and killed the engine.

"But the bitch tried to steal him off me!" Daria said. "Why the hell is she even getting married?"

"Daria..." Andy sighed.

His husband's sister had been going on about the same thing for over a month and it was driving him crazy.

"Let her get it out of her system now," David instructed. "Then maybe she can keep a civil tongue in her head for the party."

"You think I'm not being civil?" Daria squeaked. "Let me tell you..."

"You have told us!" David said. "Lots and lots of times. Now, put your brave face on and let's go."

Daria nodded and the threesome got out of the car. David took Daria's hands, wanting to make sure she was okay.

"Are you set?" he asked gently.

"Witness my brace face," she said, forcing a smile.

"Looks a little like your constipation face," David smirked.

Finally managing to laugh, Daria swatted him away and then wedged herself between the couple, linking arms with them and heading on into the Jukebox.

* * *

"Aw, isn't it romantic," Joey swooned, stepping up behind Charlie and wrapping her arms around her waist.

She kissed her shoulder and squeezed her gently. Charlie leant back against her, holding her stick with one hand and wrapping the other behind her, holding onto Joey. She smiled when Joey nuzzled her neck.

"Mmm... very romantic," she managed.

She turned around in Joey's arms and kissed her gently.

"I'm looking forward to getting more romantic later," she grinned.

"Oh really? You should be so lucky!" Joey teased.

"I already know how lucky I am," Charlie assured her.

They hugged and watched Geoff and Ruby chat with Aden and Nicole.

"Do you think she's happy, Jo?" Charlie asked quietly, standing beside her partner and putting her arm around her.

"I hope so," Joey said.

But they were both worried. Ruby definitely seemed lost these days. She'd been lost for a while now. And she certainly wasn't looking towards her wedding with the same joy as she had when she'd married Xavier.

* * *

Xavier was relieved when Daria, David and Andy walked in. His girlfriend headed right on over to him and kissed him a little possessively. Martha had tried to rearrange things but she was understaffed for the party and Xavier had been forced to work behind the bar. He had been less than impressed and Daria had reacted even worse but he hoped that together, they could get through it. He'd been considering asking her to move in with him for a while now but he was holding back because of Gina. As soon as Ruby and Geoff had told her that they were getting married, their nine year old daughter had decided that she didn't want to live full time with her Mum anymore. The arrangement for the last few years had been that she spent Monday to Friday with Ruby and then Friday to Sunday with Xavier. But now she had stated very firmly that she wanted to spend the majority of her time with her Dad. Ruby had obviously been very upset by the move and the rejection by her daughter but she knew it was something she just had to live with. Xavier ensured that the communication continued and had made it clear that if Gina wanted to change things back, she could and he wouldn't be offended. But he was also very happy at the expression of love from his daughter.

* * *

"Shall we dance?" Jake suggested.

The music was playing and it was a happy occasion. He quite liked the idea of gyrating on the dance floor for a little while.

"I'm actually a bit tired," Christine said. "I was thinking of going home in a little while."

"Oh."

She felt terribly guilty over his obvious disappointment. He tried to hide it but she knew he was struggling.

"Do you want me to go with you or...?"

"Don't worry," Christine said, forcing herself to her feet. "You stay and enjoy yourself, okay? Mum said she'd drop me home if I needed her to."

She leant down and kissed her boyfriend goodbye and then approached her parents.

* * *

Gina and Clarissa were hanging out in a corner with Max, Ollie, Zac, Todd and Matthew.

"I don't understand why anyone would want to get married," Zac said. "I'd rather play video games."

Ollie laughed and turned a little bit pink. He was approaching fourteen now and both he and Max were starting to develop an awareness of girls. It was confusing and he wasn't sure he liked it. And it was also unfortunate that the hottest girl in school was Cathy, the girl who had been so horrible to Max for quite some time. She'd stopped when her Mum had forced it but they caught the odd glare, which is why they were spending the party with seven, nine and ten year olds instead of the kids closer to their age.

"Me too," Matthew said with a yawn.

He was already tired and he'd much rather be at home than at the party but his Mums' were having a nice time and it was unlikely that they would want to go home any time soon.

"I think it's fun," Todd said.

He smiled at Clarissa. His eldest sister would never have even considered hanging out with him in public but Clarissa always seemed happy to include him. He also thought Gina was lovely.

"Me too," Max said cheerfully.

His eyes drifted over to Cathy who was laughing with some of her friends from school.

Clarissa remained beside Gina and put her arm around her, aware of how unhappy she was.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently.

Gina nodded and rested her head on her best friend's shoulder.

* * *

"Okay, no problem," Joey said, putting her arm around Christine.

"Are you sure you don't mind?" her daughter asked anxiously.

"Of course not," Joey said. "I told you I'd take you back whenever you wanted to go."

"Thanks."

Joey headed over to the kids and asked Max if he wanted to stay or go. He was keen to stay. Kissing Charlie goodbye, Joey led her daughter slowly out to the car, quick to dismiss her apologies.

* * *

"You two are so sweet together," Geoff commented to Elijah and Leah.

They had been dating for a month and with Elijah being Geoff's boss, he quite enjoyed teasing him.

"Says you!" the Reverend remarked, keeping his arm around Leah who looked happier than anyone had seen her in a very long time.

Geoff also kept Ruby close to him and hoped that his excitement about them getting married would soon touch his fiancée. He knew it was selfish to ignore the fact that she was obviously struggling and all he could hope was that it was because of Gina and not anything he had done or neglected to do.

* * *

Daria sat at the bar shooting evil looks over at Ruby and Geoff who looked like they didn't have a care in the world.

"I really do have half a mind to go and burst their bubble," she said viscously.

"Please don't," Xavier begged.

He almost regretted telling her about the kiss. At the time, he had wanted to be honest but now he worried that it would cost Geoff and Ruby their happiness. Even if he wasn't the one to put a smile on his ex-wife's face, he wanted the best for her.

"But look at her," Daria said sourly. "She looks so smug."

"Just let her be happy," Xavier said. "We're happy, aren't we?"

She turned to look at him, studying his face and smiling sincerely before reaching for his hand across the bar.

"Yes," she said. "We are."

They kissed.

* * *

Charlie left Watson and Sarah and headed over to see her sister, offering more congratulations. She paused mid-step when she saw the curious way Ruby watched Xavier and Daria kiss. Fortunately, Geoff was still chatting away with Elijah and didn't notice it.

"Hey," Charlie greeted when she finally approached. "Having fun?"

"Yeah, we're having a great party," Geoff said. "Thanks for the card and present and everything."

Charlie smiled.

"Where's the Mrs?" Leah asked.

"Oh, Chris was feeling a bit poorly so she asked to go home," Charlie explained.

"Oh, poor thing," Elijah empathised.

"We were wondering if there's anything more we can all start doing for her," Geoff said. "Weren't we, Rubes?"

Ruby was still watching the bar. Geoff's heart sank.

"Rubes?"

"What?"

"We were offering Charlie help with Christine any time she and Joey need it."

"Oh! Oh, yeah. Sure. Of course. You know that, don't you, Charles?"

"Yeah," Charlie replied with a bright smile, hoping to smooth over the awkward moment.

* * *

Gina and Clarissa left the boys and escaped to the toilets together. They'd chosen tonight to experiment a little bit with make-up – with the help of Nicole. Looking into the mirrors, they scrutinised themselves.

"So, how are you really?" Clarissa asked.

Gina shrugged and focussed on reapplying her lipstick.

"Gina?"

"I hate my Mum for marrying Geoff," her friend finally admitted. "And I love Daria but I don't want her to be with Dad either. I just want my parents to be back together."

* * *

Joey arrived back at the party, having settled Christine at home with a sneaky tub of ice cream and a DVD. She immediately found Charlie and sat down beside her.

"Is Chris okay?" Charlie asked.

"Yep, she's fine," Joey said. "A bit down but she's tucked up in her PJ's with blankets and ice cream and whatever hunky Hollywood star teenage year old girls are into these days."

"You mean you don't know?" Watson smirked.

"Well, I wasn't much into Hollywood hunks when I was a teenager so now I'm fifty two, I think it's probably a little bit too late!" Joey laughed.

* * *

"Right, that's it!" Daria suddenly declared.

"Dar!" Xavier shrieked.

"No!" Daria said. "I'm sick of this."

Ruby had been hanging off Geoff arm all night but her eyes had never left the bar. Before Xavier could stop her, Daria had charged across the room and grabbed Ruby roughly by her shoulder.

"You're a fucking hypocrite!" she bellowed.

Everyone turned to look, including Charlie and Joey. Gina and Clarissa froze on their way back to their friends.

"What are you talking about?"

"How can you stand here with your dumbass man candy, looking all sickening and smug about marrying him when you've being eyeing up your ex all night? Your ex who, might I add, is _my _boyfriend?"

Ruby blanched. So did Geoff. Xavier buried his head in his hands.

"I don't know what you're talking about..." Ruby lied.

"Don't deny it, Ruby," Daria warned.

"Look, if you have a problem with me then why don't you just get the hell out of my party?" Ruby suggested.

Charlie got to her feet and began to approach them. Joey followed. The last thing they wanted to do was see a big row to break out between their sister and their daughter.

"Don't tell me what to do," Daria said.

"Look, Daria..." Geoff tried to interject.

"Get out!" Ruby snapped at her niece.

"Then leave Xavier alone!"

"I haven't gone near Xavier!"

"Oh, really?" Daria challenged. "So you didn't make a move on him last month?"

Ruby blanched. Geoff broke away from his partner.

"Rubes?" he asked. "What's she talking about?"

Ruby looked around, realising that everyone was looking at her. Charlie and Joey were carefully hovering close by. Turning her back on them, she launched herself at Daria. The party descended into chaos.

* * *

_Next time... Charlie feels insecure, one couple break up and another potentially begins..._


	151. Chapter 151

**Chapter One Hundred and Fifty One**

**September 2037**

"Daria!" Charlie screeched. "Ruby!"

She, Joey and David lurched forwards in order to pull the women apart. Geoff backed away from everyone and Xavier stepped out from behind the bar, wondering what to do. Gina burst into tears and fled to the bathroom. Clarissa hurried after her. Daria and Ruby continued to struggle with each other. David held onto his twin sister and Charlie pulled Ruby further back before dropping her stick and stumbling. Joey reached to steady her. Daria tried to break free from David but he wouldn't let her go and snapped at both her and Ruby that they were acting like children.

"She tried to steal my boyfriend!" Daria insisted.

"What are you? Six?" David said. "And it was a month ago! You should have dealt with it at the time if you were going to. Bringing it up at Geoff and Ruby's engagement party is just mean!"

Daria stopped struggling but continued to glare at her love rival. The music had stopped and everyone was watching and listening. After several awkward moments, Martha drew attention to herself by telling everyone that the party was over and they should head on out.

* * *

Charlie, Joey and Max surprised Christine by arriving home early. She had been dropping off in front of her film and skipping back to the same spot over and over again for quite some time.

"The party came to an abrupt end," Joey explained.

"I'm going to bed," Max said, kissing both his parents goodnight.

Charlie flopped into an armchair looking utterly miserable.

"Are you okay, Mum?" Christine asked.

Joey sat beside her daughter and studied her partner.

"Charlie?" she said.

The Detective had been particularly quiet on the journey home. Charlie looked across at Christine, chewing her lip and wondering what to say.

"I just feel bad for Ruby and Daria," she said, although it wasn't the only problem.

"What happened?" Christine asked.

"We need a glass of wine each before we explain," Joey decided, getting up and heading into the kitchen.

* * *

Nicole had taken Gina for the night and Ruby had more or less chased Geoff back to his place in order to try and explain. He didn't feel particularly inclined to hear her out and felt humiliated and betrayed.

"Geoff, please!" Ruby begged tearfully.

"Please what?" her fiancé snapped. "What do you want, Ruby?"

She stared at him for a moment, lost for words.

"I..."

"You what?" he demanded again. "You didn't kiss Xavier?"

Ruby hung her head and apologised.

"Why did you do it?" Geoff asked, sinking onto the sofa with his head in his hands. "Do you have feelings for him?"

"No!" Ruby lied.

In all honesty, she had no idea how she felt about her ex husband.

"Then why?" Geoff wanted to know. "And why did you say yes to marrying me if you're not prepared to make the commitment?"

* * *

Christine had gone to bed and Charlie and Joey had indulged in another glass of wine. Charlie had relocated to the sofa and Joey wedged herself behind her and began gently rubbing her shoulders.

"Now, what's really wrong?" she asked softly, placing a delicate kiss on Charlie's neck.

"I told you," Charlie said.

"You're hold back," Joey said certainly. "What is it?"

"It's nothing," Charlie lied.

Joey ceased massaging. Charlie protested.

"You don't get more until you tell me the truth," Joey smirked.

Charlie stole a quick kiss and then lay back on the sofa, pulling her partner into her arms. She sighed heavily and closed her eyes. Joey reached out and held Charlie's free hand. Charlie pulled Joey's palm closer to her lips and kissed it.

"So, what's going on in there?" Joey asked gently.

Charlie closed her eyes and sighed.

* * *

"I can't believe you did that!" Xavier said furiously when he and Daria returned to his apartment.

"What was I meant to do?" Daria snapped, feeling just as angry.

"Not that!" Xavier said, pacing the lounge in frustration. "Do you know how humiliating that must have been for them? It was their engagement party for fuck's sake!"

"What do you even care?" Daria exclaimed. "Unless you have feelings for Ruby? Maybe you kissed her back!"

Xavier glared at her and shook his head.

"Don't be ridiculous," he said. "I told you what happened with Ruby because I love you and I didn't want our relationship to be based on a lie. I've been hurt by lies too many times. I thought I could trust you to be a grown up about this."

"I am grown up," Daria told him, pouting like a child.

"You're not behaving like it," Xavier said. "Justified or not, you were awful to Ruby. And you humiliated Geoff. You humiliated me. And worse than all of that... you did it in front of my daughter."

Daria finally felt ashamed.

"Gina wouldn't even come home with me because she was so upset. The only person she'd let herself be consoled by was Clarissa. Nicole had to take her home instead of either one of her parents. _You _did that, Daria. Maybe you think that's okay but more than being your partner, I'm a father. And if you can't act like an adult then I'm not interested."

"I'm sorry," Daria said.

Xavier merely shrugged, having completely run out of steam. She reached out to him but he backed away and quietly asked her to leave. Deciding not to argue, she headed on out.

* * *

"I just felt so... pathetic tonight," Charlie admitted.

"What do you mean?" Joey asked in confusion.

The couple were still holding each other on the sofa. Joey shifted a little and stroked Charlie's face, gazing into her eyes.

"My instinct was to break the two of them up but I just... wasn't up to it."

"You did break them up," Joey pointed out.

"And I nearly stacked it in the process," Charlie said sadly. "If you hadn't held me up, I would have fallen. And it took me forever to get there."

She sighed unhappily.

"Let's face it, I'm defunct."

Joey sat up quickly.

"Don't you dare say that!" she scolded. "Of course you're not defunct. That's a terrible thing to say."

Charlie was surprised by the upset in her voice.

"I just... once upon a time I could charge across the beach like a spring chicken," she said. "Now it takes me forever to get across a room and I can't even keep two warring women apart. I'm stuck behind a desk every day. I'm fifty four going on a hundred."

She was further surprised by the tears in her eyes. Joey lay back down, snuggling in closer.

"You're not old, Charlie," she said. "You're just injured."

She managed a smile.

"It happens to the best of us."

Charlie nodded and kissed her.

"You could never be defunct to me, Charlie," Joey said softly. "I couldn't live without you."

Charlie kissed her again, pulling her in closer and running her hands through Joey's dark hair.

"You'll never have to," Charlie promised.

* * *

It was getting late but Gina couldn't sleep and as a devoted friend, Clarissa was also awake and consoling her through her tears. Nicole had been lovely. She'd treated them to hot chocolates with marshmallows before tucking them in and wishing them goodnight. She knew they'd stay up and talk for a long time but it was the weekend and there were exceptional circumstances so she was happy to leave them to it.

"I don't know who I hate more," Gina sighed. "The only person I still love is Dad."

Clarissa put her arms around her.

"You don't hate any of them, Gina," she said. "You're can't."

"I can too!" Gina insisted.

"Nope," Clarissa said certainly. "You're too lovely to hate anybody. And that's why I love you."

Gina smiled, feeling happy.

"I love you too," she said honestly.

They continued to hug.

"Clarissa?" Gina asked almost meekly.

"Yeah?"

"We're always going to be together, aren't we?"

"Of course we are."

"Even when we're old like our parents?"

"Even then," Clarissa confirmed. "There is not one thing in whole wide world that could keep us apart."

* * *

"So, you still love me even though I'm falling apart?" Charlie asked with a hint of smile.

Joey chuckled and assured her that she definitely did.

"Plus, I've been falling apart for years and you've still stuck with me!" she pointed out.

Charlie's smile widened.

"I love you exactly as you are," she said.

"Well then," Joey said.

She moved into a sitting position, pulling Charlie gently with her. Gazing into her eyes, she suggested they went to bed. Charlie nodded and yawned but paused when she saw the familiar glint in her wife's eye.

"Unless you're too broken?" Joey teased.

"Definitely not too broken," Charlie assured her, grabbing her stick and following her towards their bedroom.

* * *

Geoff had broken off the engagement and thrown Ruby out of his apartment. Tearfully, Ruby had hit the off licence and headed down to the beach to get drunk by herself.

"Should you be out here like this?" said a voice.

She turned to see Xavier behind her. He was the second to last person she wanted to see but at least he was better than Daria.

"What do you want?" she asked miserably.

"I went for a walk and I saw you," Xavier explained, approaching her. "Are you okay?"

"What do you think?" Ruby snapped. "Why the hell did you do that to me?"

"I didn't do anything!" Xavier insisted.

"You told Daria! How could you think she would keep it a secret? You have met her, right?"

"She's my partner, Ruby! I love her! I didn't want to lie! And maybe, just maybe, if you'd have followed the same honesty policy, none of this would have happened!" Xavier yelled.

"Don't you even think about getting on your high horse, Xavier Austin!" Ruby snapped. "You might have pulled away from that kiss but I know you wanted me that night. I know you were tempted!"

"As if!"

"I know you were! I could feel it!"

"I stopped being attracted to you the second I found out about you and Liam," Xavier lied. "I'd never go near you again if you begged me!"

In fury, they kissed.

* * *

_Next time... Charlie and her family are hit by tragedy, Zoe appears in the newspaper and someone has become a Mum..._


	152. Chapter 152

**Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Two**

**November 2040**

"Have you seen this?" Colleen barked, thrusting a newspaper into Charlie and Joey's faces when she served them at Crumble.

Charlie just about managed to put her juice down and accepted the paper. She pulled a face.

"What is it?" Joey asked.

Charlie folded it back up and shoved it back into Colleen's hand, offering her most disgusted glare.

"What do you think you're doing by showing us this?" the Detective demanded.

"Well, I thought you'd like to know..." Colleen said defensively.

"There's a time and a place, Colleen," Charlie said a little more gently. "And now isn't it."

The waitress stropped away. Joey eyed Charlie curiously.

"What did she show you?" she asked.

Charlie sighed.

"Zoe's just been sentenced to fifteen more years in jail," she said. "She got into a fight with someone in a bar and bottled them. They died and she's facing a murder sentence."

Joey frowned and focussed on her lunch, not entirely sure how to react or feel about the news. Zoe had been released the previous year and Joey had been terrified that like Robbo, she would return to town and finish what she started. Fortunately, she hadn't heard anything from either her or Brett and she hoped it would stay that way.

"At least there's no risk of her showing up here again," Joey said, relieved.

Charlie reached out a gentle hand to her partner. They smiled lovingly at each other and continued eating their meals. They looked up when Morag arrived at the restaurant.

"Hi," Charlie said to her step-mother.

She continued to look the shadow of her former, robust self. Ross had passed away six months before. By the end, he hadn't recognised anyone but for a few snatched moments of the day. Losing her father was something Charlie and Ruby were both still battling with. Joey was doing their best to support them both.

"Would you like to sit with us?" Joey offered.

Morag hesitated but then agreed gratefully, pulling up a chair.

* * *

Daria and Xavier walked along the seafront pushing a pram. After Ruby's eventful engagement party, both couples had broken up. Geoff had left town completely and Xavier had ended up sleeping with Ruby, only to get back with Daria a few days later once she'd informed him that she was pregnant. They were now proud parents to two year old Charlotte.

"Dave said he'd babysit tonight if we wanted to go out and do something," Daria said.

"We've got Gina's school play tonight. Remember?"

Daria sighed and pulled a face.

"Do we have to go?" she asked.

Xavier stopped abruptly and stared at his partner.

"That's not an actual serious question is it?" he asked.

Daria shrugged and kept walking, pushing the pram along the coast. Things hadn't been particularly good in recent years. After the blowout at the engagement party, Gina had swiftly turned against her cousin. She was still angry with her mother but once Geoff had upped and left, she'd felt compassionate and moved back in with her. Now the pair of them lived in one apartment and Xavier was back to seeing his eldest daughter, usually without Daria, whenever he could. It didn't help that she was growing up quickly and had the attitude to prove it.

"I'm just saying..." Daria mumbled.

"She's the lead in her school play," Xavier said. "She's worked so hard all term to get this part perfect. I'm not letting her down for anything. Irene's got Charlotte for the night anyway."

"What?"

"Daria, I told you!" Xavier said in exasperation. "You never listen to me."

* * *

Charlie and Joey spent some time with Morag and then headed home to collect the dog in order to take her for a walk. Their beloved Macy was getting on a bit now and was much slower, although Charlie found her no less annoying – affectionately, of course. Arriving at the house, they found Max and Ollie at war on one of their video games.

"Hey, boys," Charlie greeted. "Who's winning?"

"Me!" both sixteen year olds declared.

Chuckling, Charlie headed over to pet the dog and get her lead ready. The schnauzer wagged her tail but resisted jumping up. She had finally understood that jumping on a woman in need of a walking stick, was not a good move. And Charlie was more than grateful.

"What are you guys up to today?" Joey asked, sitting temporarily in an armchair.

"Gaming," Max and Ollie replied in unison.

"We were thinking of taking the boat out if you want to come," Joey said.

"No thanks," they said.

"The sunlight won't kill you both, you know," she told them. "You can go outside and have fun. You don't have to sit in front of a screen all day."

"We're okay."

Shaking her head, Joey got to her feet, wish them happy gaming and headed back out with Charlie and Macy.

* * *

Gina and Clarissa were in Clarissa's bedroom running through their lines for the school play. Gina was playing Dorothy and Clarissa was Glinda the Good in their production of _The Wizard of Oz_. Zac was playing the Scarecrow. The girls were both terrified but they had supported each other throughout and were also very excited.

"Okay, I think we need a chocolate break," Clarissa decided.

They leapt off the bed and bounded down the stairs, hoping that Nicole or Aden wouldn't catch them thieving from the junk food cupboard.

* * *

Macy had had her exercise and now she was being treated to a day trip on the family boat. As usual, she stood with her front paws on the side of the boat, looking out at the water and barking occasionally at the seagulls. Charlie and Joey were stretched out on deck amid lots of cushions and blankets to keep it soft. They lay in each other's arms, finding funny shapes in the clouds above them, like they had done as children.

"It's a fish!" Joey insisted.

"It's not a fish, Jo," Charlie said.

"It is! Look, there's its tail!"

Charlie giggled and shook her head, although she was starting to see what her partner was getting at. It was just amusing to see her pout and get cranky.

"And its mouth!" Joey said, waving her index finger above them in dramatic fashion.

Charlie smiled and shifted a little, block Joey's view of the sky.

"I'm more interested in your mouth," she said in a hushed tone.

Joey grinned and kissed her, wrapping her arms around her and pulling her as close as possible.

* * *

"Maybe we _should _go out a bit more," Max said.

He and Ollie had just about forced themselves to pause gaming in order to eat some lunch. Ollie pulled a face. He was more than happy to continue life like this. They went to school and were mostly inseparable there and they hung out after school and at weekends all the time. Sometimes they studied, mostly they played video games and occasionally they hung out at the beach. But Ollie didn't usually mind what they did, as long as he got to hang out with his best friend. And if he was being honest, he much preferred any scenario that didn't leave Max distracted with girls. He liked to keep him to himself.

* * *

"How long until we have to start getting back?" Charlie asked.

Joey stretched and looked at her watch.

"About forty five minutes," she said.

Their kisses had developed into more and now they were in each other's arms in less clothes than before.

"No hurry then," Charlie said happily.

Joey kissed her.

"Nope," she agreed. "No hurry."

They, along with most of the town, had booked tickets for the school play and they were excited about seeing their niece take centre stage.

"Just think," Joey said. "In a couple of years time, we get to do this every single day."

Charlie smiled at the thought of retirement and getting to sail out to sea with the love of her life. It was a trip they had been planning since they were kids. Originally, the plan had been to disappear together when Joey had finished school. But it hadn't quite happened like that. Between Paul dying, Joey falling out the closet, Charlie dating Angelo and starting work at the police station, nothing had quite gone to plan. But now that Charlie was preparing to finish work and Joey was ready to hand the reins of the business over to David, the couple were definitely looking forward to sailing off into the sunset together.

"Yep," Charlie agreed. "Just me and you and the world at our feet."

"I do have one ground rule though," Joey said, unable to keep the smirk from her face.

"Oh, and what's that?" Charlie asked, although she had the feeling she already knew the answer.

"You're not allowed to pack any clothes!" Joey declared.

Charlie snorted with laughter.

"Somehow, I don't think I'll get through passport control if I stroll off the boat naked in all the different countries we're planning on visiting!"

"Hmm..." Joey pondered. "You might have a point. How about when we're on boat and a safe distance away from civilisation, you have to be naked?"

Charlie kissed Joey's temple, whispering that she didn't have quite the body she used to.

"I just saw it!" Joey pointed out. "I just did delicious things to it! I am fully aware of exactly what your body looks like and I am officially a fan."

Charlie giggled, hugging her a little closer.

"Well, if I have to be naked then so do you," she decided.

"Maybe we can work out a compromise," Joey decided, moving in for another kiss.

* * *

_Next time... one couple break up, Max's crush on Cathy resumes and the school play is a big success..._


	153. Chapter 153

_Hi everyone. With it being Easter tomorrow and with me trying to make the best of what's so far turned out to be a difficult weekend, I thought I'd post an extra chapter of any fic you like tomorrow morning. I'll be updating Unforgiven anyway so if anyone wants me to post an extra chapter of a particular fic then let me know. For now, happy Easter. Oh, and for those people theorising that Clarissa and Gina are following in the footsteps of Charlie and Joey as well as Elsie and Clara before them, I think you might be right... Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Three**

**November 2040**

Backstage, Gina, Clarissa and Zac were all feeling the pressure of performance anxiety.

"How's my straw?" Zac asked the girls.

Clarissa grinned and fixed his hat better on his head.

"There," she said. "Perfect."

He thanked her. Gina watched them curiously.

"How do I look?" she asked quickly.

Clarissa turned to study her, smiling and pulling her into a hug.

"You look perfect," she declared, gazing into her eyes.

"So do you," Gina replied.

* * *

At seven o'clock, Charlie, Joey, Ruby, Christine, Max and Ollie eagerly arrived in their front row seats for the show that would begin at seven thirty.

"This is so exciting!" Ruby said.

Things had definitely been getting better between her and her daughter and she hoped that Gina would be pleased with Ruby's pride in her. She had practised so hard for the production and Ruby had watched her and Clarissa rehearse excessively at home. She already knew how great they were going to be and she couldn't wait to see it.

* * *

"What do you mean you're not coming?" Xavier demanded angrily. "It's all arranged!"

Daria remained unmoved on the sofa. She'd cancelled Irene's babysitting duties and was planning to stay right at home with her daughter.

"She doesn't even like me!" she argued. "Why would I go to her school play?"

"Because she's my daughter!" Xavier exclaimed. "We're a family."

"We're not a family, Xave," Daria said. "You, me and Charlotte are family but Gina hates me. She doesn't want me to be at the play any more than I want to be there."

Xavier shook his head.

"She's twelve years old," Xavier said more quietly. "She hates everyone right now. Everyone but Clarissa."

"Don't even get me started..." Daria muttered.

"What's that meant to mean?" Xavier asked.

"Nothing."

Sighing, he let it go.

"Please come tonight," he begged, sitting beside her on the couch. "I'm sure Irene won't mind looking after Charlotte after all. Please?"

"I don't want to sit there and play happy families when it's not real, Xavier," Daria said.

Xavier stood up.

"Fine," he snapped, grabbing his jacket and storming back out the door.

* * *

Aden, Nicole and Todd arrived at the other end of the front row, ready to watch the play. Aden chuckled as his partner got over excited at the picture of her daughter in the programme.

"Aren't you missing someone?" said a voice.

Nicole looked up and shrieked when she saw her eldest daughter standing in front of her.

"Cath!" she said, leaping to her feet.

Cathy was eighteen years old now and had gone a year early to University. Despite her teenage angst and attitude problems, she had been brighter than any of the girls her age and completed her exams a year early. Now she was studying away from home and she loved every minute of it.

"What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't miss Clarissa's big debut," Cathy said. "So I phoned the school, booked a ticket and here I am. And because my classes have finished, I also get to stay until the New Year."

She grinned. Nicole hugged her. Across the row, Max watched with fascination. Despite Cathy's childhood bullying, he had had a crush on her for as long as he remembered. Ollie sighed and opened the sweets he'd bought for the show. Joey noticed the interaction, or lack of it, with interest. She looked up when Xavier appeared, clearly unhappy. He sat down beside his ex-wife. Ruby observed the empty seat beside him.

"No Daria?" she asked.

"Nope," he replied. "She had a crucial TV show or some such shit that she just couldn't miss, apparently."

* * *

The show was fantastic and so were the cast. The finished to a round of applause that drowned out the music.

"That was so good!" Joey enthused.

"Wasn't Gina the best Dorothy you ever saw?" Ruby gushed.

David began to open his mouth about not daring to slight the late Judy Garland but Charlie made a death gesture that quieted him. It might be in a gay man's genes to love the woman but Ruby would kill him as quick as look at him if she thought he was criticising her daughter.

"She was amazing," David said instead.

Charlie nodded and put her arm around Joey who was studying Max and Ollie with curiosity and letting everything else go over her head. Max was still staring at Cathy who, to be fair, had got more beautiful during her time away. She was the absolute spitting image of what her mother had looked like at her age. And ten year old Todd was looking more and more like Romeo as every day passed.

* * *

Gina and Clarissa were getting changed backstage, pausing only when the rest of the cast kept approaching and complimenting the star of the show.

"You really were great," Clarissa said quietly.

Gina continued to blush.

"So were you," she said.

Shyly, Clarissa looked down and shook her head.

"I fluffed my line," she said.

"Only once!" Gina said. "And it was right at the beginning."

"Yeah, which set the scene for the whole play! I wasn't good at all. I should never have been given the part."

Pulling her t-shirt on, Gina gathered Clarissa into her arms.

"You were amazing," she said firmly. "And don't you dare even call yourself anything else. Do you hear me?"

"But..."

"You were amazing," Gina repeated. "You _are _amazing."

The two friends smiling lovingly at each other before realising exactly where they were. They broke apart and continued getting ready, not wanting to be late for their parents who had arranged to take them to celebrate at the Jukebox afterwards.

* * *

At the Jukebox, almost everyone was having a good time. Xavier had a smile on his face for the sake of his daughter but his mind was with Daria. He'd come to a difficult decision and it wasn't one he was happy with making. But as hard as it was, he felt it was the right thing. Max, meanwhile, was being chatted up by a girl over soft drinks and Ollie was trying not to care.

"What are you thinking about?" Charlie asked, sitting down beside Joey who looked a little startled.

"Oh, nothing," she said. "I was just off in la-la-land."

"Was it nice?" Charlie asked.

Joey grinned and kissed her.

"Chris is looking pretty exhausted," she said. "Maybe we should head home."

"Okay," Charlie said, finishing her drink. "But you can be the one to break the news to Cassanova over there."

"Oh, cheers!" Joey remarked, hauling herself to her feet.

* * *

That night, Ollie lay alone in bed, staring into the dark and feeling miserable. Max had scored a date with one of the girls in their class. Her name was Gemma and she was easily one of the prettiest girls in school. Max had been keen on her for a while and he had been jubilant over getting a date, even if he had then been mortified at one of his mother's approaching and telling him they had to go home. Sighing heavily, Ollie closed his eyes and tried to get some rest.

* * *

Charlie and Joey were just getting ready for bed, having listened to Max excitedly telling them all about the wonder of this Gemma girl, when there was a knock on the door. A little anxiously, Charlie headed down the stairs with her stick and Macy and opened up.

"Daria!" she said when she saw her daughter and granddaughter there.

Charlotte was fast asleep in the pram and Daria was on the verge of tears.

"What are you doing here?"

"Xavier broke up with me," Daria said, finally breaking.

Charlie gathered her and Charlotte into the house and shut the door, calling for Joey to come down. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

_Next time... Daria regains her attitude problem, Joey bonds with Ollie, and Martha and Nicole begin to panic at Clarissa's growing friendship with Zac..._


	154. Chapter 154

**Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Four**

**June 2041**

Joey arrived home from lunch with Christine and immediately felt sad. Macy had died the month before and Joey desperately missed the life and soul of their happy home coming to greet her every time she walked through the door. She had pondered getting a new dog. Macy had been a surprise but she had quickly come to adore her and in some ways, rely on her. Sighing, she headed upstairs in order to gather up the laundry. Max was sixteen now and hadn't quite grasped the concept of a dirty clothes basket so Joey and Charlie had long since decided that the rule was – if it was on the floor, it got washed.

Their home had been somewhat quieter recently. Between Macy dying and Christine deciding that she had reached a place where she was well enough to move out, there was now only Joey, Charlie and Max left. Christine was nineteen now and under the strict instruction from Charlie and Joey that the boys did not make her do the housework, she had moved in with James and Harry. She and Jake had broken up a while ago. Christine's long term condition had made things too difficult for them. And now that she was finally really to move out and stand on her own two feet, it seemed that it was too late for her and her boyfriend. He had been upset that she was prepared to move in with her foster brother and his friend when, the year before, she hadn't been ready to move in with him. Apparently time had meant nothing to him and he didn't understand how she could be well enough to do some things and not well enough to do others.

In Max's room, Joey gathered up his jeans and dumped them in her basket, grumbling about tissues left in pockets. She squeaked a little when, along with the tissue, she pulled out a condom. Over the past few months, he had really blossomed and it seemed like he'd taken most of the girls in the high school out on a date already. But it didn't mean that Joey was quite able to cope with him being sexually active.

"At least he's being safe," she muttered, awkwardly shoving the condom packet in his drawer and opting to ignore the dirty magazine she saw in there.

* * *

Nicole sat at home turning her father's letter over in her hands. She was alone in the house with a lot of time to think. Aden was at work, Cathy was still living away at University and both Clarissa and Todd were at school. She could hardly believe how fast her kids were growing up now. Her youngest was eleven already and his voice was starting to break, much to the amusement of his thirteen year old sister. She, however, was dealing with her own problems – namely that she had to wear a bra and her periods had started. Nicole remembered Cathy being quite excited at the prospect. Clarissa, however, was horrified.

Stopping her mind from drifting, she returned her gaze to Roman's handwriting. He'd been informed that Elliot had died in jail and he'd written to let his daughter know. Part of her was glad he was dead. Elliot was a man who had caused her no end of suffering in his bid for revenge against her Dad. She had never been so terrified in all her life than when he had threatened her kids and abducted her. But it wasn't the kind of thing she could be cheerful about. It just brought back awful memories. Her Dad was in jail because of crimes in the army. Elliot had died in jail after trying to avenge his brother's death. And then there was the fact that Brett, one of the people responsible for the death of her beloved husband, was out there, walking the streets somewhere. She felt sick that he had his freedom when Romeo would never get the chance to see how his children had grown. And the other person responsible for killing him would be stuck in prison for the next forever. She'd been given another life sentence for the death of some other poor soul. Nicole was glad that she was incarcerated again but she hated that someone else had to die for it to happen.

* * *

"Daria Buckton-Collins you get into my office right now!" Charlie ordered angrily.

Her daughter offered her a glare and Charlie saw her cheeks flush red at the way their colleagues were observing them. Then Daria stormed towards her. Charlie led the way into her office and closed the door. Daria threw herself into a chair.

"What?" she demanded.

Charlie towered over her.

"You _cannot _manhandle suspects!" she boomed.

"I just gave him a bit of a shove," Daria said dismissively. "He barely noticed."

"Not the point!" Charlie argued. "You don't shove people! That's not part of our job."

"He battered an old lady in her house!"

"And that's a disgusting thing to do," Charlie said. "But do you really think that poor woman in hospital right now is going to thank you if you screw up her case because he's claiming police brutality?"

"Brutality..." Daria sniffed as if it was ridiculous. "He damn well deserves brutality. And more of it."

"That is not your decision to make," Charlie said, lowering her tone. "And quite frankly, your attitude over the last six months stinks."

"Well, excuse me if I'm having a hard time of it," Daria said sourly. "I'm a single parent and the father of my child is banging his ex-wife again. Not all of us live in la-la-land like you do, Charlie. _Some _people have their hearts broken and _some _people don't find it easy."

Charlie pulled up a chair in front of her.

"I know you're struggling," she said.

Daria was about to launch into argument but Charlie held up a hand to silence her.

"I _know _you're struggling. And I know it's not easy when you break up with someone you love."

"You don't know shit, Charlie. You've been married since you were three years old!"

"That's not true," Charlie said.

"The only people you've ever broken up with are Angelo and Roman and you didn't exactly love them, did you?"

"Joey and I broke up for a while once upon a time," Charlie said.

Daria looked startled. She'd forgotten about that. Her parents had told her about it when Daria was struggling with self injury. Joey had shared her own experiences and it had all begun during the months that she and Charlie had been apart.

"It's hell," Charlie said firmly. "I was a mess and you know exactly how awful Joey felt. But that doesn't give anyone permission to push others around."

"I still think he deserved it," Daria said, pulling a face.

"It doesn't matter. We're here to help that woman. We're here to get justice. We're not here to exact revenge or whatever the hell you think you're doing."

"Fine," Daria said, standing up. "Can I get back to work now?"

"You can tell Watson to handle the interview," Charlie said sternly. "And you can tackle the paperwork."

Daria looked outraged but opted not to argue. She stormed back out of the room.

* * *

"Goal!" Zac yelled, parading across the beach in triumph.

He caught Clarissa up and into a hug, twirling her around. Gina watched sourly at how close her two friends were becoming. She definitely didn't like it. Once upon a time, she had been Clarissa's one and only and she was uncomfortable with the way Zac was stealing her attention. She smiled, however, when Clarissa jogged up to her and patted her on the shoulder as they continued to play their football game with a few of the girls and boys from school.

* * *

"Hi, Ollie," Joey greeted when the teenager knocked politely on the door looking for Max.

She welcomed him in and said that her son was out on a date with some girl from school.

"Oh," Ollie replied glumly. "I'll go then."

He sighed. Joey felt compassionate, recalling how disappointed she'd felt at his age whenever Charlie was off on a date. She was absolutely certain now that Ollie had a crush on Max, although he didn't seem willing to do anything about it. And she thought, for now, it wasn't a bad thing. Max was so far presenting as heterosexual and she wasn't entirely sure he'd respond that well to his friend's feelings. Still, she hoped that if Ollie did decide to say something, Max would be sensitive about it.

"You can stay for a snack or something if you like," she offered. "I mean, I'm probably not the most hip company in the world but I'm only planning on doing some gardening so it can always wait."

She smiled. Ollie smiled back.

"I could help you if you like," he offered.

Still smiling, Joey thought back to all those hours she wiled away in her teens, helping Elsie out with the garden.

"That would be great," she said. "Thanks."

They headed through the house and into the back garden together.

* * *

Xavier and Ruby had gone out of town in order to share an afternoon together without any hassle from Daria. They'd been back together for a couple of months and Xavier's ex-girlfriend wasn't making things easy. She was all but refusing to allow Xavier to see his daughter and it was definitely out of the question that Charlotte was allowed to spend time with Ruby. The whole situation was becoming increasingly difficult and Xavier was struggling immensely.

"When do you get to see Charlotte next?" Ruby asked.

"I think Daria's going to let me spend the morning with her tomorrow," Xavier said, although he didn't sound so sure.

Ruby patted his hand and apologised.

"It's not your fault," he said.

"It is," Ruby replied sadly. "This whole thing is my fault. Right from the start. I'm sorry."

Xavier hugged her and kissed the top of her head, assuring her that he didn't blame her for anything.

* * *

Charlie arrived home from work, glad that the day was over. She and Joey had plans to go to the cinema together and Charlie was planning to treat her partner to dinner as well.

"Jo?" she called out.

Joey appeared from upstairs, smiling and pleased to see her. They hugged and shared a brief kiss.

"How was your day?" Joey asked.

"Rough," Charlie admitted. "I'm very much looking forward to our evening out."

"What happened?"

They moved onto the couch and Charlie explained Daria's constantly worsening mood. Joey sighed. She felt sorry for her but she knew she wasn't doing herself any favours with the way she was behaving.

"How about you?" Charlie asked.

"It was okay, actually," Joey said. "I had a nice lunch with Chris and then Ollie came round for a bit."

"Ollie?"

Joey nodded and explained that he had been looking for Max and ended up helping her out in the garden.

"Aw, like you did with Mum," Charlie remembered.

"Yep," Joey said with a grin. "And in pretty much the same circumstance!"

Charlie chuckled.

"Do you really think he has a thing for Max then?"

Joey had revealed her suspicions months ago.

"I think so."

"Any chance Max might reciprocate?" Charlie wondered. "Because they would be pretty cute together!"

Joey shook her head.

"Not judging by the amount of girls he goes out with and the condoms I found in his drawer today."

"No!" Charlie squeaked. "He's a baby! He can't be... having _sex_!"

"Alas, he's a horny sixteen year old," Joey sighed. "I wish it wasn't true but I doubt we can do anything about it."

Charlie put her arm around her and mused that at least they had been lucky with Christine. She had been in no hurry to become sexually active and even now when she was nineteen, she was still happily single and determined to stay that way. And Daria and David, for their own reasons, had also waited until they knew they were ready. But James had got Leanne pregnant during his first time and now Max was proving to be rather randy.

"I really wish kids didn't grow up so fast," Joey sighed, resting her head on Charlie's shoulder.

"Mmm," Charlie agreed. "Still, why don't we focus on having a good time of our own tonight?"

They grinned and kissed.

* * *

"Does she have to come round again?" Andy complained.

"Unless you want to babysit Charlotte for the rest of the night, yes, she does," David replied.

He pulled his partner into a hug.

"But does she have to _stay_?" Andy whined.

"She's my sister," David said. "And she's having a hard time so again, yes, she does."

He frowned and pulled away. While he too was finding Daria hard to deal with these days, he could never turn her away and it frustrated him that Andy didn't seem to understand. They were brother and sister, they were twins and they were best friends. The love they shared ran deeper than either of them could describe and David knew for certain that he would do anything for her. Even if Andy didn't like it.

* * *

Nicole was waiting for Aden at the Jukebox. Todd had been granted special permission to hang out at home with Clarissa and Gina. He was eleven now and Nicole was practising with trust and experimenting with boundaries.

"Hey, Nic?" Martha ventured when she came over to serve her.

"Yeah?"

"Have you um... have you noticed the amount of time Clarissa and Zac are spending together?"

Nicole shifted uncomfortably. She had definitely noticed it and she was a little concerned.

"Yeah," she said. "Do you think we should be worried?"

Martha sighed and leant against the bar. It was the town's best kept secret that Roman was Leanne's father and not Jack as she believed. With Nicole being Roman's daughter too, the girls were half sisters, therefore making their children cousins.

"I don't know," Nicole said. "She doesn't really talk about him so maybe... I mean, to be honest, if she and Gina turned around and said they were an item, it wouldn't exactly be the shock of the Century. But now that they're hanging out so much with Zac... I just don't know."

Martha nodded, twisting her hands together.

"I don't want anyone to know the truth," she said. "Especially now that Jack's gone. Leanne worshipped the ground her walked on and I don't want her thinking badly of him for lying. And I couldn't bear my family to be torn apart. We're only just building ourselves back up again."

"I know," Nicole said with a gentle nod. "And it's not like Dad's exactly around at the moment."

Martha sighed heavily.

"What do you think we should do?" she asked.

* * *

It was the end of the evening and Charlie and Joey had had a lovely time at the movies and eaten a lovely meal. They'd greeted Max, who was watching television in the lounge and then begun to lock up for the night when there was a knock on the door. Joey hesitated, unsettled by the urgency of the sound. Charlie nudged her out of the way and opened the door. Both women stood, stunned as they saw Joey's brother, Brett Collins standing in front of them.

* * *

_Next time... Charlie, Joey and Nicole come face to face with Brett before he makes a drastic decision..._


	155. Chapter 155

_I wrote the final chapter to this story a couple of days ago (chapter 170). I can't believe the story is ending after so long! But I hope you enjoy it between now and then. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Five**

**June 2041**

"Brett, what the hell are you doing here?" Joey demanded from over Charlie's shoulder.

Her older brother, now aged sixty one years old, stood before her looking far older and more dishevelled that he should. His hair was thin and grey and days old stubble covered his face. His eyes were tired and his body was hunched.

"I needed to see you," he said weakly.

"Well, you're not welcome," Charlie said bitterly.

She moved to close the door but he got in the way, begging them to listen to him, even if only for a few moments. Charlie and Joey glanced at each other uncertainly. Brett had hurt them both terribly in so many different ways. It already felt too late to redeem their relationship. But Joey couldn't help but remember her mother's face and recall the words of the letter she'd written her when she knew she was dying. Clara had been so desperate to keep her family together and Joey knew how disappointed she would be over how everything had actually turned out.

"You've got five minutes," she finally decided after some silent communication with Charlie.

He nodded gratefully and stepped inside the familiar kitchen. Charlie poked her head round the living room door and ordered Max to go up to his room and stay there. He looked set to object but saw the seriousness on his mother's face and hurried towards the stairs. She then came to sit with Joey and Brett at the kitchen table.

"What do you want, Brett?" Joey asked.

She held on tightly to Charlie's hand over the table top.

"I want to apologise," Brett replied.

"Don't you think it's a bit late for that?" Charlie snapped.

The oldest Collins sibling swallowed and bowed his head, apologising again.

"Which part are you sorry for exactly?" Joey wondered. "For turning against me when I came out? For making me homeless? For pretending to be a good guy when all you were after was a chance to break Charlie and I up? For continuing to try and destroy us? For trying to convince me that I was losing my mind? Or for nearly killing Charlie and actually killing an innocent bystander? A man we loved very much?"

Brett looked back up with tears in her eyes.

"For all of it," he said. "I hate myself for what I've done to both of you."

"Well, you're in good company," Charlie said. "Do you have any idea what you've done?"

"I know!" Brett said desperately. "I know what I've done. And I'm so sorry."

"Really?" Charlie challenged. "You know that you left a woman a pregnant widow? You know she had to bury her husband before he was even forty? You know that one of her kids barely remembers her father and another one never met him at all? You know all that, do you?"

Brett wept openly, repeating his apologies. Charlie and Joey struggled not to be moved by his sorrow. But for Joey, glancing at Charlie was all she needed.

"And you know what you did to Charlie, do you?" she said. "You know that her whole life changed because of you and Zoe and your disgusting plot? You know that you nearly killed her? You know that she's never forgiven herself for something that wasn't her fault?"

"I'm sorry," Brett said again. "Please? Please forgive me?"

"No," Joey replied without hesitation. "No, I won't forgive you."

"Please, Joey?" Brett begged. "You're my sister and..."

"And it's a shame you didn't remember that before you tried to destroy us," Joey interrupted.

"It's too late, isn't it?" Brett said sadly.

"Yeah," Joey replied bitterly. "It is. So, why don't you see yourself out?"

He hesitated for a moment before shakily getting to his feet. Apologising again, he slipped out the door. Finally giving into her tears, Joey sank against Charlie, holding onto her for all she was worth.

* * *

"Okay," Nicole said, glancing at her watch. "It's almost ten o'clock. We should go home and check that Clarissa, Gina and Todd haven't misbehaved."

Aden finished his pint and stood up, stretching and taking his partner's hand. Saying goodbye to Martha, they headed on out into the moonlight, deciding to walk home via the beach. The air was warm and they'd had a nice evening.

"They would have called if something had gone wrong, wouldn't they?" Nicole worried.

Aden put his arm around her as the continued to walk along.

"Of course," he said. "Also, you phoned them approximately seven thousand times so if they were in trouble, I think you'd know about it by now."

Nicole laughed and elbowed him gently, scolding him for exaggerating. She had phoned her children no more than eleven times, she was sure of it.

"Yep," Aden agreed. "That's totally fine. Not overprotective at all!"

He paused when he saw a figure huddled over a fence that bracketed off the beach.

"Mate, are you okay?" he called out.

Approaching with caution, he and Nicole saw the man look up. Nicole felt hate flood her body when she recognised him as Brett Collins.

* * *

"Why did he have to come here?" Joey wept.

She and Charlie were still holding each other in the kitchen and Joey was struggling to get a handle on her feelings. Seeing Brett had shaken her up and brought back old feelings that she had long since tried to keep a lid on.

"I don't know," Charlie managed. "But let's hope he'll leave town for good now that he knows he's not welcome."

"This is Brett we're talking about," Joey sobbed. "He's not exactly one to give in."

Charlie held her partner tighter, feeling her shake with fright and upset.

"Even if he doesn't leave, I'll protect you, Joey. I'd give my life to protect you."

Joey clung tighter at the mere thought of Charlie having to do such a thing.

"Don't leave me," she begged. "If he tries something again, you have to let me die. You can't leave me, Charlie. You promised! You promised I'd never have to live without you."

Charlie held on even tighter, kissing the top of her head.

"Nothing is going to happen," she assured her, feeling bad for perhaps saying the wrong thing. "Nothing is going to happen to either of us. I promise you."

But the words felt hollow. It wasn't like Brett hadn't nearly destroyed their lives before. And it wasn't like he couldn't try and do it again. Sometimes Charlie wondered how many more things they could survive.

"I hate him, Charlie," Joey wept. "I hate him!"

"You don't," Charlie whispered gently.

Even with the likes of Brett, Robbo and Zoe, Joey hadn't had the capacity to hate. It was one of the many things Charlie loved about her.

* * *

"What the hell do you think you're doing here?" Nicole bellowed, breaking away from Aden and charging up to Brett. "How dare you even think about coming here after what you did?"

Brett just looked helpless. Nicole barely noticed as her pent up fury burst out of her, telling him all the things that she had imagined telling him in all these years she'd lived without her Romeo.

"You should still be in jail!" she screamed. "You should live and die there! You should have been left to rot!"

Brett continued to watch her, offering no kind of response but the heartbreak was clear in his eyes.

"Nic..." Aden tried, gently pulling her arm.

She pulled roughly away from him and continued her rant.

"You bastard!" she yelled. "You evil, sick bastard! It should have been you that died that night, not Romeo. You and that bitch, Zoe. You should both be dead. And it should have been painful! How can you even live with yourself after what you did to Romeo and Charlie? Do you know how many people's lives you destroyed? Did you even give a shit about me and my kids? My poor, beautiful kids who lost their Dad?"

"I can't live with myself," Brett managed.

Ignoring him, Nicole pushed him in the chest. He stumbled back and landed on the ground. She aimed several kicks in his direction before Aden pulled her roughly away.

"Nicole!" he said desperately. "Nicole, stop it!"

"He deserves it!" Nicole insisted.

"I know!" Aden said. "But he knows it too. Look at him."

Nicole finally looked down at the man in a heap, weeping on the floor.

"Let him be," Aden said gently, still keeping hold of his girlfriend. "Let him be."

"I will hate you for the rest of my life," Nicole told Brett bitterly before storming off in tears.

Aden hurried after her.

* * *

Charlie and Joey had retired to the couch, still in each other's arms, feeling shaken by Brett's shock arrival. Charlie lay on her back with Joey resting against her. She ran her hands gently up and down Joey's back, tenderly keeping close.

"He looked different, didn't he?" Joey ventured after a long period of silence.

"Yeah," Charlie nodded.

She wondered if she and Joey looked different too. Seeing themselves and each other every day, it wasn't always easy to notice the changes. And despite the constant pain in her hip and presence of a walking stick, at fifty eight, Charlie still felt like a teenager. But Brett, her one time childhood boyfriend, looked like an old, old man. He was pale, weak and fragile. It was like he had no life left in him. And for his age, it just didn't seem right. As much as she felt bitter over what he had put them through, the compassionate side of her worried over what he might have gone through behind bars.

"Do you think he was really here to apologise?" Joey asked.

Charlie swallowed uncertainly, not quite sure what the right answer was. They were both shaken and both suspicious of his motives but Charlie had to admit that yes, he had seemed genuine in his grief.

"I think so too," Joey sighed.

She didn't want to feel sorry for him. There was so much hurt there, so many things to blame him for, and she could hardly bear to let him into her heart again.

"What do you think our parents would want us to do about this?" Joey wondered.

Charlie sighed.

"I have no idea," she said. "I mean, I know your parents would be sad at the rift between you. But then, it's not like you've been squabbling over who had the last of the milk. This is the serious stuff."

"I don't know what to do," Joey said. "I don't know what the right thing is. I hate what he did to us. That was one of the worst times in my life and we haven't exactly had things easy. But... I felt sorry for him."

She looked up and into Charlie's face.

"Would you be disgusted with me for feeling sorry for him? After what he did to you?"

"No," Charlie said without hesitation. "Of course I wouldn't."

"But he nearly killed you. He hurt you so badly, Charlie."

"I know," Charlie said softly. "But honestly, Joey, if you want to talk some more with him... if you want to try and forgive him, I'll back you up all the way."

"Really?" Joey asked incredulously.

"Whatever we do, we're in it together, okay?" Charlie said. "We're a unit and that's the way it's always been. It's the way it's always going to be."

Joey smiled. Tenderly, she reached out and wiped Charlie's tears away.

"I have no idea what I did to deserve you," she whispered. "But I am never ever going to let you go."

They kissed softly. Their tears melted together as they held each other close.

* * *

Nicole was still fuming and shaking when she and Aden finally arrived home. Before she did anything, Nicole fixed herself a drink to try and still her anxiety. Aden stood close by, putting a gentle hand on her back in a bid to keep her calm.

"Mum?" Clarissa said, appearing in the kitchen. "Are you okay?"

Nicole finished her drink, wiped her eyes and then turned to face her daughter.

"I'm fine," she lied. "How was your night?"

Clarissa smiled uncertainly.

"It was fun," she said. "And we behaved."

She led Nicole and Aden through to the lounge where she, Gina, Todd and Matt had laid out their sleeping bags for their movie night. Nicole was glad of the way Clarissa and Todd got along. Cathy had always been slightly less tolerant of her siblings but the bond between the youngest two was profound.

"Well done," she said. "I'm pleased with all of you. But it's getting late now so up to your bedrooms, okay? Go to sleep."

A little reluctantly, the children agreed and scampered away.

* * *

Leaving Max to his own devices and making him promise that he would call if he needed anything, Charlie and Joey went for a drive. Arriving down at the beach, they got out of the car and walk towards the sand. Charlie couldn't do excessively long jaunts any more but a slow meander along the beach sounded like a very good idea. Holding hands in the moonlight, they strolled across the sand.

"Do you think we'll see him again?" Joey asked.

She wasn't sure if she wanted to or not. She'd hardly felt so mixed up about anything before in her life. Before she could answer, Charlie froze. Looking ahead of them, she and Joey spotted a huddled figure on the sand.

"Hello?" Charlie called, glad that even in a supposedly safe town like this, she was never quite off duty and was therefore usually armed.

There was no answer so she called out again. Still, there was no answer. Holding hands, Charlie and Joey approached with caution. Within moments, they found themselves standing over Brett, passed out with an empty bottle of vodka and several empty bottles of pills.

* * *

_Next time... Gina confides in Joey about her feelings for Clarissa and Leanne finally discovers the truth about Roman..._


	156. Chapter 156

**Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Six**

**September 2041**

"Happy birthday, sweetheart," Charlie whispered, creeping onto the bed beside her partner.

Joey opened her sleepy eyes and smiled, immediately reaching out to pull Charlie into her arms.

"Fifty six years old, hey?" Charlie teased. "How did that happen?"

Joey giggled, reminding her that no matter how old she got, Charlie would always be older.

"Spoil my fun!" Charlie pouted.

She sat up. Joey moved to meet her with a kiss. Charlie smiled against Joey's lips.

"Do you realise that not a single one of these fifty six birthdays have gone without us being together in some way?" she said. "I even saw you on the day you were born."

Joey smiled, feeling very lucky that it was true.

"Even the one you _should _have missed, you didn't," she said, remembering the party Charlie had been away at police training for.

She'd come back specially for the weekend so as not to miss it.

"There is no 'should'," Charlie insisted. "I'm proud to have celebrated every year with you. And long may it continue."

They kissed again, tumbling back against the pillows together.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Charlie and Joey headed over to Crumble for lunch. Sitting down at a table together, they anxiously spotted Nicole walk in with Aden. Things had been a little tense recently. Brett had overdosed on the beach a few months before and while Nicole had been glad of it, Joey and Charlie had shared his final moments with him and forgiven him for what he'd done to them all. Nicole had been shocked to see them grieve for Brett and she'd felt betrayed by her friends for befriending the man who had killed her husband right at the last minute. Aden had tried to stick up for Joey but it hadn't helped or personally done him any good. He'd felt very torn between his girlfriend and his friends but at least things were getting a little better now.

"Can we go and wish Jo a happy birthday?" he asked quietly, tugging on Nicole's hand.

Sighing, the forty eight year old blonde nodded. She told Gina, Clarissa, Todd and Matt to get a table and the two of them headed on over to Charlie and Joey.

"Happy birthday, Joey," Aden said, leaning down to hug his best friend.

"Thanks."

Nicole awkwardly bent to hug her too. She believed that life was too short to bear a grudge, even when she wanted to.

"Would you like to join us?" Charlie offered, glad of the extension of friendship.

This situation was not dissimilar to when she had stood up for Angelo in court over Vinnie's death and had subsequently fallen out with Leah.

"We've got the kids," Nicole said. "But thanks."

They headed on back to their table.

"I think that went well," Charlie said cheerfully.

Joey nodded. She understood why Nicole was hurt. To be honest, she was surprised to have found herself forgiving Brett. But when it had come to it, she couldn't bear for him to die with no peace.

* * *

Zac was a little embarrassed at being taken out to lunch by his mother, father, uncle and grandmother for his fourteenth birthday. He was going to have a small party later that day but his family had insisted on doing something with him first. They arrived at Crumble together and found a table. Spotting his parents, James bounded on over to Charlie and Joey to say hello and wish Joey happy birthday. Sitting down, Zac spotted Clarissa at another table and smiled longingly at her. She smiled back. Gina tried not to glare.

* * *

An hour later, Zac had escaped his family in order to spend some time with his friends. Martha had paid the bill and gone home with Leanne and Jake while James pulled up a seat to help Charlie and Joey with their dessert. Nicole and Aden had left the kids to it and also come to join Charlie and Joey at their table, keen to continue building bridges. Around the teenagers' table, Zac was telling Clarissa, Gina, Todd and Matt about his plans for the party tonight. Clarissa was hanging on Zac's every word and it was making Gina sick.

"I'm going to the bathroom," she said.

Only Todd and Matt really noticed. She disappeared into the toilets.

* * *

Ollie and Max were playing football on the beach with a few of their friends and Ollie was performing considerably worse than the others. He was struggling and longed for the days that he and Max used to spend their time just hanging out with each other playing video games. But in recent years, in a bid to bulk up and make himself as attractive as possible, Max had developed an interest in sports. Loyal Ollie had gone along with it, not wanting Max to move on and forget about him but it was becoming increasingly difficult to keep up. The more he thought about it, the more he feared that his best friend was leaving him behind.

* * *

Joey left her toilet cubicle and headed over to the sink to wash her hands. She paused between the taps and the hand dryer when she heard a noise. Listening harder, it sounded like someone was crying.

"Hello?" she called.

The sobbing ceased and whoever was locked in the middle cubicle tried to pretend that they weren't there.

"Who's there?" Joey asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," the young voice said tearfully.

Joey stepped closer, trying to place the voice.

"Gina?" she finally asked.

"No," Gina lied.

Detecting the distinct pout in her niece's voice, Joey smiled. She moved closer to the door and asked again if she was okay.

"I said I'm fine," the thirteen year old said.

"Hey, come and tell your favourite auntie all about it," Joey coaxed. "And never tell Charlie that I called myself your favourite."

Gina giggled and reluctantly opened the door. She surprised them both by throwing herself into Joey's arms.

* * *

"I'm really excited about the party," Clarissa said. "Mum even took me out to buy a new outfit."

Zac wondered what she would look like. He was looking forward to seeing her and wondered if tonight he might actually have the courage to ask her out.

"Me too," Zac said. "Mum's even letting us have the place to ourselves for it. And you know what she and Nan are like!"

Clarissa giggled. She knew very well what both Leanne and Martha were like and she was very grateful that her own Mum and step-dad weren't quite so strict.

* * *

Gina and Joey propped themselves up on the sinks.

"What's up, Gina?" Joey asked.

Gina sighed and studied her aunt's face. She supposed that if there was anyone in the world she could tell, it was Joey or Charlie.

"I'm jealous," she said.

"Of what?"

"Clarissa likes a boy and I..."

She trailed off and looked down at her shoes.

"You don't want her to?" Joey asked.

Gina nodded glumly.

"And why don't you want her to?" Joey asked gently, already confidant that she knew the answer.

"Because I like her," Gina admitted.

She burst into tears all over again. Joey gathered her into her arms.

* * *

"Where is the birthday girl anyway?" James wondered, noting that Joey had been absent from the table for quite some time now.

"She said she was going to the bathroom," Charlie frowned.

"Maybe she's waiting for you!" Aden smirked.

Nicole snorted and Charlie slapped his hand and told him not to be so rude.

"Oh, as if you're above it!" Aden said. "Fiftieth birthday anyone?"

"Please remember that they're my parents!" James begged, putting his hands over his ears.

"Sweetie, you're thirty one now," Nicole teased. "I think it's time to accept that your parents have sex."

"They so don't!" James protested, although he knew it was true.

"We had it this morning," Charlie revealed just to freak him out a little more.

He covered his ears again, screeching that la-la-la, he wasn't listening. Charlie, Aden and Nicole burst out laughing.

* * *

"I guess you need to figure out if she feels the same about you," Joey said.

"I used to think she did but..."

Gina sighed heavily and rubbed her still wet eyes.

"How can she like me if she likes him too?"

Joey sighed. She didn't want to give Gina false hope but she distinctly recalled Charlie liking both her and Roman at the same time. Roman might not have been love or anything but there had been at least a simmering attraction.

"It is possible," she said. "But again, that's something you'll need to figure out. And regardless of how Clarissa feels, the most important thing here is you."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't be quick to label yourself before you're ready. Be kind to yourself and take time to figure out who you are and what you want."

Gina nodded.

"But you've been really brave by telling someone about it," Joey encouraged. "I know how scary and isolating it is to have those kinds of feelings and not being able to share them with anyone."

"Who did you first come out to, Joey?" Gina asked. "Was it Charlie?"

"It was Aden, actually," Joey said. "I didn't so much tell him as he figured it out. We were a little younger than you and we were trying to date but it just wasn't working."

"Because you're gay?"

Joey nodded.

"And you were in love with Charlie?"

Joey nodded again.

"How did you get together?" Gina asked, realising she'd never actually heard the story.

"Well, once I'd figured out once and for all if she liked me or not, I took her out to dinner and I... I told her that I was in love with her. Fortunately, I was right and she did love me back and we've never looked back since."

Gina smiled.

"How did you know?" she wondered.

"Honestly? Her Mum told me!"

Gina giggled.

"Really?"

Joey nodded and explained that Gina's grandmother had known that she and Charlie loved each other for a long time. And once she had been diagnosed with cancer, she had refused to let them waste their lives by not being together.

"I don't think this is going to turn out the same," Gina said sadly. "I think she likes him too much. If she liked me, should would have come to find me by now but she's probably hanging on his every word still."

Joey was confused, trying to remember who had been at the table.

"Gina, who does Clarissa like?" she asked nervously.

"Zac," Gina replied.

* * *

Charlie was just about to get up and look for Joey when her partner and Gina emerged from the bathroom together. Gina headed back to her friends. Joey watched them a little uncertainly for a moment and then headed back.

"I thought you'd fallen in," Charlie smirked as Joey sat back down.

Joey giggled and kissed her cheek.

"We were having girl time," she explained.

"Well, I should be going," James said. "I think Chris will actually kill me if my dishes aren't done soon!"

Charlie fixed him with a stern look.

"You and Harry had better not be taking advantage of her," she said. "You know she's still not well."

James stood, holding up defensive hands.

"I know!" he insisted. "We're being good for the most part."

He wished Joey happy birthday again and then headed on out, pausing to irritate Zac by ruffling his hair. Once he was out of earshot, Joey turned more seriously to Nicole.

"Nic, I think we've got a problem."

* * *

That evening, Zac was most annoyed when Martha changed her mind about letting him have an unchaperoned party. He'd argued and so had Leanne but she had been unrelenting, explaining that it was her house and therefore her rules. Storming off to get ready, Zac felt completely let down. Sensing a row between his sister and mother, Jake escaped the house and wondered for a millionth time whether he ought to finally move out and get a place of his own.

"Why are you doing this?" Leanne demanded.

"I've told you," Martha insisted.

"You're not making sense, Mum," Leanne said. "You were fine with it only this morning."

"Well, I've changed my mind," Martha said.

She was trying not to show it but her heart was racing. It felt like the world was about to fall apart around her and she missed her husband more than ever.

"This is ridiculous," Leanne snapped. "And you know what? We moved in here in order to take care of you. But you don't need us anymore and we don't need you. Zac and I are going as soon as we can unless you give us a reason as to why you're being so mean to him on his birthday. Don't you trust him or something? He's a good boy!"

Martha turned around.

"Well, I've been hearing rumours that I don't like. And I don't want those rumours taking place in my house," she said.

Leanne looked utterly bewildered.

"What are you talking about?"

"He and that Clarissa girl are planning on..."

She trailed off, hoping that Leanne would catch onto the lie without her having to say it.

"You think they're going to have sex or something?" Leanne asked incredulously.

Martha nodded, hoping the thought of her child becoming sexually active would be enough to win Leanne over to her side.

"Don't be ridiculous," Leanne said. "They're kids!"

"Do you remember how old you were when you got pregnant with him?" Martha asked.

"Yes and I was older than he is," Leanne argued. "You're being stupid. They're not even dating."

"Thank goodness!"

"What's wrong with Clarissa anyway? She's a nice girl."

"She isn't right for him," Martha said.

"Why not?"

"Just trust me on this," Martha begged.

"No. I want to know what your problem is, Mum."

"I don't have a problem!"

"Well, clearly you do!" Leanne yelled.

"They're cousins!" Martha snapped.

She immediately regretted it. Leanne stared at her in sheer confusion.

* * *

_Next time... Leanne, Zac, Clarissa and Gina discover the truth and Leanne takes her anger out on Charlie and Joey..._


	157. Chapter 157

**Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Seven**

**September 2041**

"What the hell are you talking about?" Leanne demanded. "Of course they're not cousins! Don't be ridiculous!"

Hearing the row, Jake and Zac emerged from their rooms, hovering in the doorway. Neither woman noticed them.

"They are," Martha said, her voice shaking. "I'm sorry."

"I don't even understand what you're saying to me, Mum."

"Your Dad... isn't your Dad," Martha ventured.

Leanne observed her with shock and disgusted.

"Who... who is?"

"Roman Harris."

"Roman? Who's in jail? Nicole's Dad? Leah's ex?"

Martha nodded and sank into a kitchen chair. She closed her eyes in despair, having never wanted the truth to come out.

"How?" Leanne demanded, towering over her. "Since when have you ever dated him?"

"It was a one night stand," Martha admitted. "Your Dad and I... Jack and I... we'd temporarily separated and..."

She shook her head, full of shame.

"Did Dad even know?" Leanne asked incredulously.

"Yes," Martha said. "He did. And he loved you so much anyway that he was happy to bring you up as his own."

"Well good for him!" Leanne snapped.

She turned and stormed out the door. Still at the table, Martha wept. She looked up when a shadow fell over her. It was Jake.

"So it is just Lee you've lied to for her whole life or is it me too?" he demanded.

* * *

"I guess we all should have known the truth would come out eventually," Charlie mused as she and Joey walked across the beach together, enjoying the dying sunshine.

"Maybe it doesn't have to," Joey said sadly.

"But if Clarissa and Zac like each other, how are Martha and Nicole going to keep them apart? Unless you know the truth about Roman, it doesn't make sense."

Joey shrugged but was intent on remaining hopeful.

"I feel sorry for Gina," she said.

Charlie put an arm around her.

"Me too," she said. "It's hard being in love with someone and thinking they don't feel the same."

"Very hard," Joey agreed.

They turned to face each other. Charlie brushed a stray strand of hair from Joey's face.

"Let's hope they all get a happy ending like we have," Joey said.

"We're nowhere near the end yet, sweetheart," Charlie smiled, leaning in for a kiss.

* * *

While Martha and Jake argued and Martha begged her son to believe that Jack was definitely his biological father, Zac slipped out of the house, trying to be brave and not cry. Walking down the street by himself, he pulled out his phone and called Clarissa, asking to meet up with her at the park. Hanging up, he shoved his hands into his pockets and trudged towards his destination, bitterly wishing himself a happy birthday.

* * *

Charlie and Joey headed back to the car in order to drive down to the docks and spend a little time on the boat. It was too nice a day to hang out at home, especially as it was Joey's birthday, but they were eager for some privacy. Sitting in the passenger seat, Charlie smiled naughtily and let her hand creep up Joey's thigh.

"Charlie..." Joey warned.

"What?" her wife replied innocently.

"It's a three minute drive. Can't you wait?"

Stretching out her seatbelt, Charlie leant forward and brushed her lips against Joey's neck.

"No," she whispered.

Joey tried hard not to give into the sensations of Charlie's tongue, lips and fingers. She concentrated hard on the road, eager to get down to the boat as quickly as possible.

* * *

Jake had stormed out in pursuit of his apparent half sister. Martha immediately picked up the phone to warn Nicole of what had happened. It was only fair. If it hadn't been for Nicole and Aden – and apparently Joey – Martha wouldn't have even known there was a potential problem. Leanne and Jake seemed to hate her right now and she was sadly aware that she deserved it. If she could offer some kind of damage limitation then she wanted to. It felt like the right thing to do.

"Nic?" she said urgently when the daughter of her one time fling picked up the phone.

"Yeah?"

Martha could hardly speak.

"Martha? Are you okay? Has something happened?"

Nicole immediately began to fret for her daughter who had happily skipped out of the house only ten minutes before.

"Leanne knows the truth," Martha revealed.

* * *

Zac sat on top of the climbing frame waiting for Clarissa. Pulling out his phone again, he texted all his friends and cancelled the party. He definitely didn't feel like celebrating his birthday now. He had just finished sending his message to everyone when he spotted his crush approaching him, looking disturbingly beautiful. She hopped up beside him, wondering what was wrong.

"Clarissa, I just heard something horrible," he said.

* * *

Charlie and Joey had failed to make it as far as the boat. Sitting up in the backseat of the steamed up car, Charlie attempted to do her buttons up. Joey sat up too and wrapped her arms around her, kissing her shoulder.

"How do you so often reduce me to nothing but a horny teenager?" Charlie wondered with a giggle.

"It's my birthday!" Joey insisted. "We're allowed to indulge on my birthday, I'm sure."

Charlie twisted around.

"What's the excuse for the rest of the year?" she smirked.

"I think it's called love," Joey replied sweetly, leaning in for a kiss. "Plus, I'm pretty helpless when I'm married to someone who's so damn hot."

Charlie put her arms around her, guiding her back onto the seat again.

* * *

"We need to tell Clarissa the truth before anyone else does," Nicole decided.

Aden nodded, sighing heavily. He put his arm around her as Nicole picked up the phone to call her daughter. Clarissa's mobile rang and rang but she did not pick up.

"No answer," she told Aden when she hung up. "Do you think I should call again?"

"Where did she say she was going?" Aden asked.

"I don't think she did," Nicole said.

She could kick herself for just letting her go without asking.

"Maybe I'll call Gina and see if she's heard from her," she said. "They're usually together."

* * *

Leanne stormed across town with no real direction. Her head was full of confusion and she felt sick. Up ahead, she saw Charlie and Joey giggling and looking flushed as they climbed out of the backseat of their car. Disgusted, she charged over to the grandparents of her son. They were pivotal members of the community and they had grown up with her mother and the man she had believed to be her father up until a short while ago.

"Did you two know?" she bellowed.

Charlie and Joey both hesitated. They glanced uncertainly at each other.

"Know what?" Charlie asked.

"Did you know my whole damn life has been a fucking lie!" Leanne yelled.

"Leanne..."

"I'll take that as a yes," the younger woman snapped.

"It really wasn't like that," Charlie said reasonably.

"I was fathered by a guy that I just thought was any old man that happened to live in this town," Leanne said bitterly. "You know, before he got sent to jail for _killing someone_! I thought Jack was my Dad. I loved him. I respected him. I've been grieving for him since he died and all this time he should never have been more to me than a stranger."

"That's not fair," Charlie told her. "Jack loved you. It never mattered to him that Roman was your biological father."

"Well it matters to me," Leanne said, storming away from them.

Joey sighed heavily. Her birthday had been somewhat crushed.

* * *

"Gina, I need to see you," Clarissa said urgently when her friend picked up her phone.

"Um... sure," Gina replied. "Are you okay?"

"No."

"What's wrong?"

"Can I come over?"

"Of course," Gina said. "You know you don't have to ask."

"Please don't let your Mum know I'm coming," Clarissa begged. "I'll sneak in through the window."

Before Gina could ask any more questions, her friend hung up.

* * *

"Zac!" Martha screeched. "Where the hell have you been?"

The teenager moved sullenly through the house. He offered his grandmother nothing more than a glare.

"Zac, I'm talking to you," Martha said, following him towards his bedroom.

The newly fourteen year old boy turned around, his eyes wild and furious.

"I was out telling my _cousin _how disgusting I am that I actually wanted to date her!" he spat.

"Zac..."

He stormed into his bedroom and slammed the door.

* * *

Charlie and Joey had decided against their boat trip after all. They were a little shaken by Leanne's outburst and besides, being cramped up in the car had made Charlie's leg ache terribly. On the way home, Charlie had called James and awkwardly told him what had happened. No matter how long they had been apart now, James and Leanne had a connection and they believed that if one person could get through to her now, it was her ex-boyfriend. Walking through the door, they found the place exceptionally tidy. Max and Ollie stood there looking particularly proud of themselves.

"What's going on, guys?" Joey asked curiously.

"We cleaned!" Max said proudly. "And..."

He led them into the lounge where a cake stood on the table.

"We baked," Ollie announced.

"I thought it was kind of gay but Ollie thought it was a nice idea," Max explained.

Ollie cringed a little and didn't dare glance at Joey who he was sure knew his secret.

"This is so sweet of you," Joey gushed.

"Happy birthday, Mum," Max said.

He hugged her.

* * *

Nicole was frantic. She felt like there wasn't enough air in the room as she panicked over her missing daughter. Martha had phoned again to say that Zac had told Clarissa the truth so Nicole was more fretful than ever. Aden had gone searching for her and Nicole had called all of her friends, including Zac who hadn't picked up. Even Gina hadn't heard from Clarissa and Nicole's worry was only increasing by the second.

* * *

"What's going on?" Gina asked when Clarissa finally arrived.

Her friend moved through the room and collapsed onto the bed in tears. Gina moved closer and gathered her best friend into her arms. She had no idea what the problem was but she was damned if she wasn't going to support Clarissa through whatever it was. Holding her close, she kissed the top of her head and whispered that she loved her no matter what.

* * *

_Next time... Clarissa and Gina get closer, James comforts Leanne and Charlie and Joey finish celebrating Joey's birthday..._


	158. Chapter 158

**Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Eight**

**September 2041**

Charlie, Joey, Max and Ollie were happily sitting round the table eating cake when David, Daria and Christine arrived.

"Ooh, cake!" Daria beamed, immediately sitting herself down and indulging in a slice.

Chuckling, David wished Joey happy birthday and pulled up a chair for himself and one for Christine.

"Oh yeah," Daria chirped. "Happy birthday."

"Thanks," Joey said. "And you should thank the boys for the cake. They made it."

"You baked?" Christine teased the teenagers.

They nodded.

"So gay!" Daria commented.

"Hey!" David protested. "Gay is not an insult."

"Oh, come on," Daria said, rolling her eyes. "As if anyone could ever get away with homophobia in this house!"

Ollie tried not to look uncomfortable.

* * *

"You and Zac are cousins?" Gina asked incredulously.

Clarissa nodded, still feeling tearful as she explained that Martha and Jack had lied to Leanne for her whole life. Martha had had a one night stand with Clarissa's grandfather and they'd kept it a secret from most of the rest of the town.

"I take it you're so upset because you like him," Gina ventured.

Clarissa nodded and cried harder. She shifted so that she was resting her head in her best friend's lap. Gina stroked her hair tenderly, determined to be kind and supportive and not let her own feelings get in the way and control her actions.

"Did you... um... did you and Zac ever...?"

"We never did anything," Clarissa said. "Thank goodness. We held hands a couple of times and I... I really liked him but..."

She closed her eyes and continued to weep.

* * *

Nicole remained at home, desperate for news about her daughter's whereabouts. It wasn't like her not to answer her phone and while Nicole knew it was entirely possible that she was fine, she was still afraid. Aden had been charging around town looking for her but so far, he hadn't come up with anything. Todd had ventured downstairs from doing his homework but Nicole had sent him back up again and told him not to worry. He was clearly concerned about her state of mind but had opted not to push. Picking up the phone again, Nicole dialled Ruby's number.

* * *

"Well, we're heading out to the Juke," Max said.

He'd had enough of tea and cake with his family, especially as Daria hadn't stopped teasing him over his baking skills. And for that matter, nor had Christine, who was much more lively than she normally was.

"Happy birthday, Mum," he said, hugging Joey.

"Happy birthday, Joey," Ollie echoed, following his friend out of the house.

"That was so cute of them," Charlie said when they were safely out of earshot.

"Yeah," Joey smiled. "It was. They could have done without the mockery."

She shot a look at both of her daughters who merely continued to look amused.

"If we thought Max was actually battling with his sexuality, we wouldn't have," Christine assured her. "But I'm sure he can take it."

Joey nodded, keeping her anxiety about Ollie to herself, although she knew Charlie understood where she was coming from.

"So, did you guys have a good day?" David asked.

"Aside from Leanne laying into us, yes," Joey said unhappily.

"Leanne?" Daria asked. "What's her problem?"

Charlie awkwardly began to explain.

* * *

Aden returned to Crumble for the fourth time, still searching for Clarissa. Exasperated, Leah asked him once and for all what the matter was.

"It's... complicated," he said. "I don't think... well... just ask Martha if you really want to know."

He dashed out again, leaving his friend just as confused as she had been when she arrived – if not more so.

* * *

"Hide me!" Clarissa squeaked when Ruby knocked on Gina's bedroom door.

She knew full well that her mother and Aden would be looking for her by now and she wasn't ready to see them yet. They had lied to her after all and they must have seen that she was getting closer to Zac. She was adamant that they should have gone ahead and told her the truth. It wasn't fair to have put her or her surprise cousin in this position.

"In there!" Gina hissed, shoving her friend towards her wardrobe.

The teenager dashed inside just as Ruby pushed open the door. Gina tried to look as innocent as possible.

"What's going on in here?" she asked.

"Nothing," Gina lied.

"Gina, I know you think that you and your mates are the only ones who have ever been teenagers but I can assure you, I've been there, done that and got the t-shirt. So don't think you can lie to me."

Gina looked alarmed.

"There's nothing going on," she insisted.

"Then why is there someone hiding in your closet?"

Without warning, Ruby charged over and opened the doors. Relief flooded her at the sight of Clarissa. For a horrible moment, she had worried Gina was hiding a boy in her room. She definitely wasn't ready for those kinds of problems yet. She was also pleased to have solved Nicole's problem.

"Hi Aunt Ruby," Clarissa said weakly.

"Hi," Ruby replied, taking her hand and bringing her out and into the room. "Do you want to tell me what's going on? Because your Mum has been tearing her hair out worrying about you."

* * *

David, Daria and Christine had all been shocked to say the least and they supposed Martha's past dalliance with Roman and its repercussions would be meaty gossip for quite some time. Having seen their kids back out of the house, Charlie and Joey were alone together again.

"What a day!" Joey remarked, flopping onto the couch.

Charlie came to sit with her and held her hand. She winced as she moved.

"Is your hip still bad?" Joey asked worriedly.

Charlie reluctantly admitted that it was.

"Sorry," Joey apologised. "I should have behaved in the car."

"I think I was the one who started it," Charlie reminded her.

Joey grinned at the memory.

"Plus, I wouldn't take it back," she said. "That was a damn hot afternoon."

Giggling, they kissed. Charlie winced again. Standing up, Joey announced that she was going to run her a nice, hot bath to try and relax her sore muscles again.

* * *

James had tried and failed to get hold of Leanne and the evening was drawing in. In his last ditch attempt to find her, he approached the local cemetery and wound his way over to Jack Holden's grave. Leanne's non-biological father rested beside his father, the man Leanne had always assumed was her granddad. And sure enough, Leanne was sitting on her knees in front of Jack's tombstone sobbing and repeatedly asking him why he had pretended to be her Dad. James sank down beside her, putting his arm around her.

"Because he loved you," he said gently.

* * *

Ruby had phoned Nicole to reassure her that she had found Clarissa safe and sound. She'd said that she knew the truth about she and Zac being related and wanted to take some time to think about it. Nicole agreed that Clarissa could stay over with Gina on the promise that she came home first thing the next morning to talk properly. Now the night had rolled around and the girls were lying side by side in bed together.

"Will you be okay?" Gina asked in the darkness.

"I hope so," Clarissa replied. "I think so. It's harder for Zac. It's his family that's fallen apart. I mean, I'm mad at Mum for not telling me but it worse for the Holden's, isn't it? Martha lied to Leanne and everything. And it's not like she can even talk to Jack about it because he's dead. And her real Dad is in prison... my... my granddad."

She shook her head, finding the whole thing very confusing. She smiled gratefully when Gina reached out and held her hand.

"I'm glad nothing happened between me and Zac," she said.

"Me too," Gina admitted without thinking.

Clarissa shifted onto her side, just about able to make out her friend's features.

"How come?"

"Because... well, it would have been worse if you'd... well, if... you know," Gina said, flustered.

Clarissa nodded.

"Thank you for being here for me," she said, pulling her friend into a hug.

"Where else would I be?" Gina wondered.

Moving closer together in the dark, they kissed.

* * *

Charlie and Joey retired to bed. All in all, it had been a good day and Joey had enjoyed celebrating her birthday. Curling up in each other's arms, they were both glad that their lives were not as complicated as they had once been. They could identify with the teenagers who were struggling to figure out who they were and what they wanted. They'd been through it all themselves and it had been such a confusing time. Both women were grateful now, that despite what went on in the world, the one thing they could be absolutely sure of was each other.

* * *

_Next time... Gina and Clarissa turn to Charlie and Joey as they try to figure out their feelings..._


	159. Chapter 159

**Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Nine**

**October 2041**

Joey missed Macy as she headed down to the beach for a walk. Stretching her legs had always been more fun with the dog, and her shoulder had been playing up a lot recently so Charlie had told her in no uncertain terms that she was not to sneak onto the trawler for the afternoon. And she believed her when she said she'd check. But still, it was nice to wander along the sand and gaze out at the ocean she loved. She paused when she saw Gina sitting alone by the water. Her niece had been very down in recent weeks and from what Joey could tell, she had had some kind of row with Clarissa. The usually inseparable pair hadn't been seen together for weeks and their loved ones were definitely worried.

"Hey," Joey said gently, sitting down beside her on the sand.

Gina looked immediately panicked.

"Don't worry," Joey said. "I won't dob you in about skipping school."

"Thanks," Gina said, breathing a sigh of relief.

"But can I ask _why _you're not at school?" Joey probed, worried about her.

Gina sighed, still gazing out at sea.

"I don't even know where to begin," she said sadly.

Joey put her arm around her, encouraging her to tell her whatever she needed to.

* * *

"Charlie, we've had a call out about a vandal," Watson said. "But there's nobody here except me and Dar."

Charlie pulled a face.

"Can you man the phones?" the Sergeant asked.

"Sure," Charlie said. "Can you forward them through to me? I'm paper-working."

Watson nodded and ducked back out of the room. Charlie returned to her work.

* * *

"I just don't know what to do," Gina said. "I can't even look at her without her laying into me. She hates me. I tried to get her to forget the whole thing but she just said that if I went anywhere near her again she'd tell everyone I was a dyke."

Joey closed her eyes and kept her arm around her. She could empathise. A lot.

"How did it happen?" she asked. "I mean, did Clarissa kiss you back or...?"

"That's the thing!" Gina exclaimed unhappily. "Yes. She did. She did kiss me back. And then we cuddled all night but then in the morning she just... ran off."

Joey nodded. Again, the story was familiar, although at least Charlie had been a little nicer about it all when they had been kids exploring their feelings for each other.

"What am I meant to do, Joey?" Gina wondered. "I'm absolutely lost without her. She's my best friend."

"She _is _your best friend," Joey agreed. "You two have been inseparable since before you were even born! I mean, I remember having lunch once with your Mum and with Nicole and you guys even kicked at the same time."

Gina grinned.

"And then of course you share your birthday," Joey continued. "You're meant to be in each other's lives. So... I think you just need to give her time, Gina. I can't tell you whether you're meant to be friends or more than friends but you're definitely not meant to be without each other."

Gina gazed at Joey, looking hopeful.

"How am I meant to win her back round?" she asked.

* * *

An hour later, Watson knocked on Charlie's door again.

"Did everything go okay?" the Detective asked.

"Our vandal was Clarissa Smith," Watson explained. "She was pretty aggressive so we brought her in. I've called Nicole but she can't get here for a couple of hours. She's out visiting Roman. What should I do?"

She didn't want to sling her in a cell and they couldn't interview her without her parents being present. But with Nicole away and Aden out at sea and therefore not in receipt of reception, there was little they could do for now.

"Bring her in here," Charlie said. "We can chat for a bit until Nicole comes."

Watson nodded and headed off to bring the teenager in.

* * *

"To be honest, I think it's just a case of time," Joey said. "I don't want to give you false hope because it might not turn out that you end up together like you want to be but... what you're telling me isn't dissimilar to how things started between Charlie and I."

Gina's eyes lit up.

"Really?" she said.

Joey nodded.

"Can you... can you tell me?" Gina asked.

"Well, I was your age and Charlie was fifteen," Joey explained. "We grew up as best friends like you and Clarissa have. Being with Charlie is my earliest memory and she's always been part of my happiest ones."

Gina smiled. That definitely sounded like her and Clarissa. Her best friend made her world go round.

"Anyway," Joey said. "We were on holiday together with our parents and my brother and your Mum. And on the last night, we were allowed to stay up as late as we liked. So we hung out on deck and we just... kissed."

"And you've been together ever since?" Gina asked hopefully.

Joey smiled but shook her head.

"Unfortunately not," she said. "It took us a while to get our act together and realise that we were in love. I knew that I was gay and I knew that I was in love with Charlie. But she totally panicked. It took her a long while to get her head around her sexuality."

"I find that really strange," Gina admitted. "I've only ever known Auntie Charlie as being gay... being with you. Thinking of her as a teenager and confused and everything is... weird."

Joey chuckled.

"She was very confused," Joey revealed. "She stopped talking to me for a little while. She wasn't nasty but she was just so lost over everything. She even started dating my brother for a little while."

Gina looked horrified.

"Suddenly I'm very glad that I only have a four year old sister!" she remarked.

* * *

Clarissa sat sullenly in front of Charlie. She had been caught smashing up a car. In fairness, it had clearly been abandoned but someone had spotted her and called the police.

"Do you want to tell me what made you do it?" Charlie asked, perching on the edge of her desk.

Clarissa folded her arms and glared.

"You can't interview me until Mum gets here," she said. "That's the law."

"I'm not interviewing you," Charlie said. "I'm asking a question as a concerned neighbour... as someone who cares a lot about you."

"Why would you care about _me_?" Clarissa asked.

"Well, for starters, your Dad was like a son to me," Charlie told her. "And besides anything else, you're clearly upset and I want to help."

Clarissa looked at her with scepticism.

"I thought you'd tell me off," she admitted. "I was scared when Watson said you wanted to talk to me."

"I don't want to tell you off," Charlie said, moving into a chair. "I want to make sure you're okay."

"I'm not," Clarissa admitted.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"I don't know where to start."

* * *

"That must have been really horrible for you," Gina said, empathising.

Joey nodded. Charlie's rejection definitely hadn't been fun. And throwing Brett in the mix had just made a bad situation worse.

"It was," she said. "But we got over it."

"How?"

"Well, after a little while of not communicating, I finally had enough. I begged her to talk to me and she just about agreed. We just brushed it all under the carpet and we made friends again," Joey said. "And that's how we continued for so many years. We kept falling into each other's arms every now and again. We kept kissing and we were pretty much an old married couple by the time we were twenty."

She laughed softly.

"I guess... I guess what I'm saying to you is that your friendship is strong, like ours was, regardless of whether there's a romantic interest or not. The pair of you love each other enough to recover from this. And then maybe, in time, you'll work out what you're meant to be to each other."

"I hope so," Gina said. "I hope... I hope that she might want to be my girlfriend one day."

"If that happens, I really wish you all the happiness in the world," Joey said. "Not everyone is lucky enough to fall in love with their best friend and have those feelings returned."

"Do you think I should try and talk to her today?"

"If it feels like the right time."

"I can't bear the silence, you know? I swear, I'll never so much as look at her in that way again if it means that I can be her friend again," Gina said honestly.

"Well then I think you should tell her that," Joey said.

"Have you and Charlie had other girlfriends and stuff, Auntie Joey?" Gina asked.

* * *

"I'm a freak," Clarissa said sadly.

"Well, I doubt that very much," Charlie said kindly.

Already she had a feeling she knew what this was about, or more specifically, whom.

"I nearly started dating my cousin," Clarissa said desperately. "What's freakier than that?"

"It's not like you knew, sweetheart," Charlie pointed out. "You didn't grow up as cousins. You never knew you were related."

Clarissa nodded. She still felt angry that nobody thought to tell either her or Zac what the situation was. If they had, they could have both been saved a hell of a lot of humiliation.

"I guess."

"It's not your fault, Clarissa," Charlie continued. "It's not your fault or Zac's."

"No, it's Martha's and Granddad's," Clarissa said darkly.

She sighed heavily and closed her eyes, admitting that that wasn't the worst of it, although it was causing all manner of grief at school.

"What's the worst of it?" Charlie asked.

"I did genuinely like Zac," Clarissa ventured. "But I've always liked someone else more."

Charlie nodded and waited for her to continue.

"And I think they like me back and now... now I'm terrified. I have no idea what to do."

"Who is it?" Charlie asked, even though she already knew.

"Gina."

* * *

"I had a girlfriend for three years when I was a teenager," Joey revealed. "I was still in love with Charlie the whole time but I never thought I'd be lucky enough to have her love me back so... And she had boyfriends. She went on a few days with Clarissa's grandfather, actually."

Gina looked surprised.

"And she dated Angelo for a little while."

Joey laughed when the teenager pulled a face.

"How can she have had such horrible taste in men and then date someone nice like you?" Gina wondered.

Joey blushed and thanked her quietly.

"Thank you for spending time with me," Gina said. "You've made me feel better. Stronger."

"Good," Joey said. "I'm glad I helped. It's such a horrible thing to go through so if I can be useful then I will. You can talk to me any time."

"Thank you."

They hugged.

"And I think I'm going to text Clarissa and ask if we can talk properly," Gina said. "And hope that she'll agree and be my friend again."

* * *

Clarissa waited for Charlie to look surprised but the expression never came.

"I would have thought you'd react more to that," she admitted.

"It's not really a surprise," Charlie said.

Clarissa looked horrified. Charlie quickly apologised.

"It's just... well, you and Gina have always kind of reminded me of Joey and I at your age."

"I'm not gay," Clarissa said quickly.

"Okay."

"I'm not! She is though."

"Did she tell you that?"

"She kissed me!" Clarissa blurted out. "On the same day as I nearly kissed my own cousin, I then went and kissed a girl! How sick and twisted am I?"

Charlie chewed her lip before gently reminding her that the Zac thing wasn't her fault and that there was nothing wrong with being gay.

"I know," Clarissa said. "I didn't mean it like that. I'm not homophobic or anything. Sorry."

"It's fine," Charlie said, touching her hand gently. "So, Gina likes you? She kissed you?"

Clarissa nodded.

"And?"

"And I kissed her back. And then I stopped talking to her."

Charlie chuckled softly.

"It's not funny!" Clarissa snapped defensively.

Charlie apologised and began to explain her reaction to kissing Joey for the first time.

* * *

Joey walked Gina into school so that she could attend her lessons for the afternoon and hopefully catch up with Clarissa. She had also made her promise to call whenever she needed to. Heading home again, Joey pondered the situation. She couldn't help but hope that things might work out between Gina and Clarissa. It almost felt like herself and Charlie all over again and if she could wish that kind of love on anyone, she would. Changing direction, she headed for the supermarket she was no longer afraid of in order to get ingredients for a special dinner for her wife.

* * *

"So, you think I should talk to her?" Clarissa asked.

"I think that would be a really good idea," Charlie confirmed.

Clarissa sighed and admitted that she still didn't know what to say.

"Well, maybe you need to say that," Charlie suggested. "Just... don't shut her out. Be honest about your feelings, even if it's just your confusion."

Clarissa nodded.

"I think... I think if I'd handled things better from the start with Joey, we could have got together sooner," Charlie admitted. "Don't do what I did and get so lost in labels and chaos that you forget the most important thing."

"What's that?" Clarissa asked, hanging on the Detective's every word.

"That regardless of what you and Gina are meant to be to each other, whether it be best friends or girlfriends, you _are _meant to be together somehow. You have lived your entire lives together so far and you clearly love each other so much. Keep her in your life. Don't push her away or let her go. You need each other. A relationship like yours can only be a good thing, okay?"

Clarissa nodded and thanked her.

"Now," Charlie said. "We're going to forget this silly vandalism thing and I'm going to drive you back to school, alright?"

Clarissa smiled and thanked her. They stood up and headed back through the door together.

* * *

Joey had just arrived back at home when her phone rang.

"Hey, sweetheart," she said to Charlie, as she began to unpack her shopping.

"Hey," Charlie replied. "How are you?"

"Yeah, pretty good," Joey said. "Will you be home on time tonight? I thought I'd cook us a nice dinner."

"Oh!" Charlie said happily. "What did I do to deserve that?"

"It's just because I love you," Joey replied sweetly.

"I love you too," Charlie said. "That's why I phoned, actually."

"Oh?"

"Yeah... just... I love you," Charlie said honestly. "And I feel so lucky to have been allowed to spend our lives together."

Joey smiled.

"I think I'm the lucky one," she replied.

* * *

At school, Clarissa and Gina bumped into each other in the hallway.

"Hey," Gina said stiffly.

"Hey," Clarissa replied.

"Listen, can we talk?" they both said at the same time.

* * *

_Next time... skipping forward in time everyone prepares for Charlie and Joey to return from the trip of a lifetime, a former couple are back together and someone else makes a surprise return home..._


	160. Chapter 160

**Chapter One Hundred and Sixty**

**January 2048**

"I can't believe they're finally coming home!" Christine said excitedly.

Jake smiled as his girlfriend's excitement. They, along with James, Leanne, Zac and Max had been living in Charlie and Joey's house for a little while now, while the retired cop and businesswoman travelled the world on their boat. In their absence and to Jake's delight, he and Christine had begun spending time together again and they'd got back together for real a couple of years ago and they'd been living together for six months. Christine had learnt to deal with her illness and while she continued to have off days, she was generally doing a lot better than she had been.

"You've really missed them, haven't you?" he said.

Christine nodded, unable to keep the smile from her face at the prospect of her parents coming home. They had been gone for four years and although they had arranged for various family members to come and visit at various times, including Christine last year, she was eager to have them back at home properly so that she could see them regularly again.

* * *

"Is this buffet how you want it?" Leah asked.

The sixty four year old was still happily running Crumble, although she was considering handing the reins over to someone else at some point. She certainly thought that Charlie and Joey had had the right idea by going off travelling and she knew her husband, Rev Elijah Johnson was itching to get back out to Africa and work there again.

"It's perfect," Christine said, thanking her.

She turned to see David, Andy, Daria and her current partner, Jason arrive to help with the setup. The twins were also very eager to see their parents.

"Is everything set?" David asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Christine said. "Aside from the balloons."

David nodded and the foursome got to work. Christine pulled out her phone and called James to check that he was still okay to collect Charlie and Joey from the docks. He and Leanne had got back together after the fallout from the revelations that Roman was Leanne Dad and not Jack. James had been there to take care of his first love and feelings had developed between them again.

* * *

"I'm here!" Ruby announced.

The fifty four year old, followed by Gina and Clarissa, bounded into the Jukebox to help finish setting up for the party. There was a community feel already and Ruby couldn't think of a more deserving couple to be given such special treatment. Their town hadn't been quite the same since Charlie and Joey had gone off on their travels. Ruby, along with several other locals, hadn't quite realised just how essential the couple were to their community. Ruby for one, was very glad that two of her favourite people were coming home. She headed up to the bar where her husband, Xavier was setting up, along with Martha, who, like Leah, was considering packing up her business and passing it onto someone new. Rachel had made it clear that she was welcome to come and join her in America, like Harry had a couple of years ago, in order to start again. Things had not been the same for Martha in a long time. She, Jake, Leanne and Zac were on speaking terms again but they were not close like they always had been before. It made Martha feel sad and that was a feeling she had been trying to escape ever since her beloved husband had passed away.

"Having fun?" Ruby asked Xavier.

He smiled, leant over the bar and kissed her. Over the last few years, things had been better between them than ever before. And now that Daria had calmed down and especially since she had started dating someone new, things were a lot happier. Charlotte was ten now and Xavier had no access problems at all. Daria even managed to express the odd nicety to Ruby, which they all thought was good progress.

"It's been busy," Xavier said. "And you, along with everyone else, look positively giddy."

Ruby grinned.

"How could I not be giddy?" she asked. "I haven't been away from my sisters since I was pre-pubescent and my Dad sent me away to boarding school. I've missed them like crazy!"

Xavier smiled affectionately and stole another kiss. He thought it was lovely that Ruby had such a good relationship with her siblings. He had never been close to Hugo and had refused to visit him or answer phone calls since he had last been sent to prison. The human trafficking ring had been the last straw, especially as it had got Charlie permanently injured and Jack killed. Xavier was not willing to forgive and forget. And while Xavier did have a close relationship with Brendan, it wasn't quite the same.

* * *

"Girls, could you put up the banners?" Christine asked Gina and Clarissa.

The twenty year olds nodded and set to work. They too were looking forward to Charlie and Joey's return. Thanks to the significant chats they'd had with them on that day six years ago, the girls had talked properly and they had been an item ever since then. And they were much happier for it.

* * *

Joey steered the boat towards home for the first time in four years. She and Charlie had had a wonderful time away and while part of them wished it never had to end, part of them were also looking forward to getting back to normality and seeing their loved ones again. They'd seen the kids at various points during their trip and Ruby and Xavier had also flown out to see them with Gina and Clarissa when they had stopped in Japan. But coming home to see their family and their friends and live in their happy home again, was definitely appealing. They had made a lot of plans for their retirement and they were looking forward to getting started.

"Are you looking forward to landing?" Charlie asked, creeping up behind her wife and wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Yeah," Joey admitted, relishing being held by the woman she loved.

It had definitely been the trip of a lifetime. They'd travelled to so many different countries, learnt different languages and about different cultures. They'd made a lot of friends along the way and had found a lot of places that they would like to return to at some point. They'd made a point of visiting certain countries around the time of gay pride and it had opened their eyes somewhat to the world around them. For the longest time, they had felt like two of the only gays in the village compared with a largely heterosexual society. But seeing people celebrate diversity in sexuality had been a lot of fun, especially in Brighton in the UK. That had definitely been a party.

"I'm looking forward to seeing the kids," Joey ventured. "And Ruby. And Watson. And... well, everyone."

She smiled. Charlie kissed her cheek.

"Me too," she said. "I really hope they haven't left our house in a mess!"

"Let's not even think about that now!" Joey laughed.

According to the plan, Charlie and Joey were entitled to go home to their own house and their own solitude. James and Leanne were moving out on their own, as were Jake and Christine while Zac was moving to the city to live out his last year of University in a house with some of his friends.

"This has definitely been a perfect trip, hasn't it?" Charlie said.

"Oh, most definitely," Joey replied. "And the next forever will also be perfect."

* * *

Leanne stood, holding a bouquet of flowers as she stood beside James, waiting to see Joey and Charlie's boat pull into the docks. Spotting them, James grinned. He took Leanne's hand and they headed over. James immediately began to help Joey secure the boat. Then he helped Charlie onto land.

"Look at you, my handsome boy," the retired Detective said, looking him up and down.

James was thirty seven now and had continued working on Joey and Irene's trawler, which David had taken over the management of. He enjoyed the work and although he knew it wasn't technically possible to take after either of his parents, he still felt like he did. And he had definitely adopted Joey's love of the sea.

"Embarrassing him within thirty seconds?" Joey teased, hopping onto land herself and stepping up beside her wife.

She pulled James and then Leanne into a hug and they followed the couple back to the car, leaving their belongings on board for now.

"I can't wait to see everyone," Joey said from the backseat. "I'm glad we're going for a quiet drink with you kids."

James chuckled. It was definitely _not _going to be a quiet drink but he, Christine, David, Daria, Max and Ruby had declined to let Charlie and Joey in on that particular secret.

"Christine's beside herself, waiting for you," he told them. "I don't think I've ever seen her so excited."

"How's she doing?" Charlie asked. "Really? I mean, she always says that she's fine when we call but we can't help worrying."

"She's doing well," James said. "I promise. She's almost back to her old self. Obviously she has her off days but on the whole, she's better."

"Good," Charlie said, relieved.

She reached out and held Joey's hand, smiling and feeling happy to be home.

* * *

"Quiet everyone!" Christine hissed.

Following orders, everyone hid and hushed appropriately until James, Leanne, Charlie and Joey entered the Jukebox. Then they jumped out and bellowed 'surprise'. Joey screamed and clutched onto Charlie, who also jumped and then laughed. The lights came on and both women were touched to see just how much effort their friends and family had gone to. Christine bounded over to hug both her mothers and a queue quickly formed.

"It's so good to see you!" Daria said, holding on tightly to Charlie while David hugged Joey, eager to find out every single thing that they had been up to during their time away.

"We're glad to be home," Charlie said, smiling at her daughter and then at her partner. "Although, we did have the most amazing time ever!"

Martha approached with a glass of champagne for both of them.

"It's really good to have you back," she said honestly. "The place just hasn't been the same without you."

* * *

Max and Ollie arrived, having gone to collect Morag and Alf from their houses. They were eighty four and eighty five respectively now. Alf had become surprisingly frail almost overnight and he had been sad, a couple of years before, to have to give up working behind the bar at the Jukebox. But like Morag, there was nothing that was going to stop him from coming to welcome Charlie and Joey both home. They were family after all.

"Have no fear," Max said cheekily when he spotted his parents. "Your favourite son is here."

James and David were quick to protest but Charlie and Joey laughed, pulling him into a joint hug. They greeted Ollie, Morag and Alf with warmth and Joey couldn't help but be amused at the still obvious longing in Ollie's eyes. Max hadn't mentioned anything happening between them and judging by his boundless love life, Ollie's feelings were unrequited. But it was nice to see that some things didn't change.

* * *

A short while later, when a lot of couples had got up to dance, Aden and Nicole headed over to Charlie and Joey who had taken a dance break to sit down and sip some more free champagne.

"It's been a long time, young lady," Aden teased, pulling his best friend in all the world into a hug.

Joey clung on, holding tightly and closing her eyes.

"It is so good to see you," she said honestly.

Of all the people she had missed and not seen at all for four years, Aden was the closest to her heart.

"Grey hair and all!" she teased.

"Hey!" Aden protested. "Guys don't dye their hair like you chicks obviously do!"

He noted that Charlie and Joey's hair retained the colour it had in their youth and at sixty four and sixty two, he failed to believe that it was natural.

"Well, to be fair, you don't have a whole lot to dye," Joey giggled.

"Nic, I've changed my mind," Aden said in mock seriousness. "I haven't missed them after all."

"Oh, you so have!" Nicole said, rolling her eyes and pulling him down to sit beside her. "Honestly, four years of whinging! You two have a hell of a lot to apologise for!"

"Sorry!" Joey laughed. "I had no idea that he couldn't live without me."

"You'd better believe it," Aden said earnestly. "I hereby forbid you to leave me ever again."

"Don't worry, Ade," Charlie said, holding Joey's hand. "We're not going anywhere any time soon."

* * *

Todd and Matt had escaped outside to hang out near the beach. They were glad to see Charlie and Joey back home but the party didn't feel quite young enough for them so they were happy to escape the finger food and 'retro' music Zac had been forced to play. A car suddenly pulled up. Matt's mouth hung open at the legs that appeared from the backseat. His eyes widened when he saw Cathy Smith standing there, looking beautiful and unattainable. She'd left University and gone on to become a model and she was becoming rather well known in Australia and beyond.

"Oh my... wow," Matt said.

Todd elbowed him.

"Dude, that's my sister!" he pointed out.

Matt immediately apologised and followed him as he went up to greet her.

"Cath, what are you doing here?" Todd asked, giving her a hug.

Matt hoped for a hug too but he didn't get one.

"Well, I heard Joey and Charlie were having their big homecoming so I thought I'd stop and say hi," she explained. "I figured now was as good a time as any for a visit."

"Mum will be so happy to see you," Todd said, leading her inside.

* * *

Nicole had definitely been pleased to see her eldest daughter. It had made an already happy day absolutely complete. She didn't get to see Cathy even nearly enough but the twenty five year old had promised to stay a good few weeks and have a proper catch up with her family to make up for her lack of appearance over Christmas. Now, Cathy was holding court with Max, Ollie, Todd and Matt – two of whom were clearly lusting over her. Max had never quite got over his crush on Cathy, even though she had been so mean to him when they were kids. And while Ollie didn't see the attraction himself, Matt clearly understood where Max was coming from.

"Hey, sis," Clarissa greeted, approaching her.

Cathy gathered here sister into a hug and smiled at Gina. She still wasn't sure about their relationship, even though it had so far lasted much longer than any attempt she had made with the various men in her life.

"How have you been?" Clarissa asked, eager to hear everything her sister had been up to.

They sat down in the circle, offering Cathy their rapt attention.

* * *

"Well, well, well, who do we have here?" said a voice.

Charlie immediately turned, smiling as she saw Watson and Sarah standing behind her. The former roommates hugged tightly. Watson meant as much to Charlie as Aden did to Joey. She had helped her come out and accept her sexuality. She had noticed her love for Joey even before she'd seen the two of them together. Charlie knew she would always feel she owed a lot to her friend and like Aden and Nicole, she and Sarah were two people they had missed terribly.

"I can't even tell you how glad I am to see you!" Charlie said, still hugging her while Joey hugged Sarah tightly.

"And I can't even tell you how much I am looking forward to my souvenirs from all those cities you've visited!" Watson teased.

The foursome sat down together. Charlie smiled. Watson had definitely not changed.

* * *

At the end of the night, James, Leanne and Zac, who was spending the night in his parents' spare room, dropped Charlie and Joey back home. Charlie surprised herself by getting a little emotional as she walked through the doors. It had been a long four years away from the place she had grown up in and then raised her family in. Aside from the few years she, Watson and Joey had shared a flat together, this was the only home that Charlie had known. And in part, it was the same for Joey. Her own house had stopped being a happy place when her mother had died. And she had barely been a teenager when that had happened. The Buckton household had always been her home and growing up, Ross, Elsie, Charlie and Ruby had always been her family.

"Are you okay, darling?" Joey asked softly.

Charlie clutched her walking stick and smiled through her tears.

"I hadn't realised how much I missed this place," she admitted. "It still looks the same."

"We cleaned up and everything," Leanne said. "You shouldn't find any mess."

"Thanks," Charlie said.

"Thanks for letting us live here while you were gone," James put in. "We've all had so many happy memories in this house."

He smiled. Charlie and Joey smiled back.

"Well, we'll leave you to it," Leanne said brightly, nudging Zac and James towards the door.

The newly arrived couple said their goodbyes and then locked up. Falling into each other's arms, they welcomed each other home.

* * *

Fifteen minutes later, sitting on their comfortable old couch, Joey proposed a toast with their cups of tea. Someone – they suspected Leanne or Christine – had been thoughtful enough to stock the fridge with the essentials they would need, like milk.

"Here's to the next set of happy memories," Joey said, lifting her cup.

"Absolutely," Charlie said, leaning in for a kiss.

* * *

_Next time... Roman is released from jail, Ollie comes out and Charlie and Joey spend time with Charlotte..._


	161. Chapter 161

**Chapter One Hundred and Sixty One**

**March 2048**

Max sat at the bar of the Jukebox, on his lunch break. He was currently working as a fitness instructor at the local gym and enjoyed it a lot, although he wasn't sure it was his life's ambition. He wasn't sure he even had a life's ambition. But the gym paid his share of the rent in the apartment he and Ollie had moved into together and it provided him with the cash to take various girls on dates. Sucking in his breath, he sat up a little straighter as he saw Cathy waltz through the door. Everyone had been surprised to see her in January and everyone was still surprised the more she hung around town. She'd been eager to leave home and experience life outside of their small town and there was a lot of gossip as to what she was still doing here.

"Hi," he said hopefully.

She smiled and walked past him, taking a seat and expecting Xavier to come and serve her at her table. He point blank refused on the basis that he was a barman, not a waiter. Taking the initiative, Max bought her a drink instead and presented it to her.

"Thanks," she said, barely looking at him.

"Can I join you?" he asked hopefully.

"If you must," she replied.

Taking it as a yes, he pulled up a chair, just hoping that he could impress her with his wit and charm.

* * *

Aden squeezed Nicole's hand, silently encouraging her to get out of the car. Today was the day that Roman was to be released from prison and Nicole had already invited him to move into her spare room. Clarissa lived away at University during term time now so at least for a few weeks, until the Easter holidays, there was a spare bed at home. But she knew her father was nervous about returning to the town he had loved and hurt in equal measure.

"You just have to be as strong as you can be for him," Aden said.

Nicole nodded but still looked unsure. She studied the prison gate through the windscreen and sucked in her breath when she saw her Dad emerge, finally a free man. She climbed out of the car to greet him. Aden hesitated. He hadn't seen the man that was now essentially his father in law for fifteen years and although he knew he was seventy years old, seeing how badly he had aged was a shock. The once big, muscular man looked pale and frail. He was balding, although still looked trim. But his head hung down and his shoulders were hunched. He looked like he would break if his daughter hugged him any tighter.

* * *

"Joey Buckton-Collins, you'd better not be overworking yourself!" Charlie called, standing in the doorway to the back garden.

Joey turned away from her bedding plants and smiled as her wife offered her a cup of tea. They moved to sit at the patio table in the sunshine. Charlie tutted as Joey wiped her hands on her jeans.

"They're old!" Joey protested.

Charlie just chuckled.

"Daria called," she said. "She was hoping that we'd pick Charlotte up from school. Apparently Jason has some kind of surprise for her."

Joey smirked. They hadn't stopped teasing their daughter for having a toy-boy since they'd returned from their trip. Daria was forty eight now and Jason, a waiter at a posh restaurant in town, was a mere thirty one years old.

"Alright for some, hey?" Joey said. "Running around with a younger lover."

"Hey!" Charlie protested. "You'd better not be thinking of trading me in!"

"Oh, as if I could live without you," Joey said, squeezing her hand.

"You'd better believe it," Charlie said smugly.

They kissed.

"We really should make more of an effort to get to know this guy," Charlie said more seriously. "I think he's a keeper. And you know what she's like. She'll have a fit when she realises that we know Andy, Leanne and Jake better."

"Well, we have known them for longer," Joey pointed out.

Charlie raised her eyebrows.

"Do you really think that will matter?" she remarked.

"Good point," Joey said. "Good point."

"I'm just glad it's not something Max would care about," Charlie grinned. "I don't think we could keep up!"

Joey laughed in agreement.

"I think he's still sweet on Cathy, you know," she said, shaking her head.

"I wonder if they know what kind of love triangle they're in," Charlie said. "Ollie loves Max, Max loves Cathy..."

"Cathy loves herself!"

Charlie snorted without any dignity, scolding Joey for being so mean. And for making her inhale her tea.

* * *

That evening, Max trudged back to his apartment in a bad mood. He'd spent most of the afternoon taking his aggression out on a punch bag. Having sat down with Cathy, he had tried to engage her in conversation but she had been haughty, if not rude. And then when he'd persisted and asked her out anyway, she had laughed in his face. It had definitely infuriated him.

"What's wrong with you?" Ollie asked.

His housemate was sitting on the sofa watching TV. He worked in a bank these days and was charging up the promotion ladder quicker than a regular employee. But he didn't particularly care about his work. He always went home to relax as early as he could get away with.

"Fucking Cathy," Max said unhappily, slumping into a chair.

"You're fucking Cathy?" Ollie asked in alarm.

"I wish!" Max snorted.

Ollie eyed him curiously, wondering what the problem was. Still very moody, Max began to explain.

* * *

Roman arrived home with Nicole and Aden. They had spent the whole car journey trying to be cheerful and upbeat but he hadn't been very talkative.

"Would you like a coffee, mate?" Aden asked when they were settled in the lounge.

"Oh yeah, that... that would be good," Roman replied gratefully. "I haven't had proper coffee in a long time."

Aden headed into the kitchen while Nicole came to sit beside her Dad. She put her arm around him and told him how happy she was that he was back home where he belonged.

"I don't think everyone is going to feel like that," Roman said sadly.

"Well, I'm sure you and Leah can be civil," Nicole ventured.

"I don't mean Leah," Roman replied. "Although, that will be pretty awkward. But what about Martha and Leanne and Zac? I mean, I wasn't here when it all kicked off. I haven't been involved. But Leanne knows the truth and Jack's dead and so much has changed. I don't know how I'm going to cope with being back here."

"But... you are staying?" Nicole asked worriedly. "You're not going to move away or anything like that? I need you."

Roman nodded and held her hand, assuring her that at least for now, he wasn't planning on going anywhere.

* * *

Joey drove herself and Charlie over to the school, waiting for Charlotte at the school gates. Their granddaughter was most definitely an excitable girl, who talked at a mile a minute and never failed to make them laugh.

"Hi Nan! Hi Nanny!" she greeted cheerfully, leaping into the backseat.

The ten year old had long black hair and was, for the most part, the spitting image of her mother. She did however, have her father's eyes.

"Hey, Charlotte," Charlie greeted with a smile as Joey pulled away from the curb. "How was your day?"

"Oh, it was so much fun," Charlotte enthused. "We've been writing stories all day. And it was raining so we didn't have to play netball. We did gym instead and I much prefer that to stupid team games where you can't even talk. Hey, can we go on the boat today? My friends think it's so awesome that you have a boat."

* * *

"Mate, I've been telling you since we were kids that Cathy is never going to be interested," Ollie said, chopping vegetables in the kitchen in a bid to make a proper dinner.

Usually they just ended up with takeaway.

"But she's so hot!" Max complained. "And it's not like I'm unattractive!"

Ollie snorted but privately agreed with him.

"I'm gorgeous!" Max continued. "I can date any girl I want. And I do. Regularly. But I've never been able to get near Cathy. I don't get it."

"Sometimes people just aren't attracted to other people," Ollie said reasonably. "I wouldn't take offence."

"Says the monk," Max teased.

"I am not a monk!"

"You've barely popped your cherry!" Max insisted.

"I've dated plenty of girls," Ollie insisted.

Max merely snorted and asked when dinner would be ready.

* * *

"This is so much fun," Charlotte enthused.

Charlie sat back as Joey taught their beloved grandchild to steer the boat. Joey was always happiest when she was out on the ocean and it seemed that most of their kids and grandkids were going the same way. David ran Joey's business now, James also worked on the trawler, Christine had her boat licence and Charlotte was also showing a real interest. Charlie knew it made Joey proud to be able to pass something like that on.

"Nan, can you steer a boat too?" Charlotte asked.

"Sort of," Charlie said. "Your Nanny taught me when we were on our holiday but I haven't got a licence or anything like that. She's is the clever one."

Joey flashed her a smile.

"You've always been brighter than me and you know it," she said.

"Hardly!" Charlie laughed.

"You're both clever," Charlotte decided. "Nanny can drive boats and knows every single thing about the sea. And Nan used to catch bad guys, didn't you?"

"I did indeed," Charlie agreed.

"How did you catch bad guys with your poorly leg?" Charlotte suddenly wondered.

"Well, I haven't always had a poorly leg," Charlie explained. "By the time that happened, I was a Detective so I didn't have to do much of the running and the catching."

Satisfied with the answer, Charlotte nodded and returned her attention to steering.

* * *

Roman very reluctantly allowed Nicole and Aden to convince him to go for dinner at Crumble to welcome him back home. He was worried about running into Leah but his daughter had pointed out that he would need to face her sometime. Todd had readily agreed to join them and Cathy was coming with a little more reluctance. Being back living in a small town was rather hard to adjust to.

"This place looks different," Roman commented, following his family through the door to the restaurant. "It's nice. Modern. I think. I don't really have comparisons."

Nicole stayed close to her father and led him to a chair. They huddled together in a corner, all but Cathy feeling very aware of Leah's presence. Roman studied his ex-partner. She was clearly older and he could just about make out the odd streak of grey in her hair. Still, she was strikingly beautiful. His heart skipped a beat, partly with longing and grief for the life together that they had lost because of his own stupid mistakes.

"Leah's worked pretty hard to keep it going," Aden said.

Roman had handed over his half of the business to her and now he wished he hadn't. At the time of sentencing, he'd thought he would be in prison forever and that there would be nothing to get out for. But now he was out and he had nothing in his life but his family. He had no idea how he was meant to pick himself back up and start again.

* * *

"Okay, before we take you home, how about dinner out at Crumble?" Joey suggested when she, Charlie and Charlotte climbed into the car.

Their granddaughter immediately agreed. Smiling, Joey headed towards the restaurant, glad to be off the hook for cooking. She and Charlie had spoilt themselves regularly during their time away with eating out and sampling different cuisines. Eating at home wasn't quite as interesting as that, or as interesting as having dinner under the moonlight on the boat each evening.

"I am so getting chocolate cake," Charlie decided.

"Can I have some too?" Charlotte asked hopefully.

"If you're good!" Joey said, pulling into a parking space.

Charlotte leapt out of the car and bounded towards the building. Charlie and Joey followed more slowly, pausing in the doorway when they spotted Roman sitting in the corner with Nicole, Aden, Cathy and Todd. They approached.

"Roman, we heard you were coming home," Charlie said. "It's good to see you."

He stood and hugged her and then Joey. A lot of things had happened since the very first time they had all met and Charlie had lost her virginity to the SAS officer. Where once upon a time, there had been a lot of awkwardness, it had been long gone well before Roman had been jailed.

"Yeah, back home again," Roman said, sitting back down. "Back in the wide world and pretty terrified."

"Well, you're amongst friends," Joey said. "It's the best place to be."

She managed a smile. She'd only been jailed for a month; she couldn't even imagine what fifteen years would have felt like.

"Who's this?" Roman asked, nodding towards the little girl that was hiding a little shyly behind Charlie.

The retired Detective pulled her out and introduced her as Charlotte, their granddaughter.

"Hi, Charlotte," Roman said, gently shaking her hand. "And who might your Mummy and Daddy be?"

Charlotte looked helplessly at her grandparents.

"Daria and Xavier," Joey explained.

Roman looked surprised.

"But I thought..."

He trailed off and then smiled.

"I guess a lot of things have changed since I last lived here."

* * *

Ollie had given up on the cooking and he and Max had ordered pizza and beer. And while it was still only early, they were already extremely tipsy. They were also still talking about Cathy.

"Seriously," Ollie said. "What do you see in her?"

"What's not to see?" Max asked. "She's a model for goodness sake. Doesn't that say it all?"

"But she's so stuck up," Ollie pointed out. "She's not exactly a nice person."

Max shrugged.

"When you're that hot, I don't think it matters," he remarked.

Ollie shook his head and took another slice of pizza.

"What can I say?" Max teased. "I'm not like you. I'm not immune to feminine wiles!"

"I'm not immune!" Ollie protested. "I just don't fall for every single female I meet."

"Try, _any_!" Max said.

Ollie shifted a little uncomfortably.

"That's not true," he said.

"Are you sure you don't have something to tell me?" Max smirked.

* * *

Leah took a deep breath and headed on over to Roman's table. She knew she had to face him sometime and now was as good a time as any.

"Hi," she said, hovering over the table.

Roman swallowed and gazed at her.

"Hi," he replied.

"How are you?"

"Okay," Roman shrugged, knowing that she was looking him up and down, taking in the changes and probably not really enjoying what she saw. "How are you?"

"Okay," Leah replied.

They stared at each other for a few moments longer.

"What can I get you?" Leah finally asked.

* * *

Ollie took a deep breath, knowing that it was now or never.

"Actually, yeah," he said. "I do kind of have something to tell you."

Max froze and said he was joking.

"I think I'm gay," Ollie blurted out, ignoring him.

Max stared at him for a moment and then shifted a little further away. Ollie's heart sank at the silent rejection.

"I um... well, uh... what do you want me to say?" Max asked.

"I don't know," Ollie admitted.

"Well, you know I don't have a problem with that kind of thing," Max ventured. "I mean, look at my folks. And Dave and Andy. That's always been cool with me. It's always been normal. Oh! And Gina and Clarissa. And Matt's parents. Loads of people are gay."

Ollie nodded but still felt unsure.

"Do you... do you have a boy... a boyfriend or something?" Max asked.

Ollie shook his head.

"I've never... never been with a guy," he said. "I haven't even kissed one."

"But you've done it with girls," Max reminded him.

"A couple."

"Well, maybe you're not gay," Max said hopefully.

"Maybe," Ollie said weakly.

Max nodded and took another slice of pizza, hoping that the subject would change quickly and that their friendship wouldn't change.

* * *

Elijah walked past Leah serving a table in Crumble and spotted Charlie and Joey sitting with Charlotte across the room. He approached cheerfully.

"I have some potential news," he said.

"Oh?" Charlie said, intrigued.

"Do you mind if I sit?"

"Of course not," Joey said, gesturing to the spare chair.

Elijah sat down and then caught sight of the particularly and obvious awkwardness his wife was experiencing with one of her customers. And the customer was a man he didn't recognise.

"Who's that?" he asked uncertainly.

"Um... that's Roman," Charlie informed him.

His face fell, knowing exactly what Roman had once meant to the woman he loved. Trying not to dwell on it, he shook his head and returned his attention to Charlie and Joey, eager to tell them what he had found out earlier in the day.

* * *

_Next time... Charlie and Joey visit an animal shelter, Max reacts badly when Ollie admits to having a crush on him and Leanne rejects Roman's attempts to get to know her..._


	162. Chapter 162

**Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Two**

**May 2048**

Charlie and Joey had taken a gentle walk across the beach, although with the bottom of Charlie's walking stick always disappearing into the sand, it wasn't always easy. Deciding to finish their leisurely morning with brunch in Crumble and both were eager to continue their discussion.

"Well, I think it's a brilliant idea," Joey said firmly, accepting her coffee from Leah.

"What's a brilliant idea?" the chef asked curiously.

"We're getting a cat," Charlie explained.

"So lesbian!" Leah teased.

"See!" Charlie said. "We're going to be a cliché!"

"But I want one," Joey pouted.

She offered her partner her saddest expression and her widest eyes.

"Please?" she begged.

"Oh, you know you're getting one," Charlie smirked. "As if I have ever been able to say no to you."

Laughing, Leah took their orders and headed back off to the kitchen.

"So, can we go to the shelter? Today?" Joey asked hopefully.

"Of course we can," Charlie promised.

They looked up when Elijah entered. He stopped by their table, smiling.

"I hear that there's another Bishops' meeting next month," he said. "They're really getting moving on this whole marriage idea."

Charlie and Joey smiled at him. He'd told them a couple of months ago that there had been talk of allowing same-sex couples to have an official marriage instead of just a civil partnership. It was all very low key for now and really, he knew that he shouldn't have told anyone but he was excited about the prospect of being able to marry any couple he liked and he thought that this particular couple would like to be first on the list. He had been right.

"Do you really think this is going to happen?" Joey asked. "I mean, I never thought the church would come to its senses and realise that we're not all evil."

Elijah looked mock offended. Joey quickly apologised.

"But you know what I mean," she added.

"I know," Elijah said affectionately. "But this whole thing has been a long time coming. And I really think we're going to take a step forward soon. Then it won't be down to denominations like UFMCC to solely hold the baton. I think it'll be a great way to unite us all again."

Charlie and Joey had been impressed with the Reverend's commitment to gay rights for a long time now and they were touched that he had come to them with the secret potential news.

"So, what are you guys up to today, anyway?" he asked.

Grinning, Joey launched into an explanation of the cat saga.

* * *

Ollie arrived home at lunch time, having clocked enough over time to be able to escape work for the rest of the day and start his weekend early. However, he wasn't sure he was going to enjoy it all that much. Things were a little awkward with Max to say the least. When he'd first come out in March, Max had struggled but then accepted it. But last week, when Ollie had begged him to come to a gay bar with him so that he could start testing the water with his sexuality, Max had struggled some more. He'd agreed at first and they had gone. But when the third guy in a row had hit on him, Max had dragged them both back home again and told him that if he wanted to be gay then he'd have to do it by himself. This was one thing that he couldn't help his best friend through. Ollie had accepted it but things had been difficult since then and even though neither boy could really put their finger on the problem, they had barely spoken for days.

* * *

Elijah frowned from his position sitting at the counter of Crumble when Roman entered. The former SAS officer had settled back into town, although things with the Holden family hadn't exactly been easy. Martha had accepted him readily enough but Leanne and Zac remained frosty. Jake also barely gave him the time of day. Roman was trying to build some kind of a relationship with his daughter but she wasn't interested. And he had also been trying to make things up to Leah. She had told him that she was happy to be friends but she could never feel close to him like she once had.

"Hi," he said.

As usual, he and Elijah sized each other up, having not quite managed to become friends. While Elijah wasn't prepared to admit it, he found Roman to be a threat. And Roman very clearly didn't like the fact that Leah had not only moved on with some other guy, but she loved him enough to have married him.

"Hi," the Reverend replied. "How are you?"

"Same old," Roman said. "You?"

"Fine."

Leah appeared from the kitchen, trying, as ever, to ignore the awkwardness that existed between her husband and her former partner.

"What can I get you?" she asked, opting to be professional.

* * *

Charlie and Joey pulled into a parking space at the animal shelter and headed inside. Signing in as guests, they were directed through a door where they could see the cats that needed loving new homes. Holding hands, Joey led the way through the corridor, pausing at each cage to gaze at the cat within. Charlie stood behind her, half gazing at the cats and half gazing at Joey. She marvelled at the fact that still, after all these years, there were still new things to learn about her partner. While she knew she got sappy over animals – Macy had been testament to that – watching her admire the cats was really rather adorable. Realising she was being watched, Joey peered back over her shoulder.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing," Charlie said affectionately. "I just think you're adorable."

Grinning, Joey kissed her cheek and continued to say hello to the cat on the other side of the glass.

* * *

"Look, what is your problem?" Ollie finally asked.

"Other than you dragging me into a minefield of gay men?" Max snapped back, sitting in an armchair and putting the television on.

"It wasn't like you didn't know where you were going!" Ollie argued. "I asked. You said yes. And now you're treating me like a leper!"

"You never should have asked me," Max insisted.

Ollie almost growled in frustration.

"You know, you of all people shock me with homophobia," he said.

"I'm not homophobic!"

"Well, I never thought you were but clearly you have some kind of problem with it. With me."

"My parents are gay," Max said. "My brother is gay. How would I ever have a problem with people being queer?"

"That's what I'm wondering," Ollie said. "Or maybe it's just me."

"Yeah, maybe it is," Max snapped.

He looked immediately guilty.

"You have a problem with me?" Ollie asked quietly, clearly offended.

Max turned the television off and leant forward in his seat.

"I'm just finding it hard to get my head around, okay?" he said. "I'm sorry. My Mums have always been gay. I arrived on their doorstep when I was really small. I've never known any different. Same with Dave. As long as I've known him he's been with Andy. And to be honest, we've never really been that close. But you..."

He sighed heavily before forcing himself to continue.

"It's like a big secret that I had no idea about. I feel like you've been lying to me for as long as I've known you. And that's not a nice feeling."

"It's not about lying," Ollie protested. "I wasn't ready to tell anyone. I couldn't."

"I know," Max said more kindly. "I understand that. But you've been my best mate for as long as I remember and now I feel like I don't even know you – like I've never known you. And we've done so much together, shared so much. We live together. I've pranced around the house in my underwear and all this time..."

"I haven't perved over you!" Ollie protested quickly.

"I know but..."

"I know nothing could ever happen between us."

Max paused and looked at him. Ollie blanched.

"Wait..." Max said. "Have you ever _wanted _something to happen between us?"

* * *

"Oh, look at these!" Joey squeaked, approaching a cage containing three tiny kittens.

Charlie smiled and stepped closer.

"They're pretty cute," she agreed.

"What's on their heads?"

"They're the Tipex Triplets," a voice behind them said.

Both women turned to find a member of staff looking set to start cleaning some of the cages out. The blonde haired woman explained that they had been brought into the shelter, having been abused by their owners. They had been starved and battered and somehow covered in correction fluid. Over the past three weeks, they had got most of it off but some of the marks would always remain.

"Oh!" Joey said. "How could someone do that?"

"I can't even start asking myself those kinds of questions," the woman, Linda, replied. "We just have to focus on giving them a better life. Are you interested in adoption?"

Joey nodded eagerly.

"Have you had cats before?"

"No," Joey admitted. "We had a rescue dog once but we'd like to adopt a cat or something now that we're retired."

"Well, if you want to meet these little guys, you can," Linda offered.

Charlie and Joey happily accepted, following her into the pen.

* * *

"It's not how it sounds," Ollie said, kicking himself for opening his big mouth.

"Well, how the fuck is it?" Max demanded angrily. "What? You've got a sick kind of crush on me or something?"

"It's not sick," Ollie replied. "I'm not sick. And it doesn't matter anyway."

"Well yeah, it does matter if I think I've been living with my best mate and he's been drooling all over me in secret! Watching me get changed, checking me out..."

"I haven't done that!"

"You haven't checked me out?"

"I have never watched you get changed," Ollie said reasonably. "I wouldn't. Look, Max, can we just forget this whole thing? I'm sorry. I should never have said anything. I didn't even mean to. I..."

"No, I'm glad I know," Max said. "Now I can stay the hell away from you."

He stood and headed for the door. Ollie hurried after him, begging him to stay. In one swift motion, Max grabbed him and slammed him hard against the wall.

* * *

James and Leanne arrived to have dinner with Martha. Tempers had been frayed for a long time but they were getting easier. Walking through the door of her mother's house, Leanne froze when she spotted Roman in the kitchen.

"What the hell is he doing here?" she demanded of Martha.

"I thought it would be nice for you to get to know him," Martha ventured.

"No!" Leanne insisted.

"Lee..." Martha tried.

"No!" her daughter yelled. "I can't even believe that you're pushing for me to have some kind of relationship with this stranger who apparently fathered me. Don't you care about Dad at all?"

"Of course I do!" Martha hissed. "Don't ever accuse me of betraying him."

James swallowed and put his hand gently around his girlfriend, wanting to let her know that he would support her regardless.

"Well, Dad didn't want me to know that Roman was my father," Leanne said firmly. "So I'm not going to stamp all over him now by trying to replace him."

"I should go..." Roman said quietly.

"Yeah, you should," Leanne told him.

He moved slowly towards the door, pausing only when Martha asked him to stay.

"No, go," Leanne insisted. "I don't care if you screwed my mother one night. Jack Holden was my Dad. You clearly never gave a shit about me when I was growing up and it's too little too late now."

"I was trying to do right by you," Roman said. "Jack and Martha wanted to raise you and I didn't want you to be confused. I always wanted to be there for you. I..."

"I don't care," Leanne said.

She turned back to her mother.

"Either he's having dinner with you or I am. You can't have both."

* * *

"Oh, I can't believe we're actually getting three little kitties!" Joey said for the millionth time.

Charlie laughed and continued making dinner. Joey had been particularly excited about the whole thing all day and Charlie had to admit that she was feeling much the same. They had reserved all three kittens pending a home visit to make sure they lived somewhere appropriate.

"Oh, don't pretend you're all cool about it," Joey teased, stepping up behind her and wrapping her arms around her waist.

Charlie smiled as Joey kissed her neck and squeezed her a little tighter.

"Come on..." Joey coaxed. "You loved them as much as I did. When the tiny one hopped on your lap and nuzzled you."

"Okay!" Charlie admitted. "They're gorgeous and I'm already in love with them."

"Tilly, Tom and Tiny," Joey mused, practicing their names. "The next addition to our happy, happy home."

* * *

Max sat at the bar of the Jukebox, nursing his fifth pint and feeling miserable.

"What happened to your hands?" Xavier asked.

"Nothing," Max lied.

At home, battered and broken, Ollie tried to patch himself up.

* * *

_Next time... Charlie and Joey bring their kittens home and Ruby figures out that Max assaulted Ollie..._


	163. Chapter 163

**Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Three**

**June 2048**

Joey and Charlie were both sitting on the living room floor, playing with Tilly, Tom and Tiny. They'd had their kittens for a couple of weeks now and they'd barely done anything else because they were so besotted with them. Tiny was the smallest. He was the same cat who had nuzzled Charlie on their first visit to the animal shelter and he was proving to be the retired Detective's favourite. Joey hadn't as yet been able to pick a favourite and she wasn't sure she wanted to. All three were her babies and she was officially crazy about each of them.

"Aw!" she squeaked when Tom took a tumble while chasing the string Charlie was dragging around the floor.

He shook his head. Joey reached out to cuddle him. He pawed her face and made his pathetic attempt at a meow.

"Oh, you're so cute," Joey said to him.

He pressed his nose against hers.

"So very cute," Joey said.

Charlie chuckled. She reached out to stroke Joey's hair. Putting the kitten down again, Joey rested against her wife.

"Thank you for letting us have these," she said.

Charlie smiled.

"Well, I can't say I _meant _to come home with more than one!" she chuckled. "But I'm happy. I love them. And I love seeing how much you love them too. Every time I see you smile like that, you just warm my heart."

Joey beamed at her, leaning for a kiss. They parted only when Tilly pounced on them, making Joey yelp and coo all at the same time.

* * *

Ollie sat in the living room of his mother and Miles' house. He idly flicked through the channels on the TV but not even reruns of his favourite comedies were enough to cheer him up. He'd lied to everyone about who had attacked him that day. He said that he'd been jumped by a gang of youths on his way home from work. It broke his heart that actually, the person who had broken his nose and a couple of ribs, had been his best friend in all the world. He returned home on the pretence that he wanted his Mum to take care of him. But in truth, he never wanted to return to his home with Max. He never wanted to talk to him again. And apparently Max felt the same. He hadn't been in touch and had made no attempt at an apology.

* * *

Max hung up the phone from his landlord, immediately irritated. He either had to find someone else to move in, pay all the rent for the flat himself or move out. There was nobody else he was prepared to live with and he certainly couldn't afford the rent by himself. Sighing heavily, he headed round to his parents' house. Typically, he found them playing with their kittens but he was glad when they looked pleased to see him. Skipping pleasantries, he told them what was happening with his apartment.

"Why don't you just make friends with Ollie?" Charlie asked. "I mean, what on earth could have gone on between you that you can't be friends? You've _always _been friends."

"Well, we're not friends anymore," Max said sadly. "Shit happens."

"Language!" Joey protested.

"Mum, I'm twenty three," Max laughed. "Don't you think I'm too old to be told off for swearing?"

"I don't care how old you are," Joey informed him. "You are still my son and I still don't want to hear bad words from you."

Charlie chuckled. Tiny hopped onto her lap and nestled himself there. She stoked him idly as she listened to Joey and Max bicker.

"Anyway," Max finally said. "If I end up homeless..."

"There's always a room for you here," Joey assured him.

"Thanks."

"But seriously, what happened with Ollie?" Charlie wondered. "It seems such a shame..."

"He's just... he's not the person I thought he was."

* * *

Ruby finished work and headed to the Jukebox where her husband had an hour left of his shift.

"Hey, sweetheart," she greeted, kissing his cheek. "How are you doing?"

"Yeah, I'm okay," Xavier said, although he had lacked enthusiasm for a little while now. "How about you?"

"I'm kind of worried about my husband," Ruby admitted.

Xavier managed a smile and served her a glass of white wine.

"What's up, Xave?" Ruby asked. "Please tell me."

Xavier sighed heavily and leant on the bar, not wanting anyone to overhear them.

"It could be something and nothing," he ventured. "But... does anyone have any idea yet what happened to Ollie?"

Ruby shook her head.

"He just said he got jumped by a gang," she replied. "Daria investigated but she had to close the case. Ollie didn't want to pursue anything."

Xavier continued to look unhappy.

"Why?" Ruby suddenly asked. "Do you know something?"

"Yes. No. I don't know. Like I said, it could be something and nothing."

"Well, why don't you tell me?" Ruby suggested. "You know, a problem shared and all that."

"Okay, the day that Ollie got attacked, Max came in here and his knuckles were pretty scuffed up," Xavier explained. "He was moody and secretive and he looked like he'd really punched the shit out of something. Or someone. And... well, since then, they haven't been speaking."

"You don't think Max would have attacked Ollie, do you?" Ruby wondered.

"I don't know," Xavier replied. "I hope not. But it does seem pretty coincidental."

Ruby nodded thoughtfully.

"Maybe I'll tell Charlie and Joey," she said. "They're good at this kind of thing. And they know Max better than anyone. He's their son, after all."

Xavier nodded, grateful to feel unburdened.

* * *

Leaving Charlie and Joey to their kittens, Max had volunteered to do the week's grocery shopping for them in order to say thank you for letting him move back in. He had only been gone for a short while when Ruby and Xavier surprised Charlie and Joey with a visit. They did not look very happy. Even Tom plopping herself on Ruby's lap didn't lessen her serious expression.

"What's up?" Charlie asked, snuggling up with Tiny.

"It's Max," Ruby explained anxiously.

She turned to Xavier and he awkwardly began to explain his unhappy theory.

* * *

Kirsty busied herself with making dinner for her husband and her son. She was happy that Ollie had come home for a while. It was nice being given the chance to look after him and he had always been a person to be around. But she was distressed over his injuries and didn't understand why he wasn't interested in pressing charges against whoever had attacked him. It was like something had broken inside him and he didn't have the energy to fight for his own rights. Kirsty and Miles had both tried to talk things through with him but he hadn't been interested.

* * *

Max's face fell when he arrived home and saw how serious his parents looked. They'd been perfectly happy when he'd left the house.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly. "Has something happened?"

"I don't know," Charlie said. "Has it?"

Max sat in the armchair a little uncertainly.

"I don't understand," he said.

"What happened with Ollie?" Charlie asked. "And we want the whole truth."

"We just had an argument," Max said. "It's no big deal."

"Did the argument get physical?" Charlie asked.

"What?" Max asked, his voice far too high pitched for his liking.

"Look, whatever you say, we'll believe you," Joey said reasonably. "And if we're wrong, we'll apologise. But someone said they saw you with injuries to your hands on the same day as Ollie was assaulted."

Max sighed heavily. He ran his hands through his hair, upset that the game was up. Leaning forward and then leaning back, he struggled to get comfortable in his chair. Sighing again, he leant forward, nodding.

"We fought," he admitted. "Well, I guess I fought more than he did."

He glanced up at his parents who were clearly disappointed in him.

"Sorry."

"How could you beat your best friend up?" Joey wondered. "What could he possibly have done that was that bad that he deserved the hiding you gave him? We thought better of you, Max."

"Oh, please don't say that!" he begged.

He couldn't bear them to be disappointed in him.

"What happened?" Charlie asked compassionately.

"He... he came onto me," Max revealed.

Charlie and Joey just stared at him.

"Sorry, what?"

"Exactly!" Max exclaimed. "He was my best friend and suddenly I find out he's gay and has feelings for me. He's been lying to me all this time. It's sick. I just... lost it."

"I'm sorry, are you seriously sitting here trying to justify a homophobic assault?" Joey asked incredulously.

"I'm not homophobic!"

"You beat your best mate up after he confided in you that he was gay!"

"No," Max protested. "That's not how it was. Mum..."

"You'd think that we of all people would have managed to raise him better than that," Joey said to Charlie.

"I'm not a homophobe!" Max insisted. "Of course I'm not! How could I be?"

"Yeah, how could you be?" Joey asked. "Do you know how damn scary it must have been for him to tell you to the truth? And you just beat him up?"

"I beat him because he said he liked me!" Max argued. "Not because he's gay."

"What's so bad about him liking you?" Charlie asked.

"Because he's a guy! I'm not queer!"

"So?" Joey snapped. "What the hell has that got to do with anything?"

"I..."

"Would you smash up a girl who liked you just because you weren't interested?"

"No..."

"Then why would you do that to Ollie?" Joey demanded.

"Because..." Max faltered.

He swallowed uncertainly. Joey had never looked so angry in all the years he had known her.

"I can't believe you'd do that," she said more quietly. "He can't help how he feels. And he's liked you long enough that I doubt he'd actually ever try and do anything about it."

"What?" Max squeaked. "You knew?"

"Oh, open your eyes, Max! He's been into you for ages. Since you were kids."

Max shook his head in horror.

"And I thought if he ever did tell you about his feelings, you'd be man enough... no, you'd be _human _enough to take it with some kind of grace," Joey told him. "I can't believe what you've done to him. You actually disgust me."

"I..."

Max looked helplessly at Charlie but his other mother looked just as horrified.

"It wasn't like that," he tried.

"You beat a boy up because he's gay," Joey accused. "There are no excuses."

"I don't care that he's gay," Max insisted. "I even went to a damn gay bar with him. I just don't like that he's attracted to me!"

"Well, you solved that problem, I suppose," Charlie remarked. "I'd be shocked if he ever wanted to talk to you again."

"Good!"

"Get out!" Joey suddenly yelled, shocking everyone in the room – kittens included.

"What?"

"Get out," Joey repeated.

"Joey..." Charlie tried.

"No," Joey said. "No. I'm not having you in this house until you're at least sorry for what you've done. You've got a few days left in your apartment. Use them."

"Mum," Max pleaded. "Look, I'm sorry."

"Then apologise to Ollie," Joey instructed. "Apologise to him and mean it before you even think about coming back here."

Staring at both his parents, Max turned sadly and left.

"Jo, don't you think...?" Charlie tried.

"What?" Joey asked. "You think we should condone that kind of behaviour?"

"No, of course I don't," Charlie said.

"Well, you don't seem that fussed about it, Charlie."

"Hey!" Charlie protested. "Don't take this out on me."

Joey quickly apologised. She sought comfort in her wife's arms. Charlie readily accepted her, knowing that her anger ran deeper than what Max had done. It had clearly brought back several demons that Joey always wished she could forget about forever. Holding her close, Charlie kissed the top of Joey's head, willing her pain to go away.

* * *

_Next time... Ollie tells the truth, Kirsty lays into Charlie and Max and Joey make up..._


	164. Chapter 164

**Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Four**

**June 2048**

Max took a deep breath and knocked on Kirsty and Miles' front door. After a few moments, Ollie opened up. He took one look at Max and slammed the door in his face. Max banged harder, desperate to talk to him properly.

"I don't want to hear it!" Ollie snapped through the door.

"Ollie, please?" Max begged. "I'm so sorry for what happened! I'm sorry. Please hear me out. Please?"

"No!" Ollie yelled. "What you did to me was unforgiveable. I hate you. And I never want to see your smug, homophobic face again!"

On the other side of the door, Max apologised again and walked away. Ollie turned. His breath caught in his throat when he saw his mother staring at him.

* * *

"Ugh! I'm so bored!" Cathy complained, switching the television off and slinging the remote on the coffee table in front of her.

Nicole came to sit down beside her. Her eldest daughter had returned to their small town in January and nobody had been quite able to figure out why. She had been enjoying travelling the world so much, working and appearing in magazines every day. She had no real friends here and spent a lot of her time alone. The only people she really relied on were her family and with Clarissa away at University with Gina most of the time and Todd aged eighteen and still in school, she didn't feel she had a whole lot in common with him and his mates. Also, his best friend, Matthew Watson always looked at her particularly lustfully, which she found rather tiresome.

"Cathy, not that I don't love you being around but... why are you here?" Nicole asked.

"I wanted to visit my family," Cathy lied.

"But you're clearly not having a good time," her mother pointed out. "I mean, don't you have work to get back to?"

"No," Cathy finally sighed. "I don't."

"What happened?" Nicole asked worriedly.

"I slept with my manager," Cathy blurted out.

Nicole frowned.

"And when it all went wrong and the relationship was over, he beat me, threw me out and fired me all at the same time. So... now I'm here."

"Cathy!" Nicole said, pulling her daughter into a hug. "Sweetheart, you should have told me. It's been six months and you were in all this pain and I never even knew. You should have told me."

Cathy surprised herself by bursting into tears.

* * *

Charlie sat on the edge of the bath while Joey enjoyed a soak. She'd been fretful since the argument with Max and Charlie done everything she could to calm her down. At last though, a bath seemed to be working where even the kittens hadn't succeeded. Reaching out for Joey's hand, she asked if she was feeling any better.

"Yes, thank you," Joey said.

She offered a smile and then pursed her lips, asking for a kiss. Charlie slipped off the edge of the bath and knelt beside it, capturing Joey's lips with her own.

"Want me to wash your hair?" she offered.

* * *

"I guess you might as well know," Ollie sighed.

He ran his hands through his pretty, blonde hair and sat down on the couch. Kirsty came to sit beside him.

"I'm gay," Ollie told her.

His mother nodded a little uncertainly. She couldn't say that she had seen it coming. He wasn't exactly a stereotype. But she refused to react badly. She knew that her initial response was important to where they would go from her.

"Um... okay," she said anxiously. "Okay."

She smiled and put her hand on his knee.

"You don't mind?" he asked, hope evident in his voice.

"Of course not," Kirsty said. "I mean, I'm shocked. I admit that but... well, you're my son. There's nothing you can do to stop me from loving you."

"Really?" he asked, suddenly emotional.

Kirsty pulled her son into her arms.

* * *

Charlie and Joey had got into their pyjamas early and were settling down to watch television and play with the kittens for the evening, although both of them were still fretting about Max. Joey felt guilty for throwing him out and she worried for his safety. At the end of the day, he could beat up a million people and he would still be her youngest son. She would still love him with every breath in her body.

"Should we call him?" she wondered as Tom jumped on her lap, surprising her into nearly spilling her tea.

Smiling, she put her mug down and began to offer him some fuss.

"Maybe," Charlie ventured. "It's never good to sleep on an argument."

"Mum?"

They turned to see Max hovering behind them looking tearful.

"Why don't I give you some space to talk?" Charlie suggested.

Standing up, she patted her son gently on the arm and then headed on through to the back office. Neither of them worked anymore but it was a nice space to keep their paperwork and their computer. And there was nothing wrong with wiling away some time by playing on Facebook. These days, it was a way of life. And neither Charlie nor Joey were quite immune.

* * *

"So, who was at the door?" Kirsty wondered, still holding her son.

Regardless of how old he was, he was her baby boy and he always would be.

"Was that what this whole thing has been about?" she asked. "Because you're gay? Some homophobe attacked you."

Ollie nodded.

"Who was it? He sounded like he knew you..."

"It was Max," Ollie admitted.

* * *

"I went and tried to apologise to Ollie," Max ventured, perching uncertainly on the armchair. "He didn't want to her hear it but I suppose that's to be expected. I don't deserve his forgiveness."

Joey nodded. She wanted to comfort him but she still felt sick that he could have attacked his friend like that.

"Can I do anything to get your forgiveness?" Max asked.

"Are you truly sorry?" Joey wanted to know.

He nodded.

"Then I forgive you," she told him. "But I think you should keep trying with Ollie. I don't know if you'll succeed but..."

Max nodded again.

"He's been my best friend for a long time," he said. "He's been there with me through everything. I love him. You know, platonically."

"Good," Joey said.

"I really didn't mean to make you so angry with me," Max said. "I think that was probably the worst moment of my life. I couldn't bear it if you hated me, Mum."

"I don't hate you," Joey said gently. "I could never hate you. I love you."

"But you were so furious," Max said.

"Yes, I was. I couldn't bear the thought of you behaving in that way. It... it scared me. I thought we'd raised you better than that."

"You did! I made a stupid mistake and I am so sorry for it. I'll do whatever it takes to make up for everything. I swear."

Joey reached her hand out to him. Tom jumped off her lap just as Max threw himself into her embrace like a child.

* * *

"Mum, don't!" Ollie begged.

But Kirsty had already picked up the phoned and dialled the number. It rang three times before Charlie picked up.

"What the hell did your son think he was doing by attacking my son?" Kirsty demanded.

Charlie immediately felt awkward.

"We're very sorry for what happened," she said.

"I mean, how could you and Joey, of all people, condone such a thing?"

"We haven't!" Charlie insisted. "Joey was furious when we realised what he'd done. She threw him out!"

"And yet you've let poor Ollie suffer in silence for weeks," Kirsty accused. "What kind of a person are you? Swanning around and pretending to be a pillar of the community..."

"We literally just found out!" Charlie snapped. "Now, I know you're upset and you're protective of your son but attacking me isn't going to help."

Miles walked through the door to his house, just as Kirsty launched into another tirade of abuse. He looked worriedly at his wife and then at Ollie who looked close to tears.

* * *

"I guess I got so upset because... because I've been in Ollie's position," Joey admitted, still cuddling Max.

He sat up and stared at her.

"You got beaten up for being gay?" he asked in alarm. "Who by? I'll kill 'em!"

Joey chuckled softly and held his hand.

"He's already dead," she explained.

"You won, hey?" Max asked, managing a smile.

Joey laughed softly and took a deep breath. There were a lot of things about her life that Max and to a lesser degree, Christine had never known about.

"When I was a bit younger than you," she ventured. "I was working on the trawler with a guy called Robbo. He was your uncle Brett's friend."

She pulled a face at the mere memory. Max hung onto her every word.

"Well, when I was a teenager, I secretly dated his sister, Zoe."

"Zoe? The woman who nearly killed Mum?"

Joey nodded.

"When Robbo found us together one day, he flipped and she panicked. She told him that I'd taken advantage of her and he... he beat me up."

Max looked disgusted. Somehow it seemed worse to him to beat up a woman than a man.

"And then a few years later, when Zoe was long gone but I was still stuck working with him, he decided to get revenge. He was very anti-gay and he tried to... to... to force himself on me."

"He raped you?" Max squeaked.

Joey shook her head, assuring him that he had only tried to and that she had got away.

"But honestly, that one homophobic monster... he did so many things that had such a knock on effect on my life," she said. "His prejudice... it... He went to jail for what he did. And rather than trying to rebuild his life, he sat and waited, plotting revenge for standing up for myself. The moment he got out of jail, he attacked me again."

"What happened?" Max asked.

"We fought. He lost. I ended up in jail."

Max drew away in shock.

"You've been in jail?" he asked. "Why don't I know this? I mean, how...?"

"It was only a month and then the judge at my trial dismissed the whole thing out of hand," Joey said. "I did kill Robbo but it was in self defence and he understood that so he set me free. But that's why everything that happened with Zoe and Brett happened. Because she was trying to avenge him or something ridiculous like that."

Max struggled to hold back his tears. Joey kept hold of him.

"I'm not trying to upset you," she said. "And I am certainly not comparing you to Robbo. But what I am saying is that one act of malice, of prejudice... it can destroy lives. I was lucky because I escaped him the first time and because I always had Charlie to put me back together. But so far in his life, the closest person to Ollie is you. And if he's lost you then... he's going to fall apart."

Max nodded, clutching Joey tightly, desperate to make things right somehow.

* * *

**July 2048**

Kirsty offered Charlie, Joey and Max a dirty look as she settled down at a table with Miles in Crumble. The truth of what had occurred between Max and Ollie – and why – had got round. And while the town were rallying around Kirsty's only son and reassuring him that there was nothing wrong with being gay and that they fully accepted him for who he was, there was a lot of hate for Max. He was finding it hard to take and his parents were doing everything they could to support him. Whatever he had done wrong, they loved him and they could never see him out in the cold. Ollie was still ignoring him, although Max was grateful that he hadn't pressed charges. He could only imagine how much Kirsty would have wanted him to. And he couldn't blame her. She was a woman protecting her child and there was nothing wrong with that.

"Just give everyone time," Joey said gently. "They'll forgive and forget eventually."

"When?" Max asked desperately. "I can't bear this. This place is my home. I've lived here for as long as I remember... in this town, with these people and now... now they all think I'm evil or something. Am I evil?"

"You made a mistake for which you're sorry," Charlie said firmly.

Max sighed heavily and rubbed his temples before standing up, thanking them for lunch and rushing out.

* * *

Clarissa and Gina had returned from University for the weekend to see their families. They too had heard about Ollie and although when they had all been at school, he had been too much older them to really hang out together, now the girls were keen to make friends. With them being twenty and him only being twenty four, as adults, it didn't seem to matter. The threesome sat in the corner of the Jukebox enjoying a drink, although nobody could be too raucous as Xavier was working behind the bar.

"We should so take you to a gay bar," Clarissa announced.

"You could come and stay with us one weekend," Gina enthused. "We'd have a riot."

Ollie grinned. The comfort people had offered since he'd come out meant the world to him, although he couldn't help but feel a few twinges of sadness for Max.

"That sounds awesome," he said. "We'll definitely arrange something."

"This is very cool," Clarissa said.

"If I'd have known things were going to be this easy, I would have come out sooner," Ollie admitted.

"It's not the easiest thing in the world," Clarissa said wistfully. "It totally freaked me out when I realised I was bisexual. I was so confused."

"Same here," Gina said. "When I started to accept that I was gay, I really struggled."

She reached out affectionately and held her girlfriend's hand. Ollie watched the way they smiled so lovingly at each other.

"Is it a problem?" he suddenly asked.

"What?" the girls asked in unison.

"Because one of you is gay and one of you is bi?"

He looked a little nervous, hoping that he wasn't being offensive. The girls just continued to smile.

"It doesn't make a difference," Clarissa said, looking at Gina for confirmation.

"I like girls and Clarissa likes boys _and _girls but we only love each other," she said. "So, it's all fine."

"I think sexuality is pretty fluid anyway," Clarissa added. "I mean, I say I'm bi but I'm really not into this whole 'label' stuff. I mean, if you look at it in terms of..."

She trailed off as Gina giggled and rolled her eyes, explaining that Clarissa was about to make good use of the politics degree she was studying for. Undeterred, Clarissa continued.

* * *

"Kirsty, don't," Miles begged as his wife got up and strode across Crumble in Charlie and Joey's direction.

"How can you live with yourself after what your son did?" she demanded.

Miles appeared behind her, looking awkward and apologetic. Charlie and Joey put their coffees down and offered her their full but irritated attention.

"Kirsty, we know you're protecting your son but it really isn't fair to keep having a go at us like this," Charlie said reasonably.

"We know," Miles said, trying to nudge his wife away.

"No!" Kirsty snapped, elbowing him out the way, determined to stand her ground. "I don't understand how you can stand by Max like this. How can you even be seen with him?"

"Because he's our son," Charlie told her. "Regardless of what he's done, that will always be true. And I am absolutely certain that if Ollie had done what Max did, you would still stand by him no matter what as well."

"My son would _never _behave that way," Kirsty hissed.

"Maybe not. But it's nothing to do with us," Charlie said, aware that Joey was finding the whole thing particularly stressful. "Ollie has no problem with us. He knows that we're just taking care of our boy. So why don't you follow his lead?"

"You've spoken to my Ollie?" Kirsty asked, clearly stunned.

"Plenty of times," Charlie told her. "We've known him well from the moment he and Max became mates. That's a long time. And he bears us no ill will. So please, Kirsty... just leave us alone."

* * *

Cathy was meandering along the beach when she spotted Max sitting on the sand and staring out at the sea. She came to sit next to him.

"Look, if you're going to give me hassle..." he said tiredly.

"I'm not," Cathy said. "I think everyone is being ridiculously hard on you."

"Not really," Max sighed. "I shouldn't have done what I did."

"I don't know," Cathy mused. "I like a manly man."

She smiled flirtatiously. Max looked surprised and eagerly paid more attention to the conversation.

"I was thinking," Cathy ventured. "Maybe you should take me out to dinner tonight."

"Really?" he almost shrieked.

She laughed. He immediately cleared his throat and made his voice deeper.

"I mean, yeah, that'd be cool. I'll pick you up at eight."

"Great," Cathy said.

She stood up, dusted herself off and headed home.

* * *

The following morning, Charlie and Joey were surprised to find Max showing Cathy out. They exchanged glances and tried hard not to be 'all parental' as he called them and start fussing and feeling uncomfortable that he was having sex in their house.

"Don't worry," Max said, sitting down at the table. "It won't happen again."

"Well, we don't mind..." Joey lied.

"No, I mean, it won't happen again because she's a bitch," he sighed.

Joey forced herself not to complain about his language. She and Charlie sat down with him.

"Well, while the rest of the town hates me for what I did, Cathy seems to think it's awesome that I indulged in some 'queer bashing'."

All three of them looked and felt disgusted.

* * *

_Next time... Charlie and Joey register to get married and are offered an interesting opportunity..._


	165. Chapter 165

_Here's to hoping that equal marriage laws don't take quite this long...! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Five**

**August 2049**

As soon as the registration office opened at nine o'clock in the morning, Charlie and Joey were in there, ready to register their application to get married in church the following year. A good few couples had shown up, including Watson and Sarah and David and Andy but Charlie and Joey had arrived at seven that morning in order to be first. The receptionist smiled pleasantly at them, happy to take their names down and process their application. The change in the law had been a long time coming and it was something that had got people very excited.

* * *

Five minutes later, Charlie and Joey left the building, pausing to give Watson, Sarah, David and Andy a hug. Walking down the steps hand in hand, the couple were surprised to find themselves being approached by a news crew.

"Hi there," the female presenter said. "We're live on Exclusive News and were wondering if you could talk to us about what you're doing here today?"

Charlie and Joey glanced a little uncertainly at each other, holding hands a little tighter.

"Um... we're registering to get married when the law changes in February next year," Charlie ventured.

"And what does it mean to you to be granted permission to do this?" the woman asked.

Charlie smiled affectionately at Joey.

"It means the world," she said. "Once upon a time, we were only allowed to have unofficial blessings on relationships. And then we were allowed Civil Partnerships – which had the same rights but it still wasn't quite considered to be marriage. But now we can get married for real and it feels wonderful to be given that kind of validation. We've been together for such a long time that it's nice to know we can be seen the same as a heterosexual couple."

"Can I ask how long you have been together?" the reporter enquired.

"We've been a couple for forty two years," Joey said proudly. "But we've been in love since we were kids. We're in our sixties now so it's been a pretty long time!"

"Wow!" the woman said. "That really is amazing."

She turned to the camera.

"A sixty year romance finally being given the recognition it deserves," she said. "That certainly is something, isn't it? Back to the studio."

Once the link was over, she turned back to Charlie and Joey, happily shaking their hands.

"I'm so glad we got to talk to you," she said. "Do you think maybe you'd be interested in doing a proper interview with us?"

"Um..." Charlie stuttered, feeling startled.

"Uh..." Joey said at the same time.

"Maybe," they both concluded.

* * *

"You should totally do it," Sarah enthused.

She, Watson, Charlie and Joey had gone out for their monthly dinner to catch up and make sure they never fell out of sync with each other's lives.

"But... but we'd be on the TV," Charlie said, pulling a face.

"You were on the TV this morning," Sarah pointed out.

"Yeah, but we kind of didn't get a choice about that," Joey pointed out.

"Trust you two to get it," Watson grumbled. "I wanted to be on the TV!"

She tried to glare but only managed to smile.

"Honestly," she said, still grinning broadly. "You two have an incredible love story. How awesome would it be to share that with the world?"

"But..." Charlie said anxiously.

"So many people still think that gay relationships don't last," Watson said. "There are bigots trying to invalidate us at every turn. They'd be pretty hard pressed to argue with what you two have. I mean, you've loved each other for a lifetime."

Charlie nodded thoughtfully, poking at the salad on her plate. She turned to Joey, asking what she thought.

"Well, it might be fun," Joey conceded. "I've never been to a television studio before. It could be exciting."

* * *

A rather proud Rev Elijah had convinced Leah to take the morning off from her beloved restaurant and sit down with him to watch Charlie and Joey being on the news. He had been very involved in decision making when it came to the church and his views had been heard and listened to. He had also been very eager for Charlie and Joey to put themselves forward to get married.

* * *

Charlie and Joey sat a little anxiously in the studio, waiting for the interview to start. They had met the woman, Kay Sheener, who would be interviewing them and she seemed very nice and able to put them at ease.

"One minute!" someone called out.

Charlie and Joey looked immediately terrified. Kay reappeared with a smile, instructing them to relax.

"I won't ask anything horrible," she said. "I promise."

Charlie and Joey smiled gratefully. But it was still live television and they were both scared that something would go wrong somehow.

"Three, two, one," a man in a headset called.

"Good morning and welcome back to Exclusive News," Kay said. "I'm Kay Sheener and I have with me the first same sex couple to register to get married when the law changes in February next year."

She smiled and turned to her interviewees.

"So, Charlie and Joey, exactly how long have you been together?"

"We've been in a relationship for forty two years," Charlie explained. "But we've loved each other for our whole lives."

"Wow," Kay said. "So, how did you meet?"

"Our Mums were best friends," Joey said. "So Charlie was a toddler when I was born. Apparently she even used to talk to me before then!"

She giggled. So did Charlie and Kay.

"So, you really have been together for your whole lives!" the reported remarked. "That's something very special. Can you tell us how you actually became a couple?"

"Well, we were best friends for years," Charlie said. "And even though we tried to deny it, there was always an attraction between us. We were young teenagers when we kissed for the first time. It was the first time either of us had kissed anyone. And even though we didn't get together for real for a long time after that, it did keep happening."

"I was in love with Charlie," Joey put in. "I knew pretty early that I was gay and when I didn't think I had a shot with her, I tried to move on and I got a girlfriend of my own. Charlie had boyfriends and she struggled with her sexuality and with her feelings for me for quite some time."

"That must have been difficult," Kay said.

"It wasn't the easiest thing in the world," Charlie admitted. "And strangely, through all the denial and confusion and everything, we drew closer to each other rather than pushing each other away. Then when my mother got sick with cancer, she kind of knocked our heads together and forced us to confront our feelings."

"So, your mother knew that the pair of you were in love?"

Both women nodded and smiled, thinking happily of Elsie.

"She knew," Joey said. "And she totally supported us. She wanted us to be together and she knew we'd be really happy together. Charlie's Mum was truly an amazing woman."

"You were close to her as well, Joey?"

"Very."

"And have your families all been supportive of your relationship?" Kay asked.

"For the most part," Charlie said. "My Dad took a little bit of time to come around but when he did, he loved Joey as his own. And his second wife, my step-mother has always been very supportive and kind. Joey's Dad never knew about us and her Mum didn't officially know but really, she knew before we did. She was also very supportive."

"She left me a letter before she died telling me to be true to myself," Joey explained. "She didn't overtly state that she knew I was gay but it was definitely inferred."

"That's lovely," Kay said genuinely. "It must have been nice to have that kind of support from your mothers."

"It was," Charlie confirmed. "And my little sister, Ruby, was brilliant about it. We kind of told her by accident, actually. She was only twelve and she overheard us talking to my Mum about it all one day. She just said 'I thought you'd been together for ages'!"

All three women chuckled. Charlie and Joey decided not to mention Brett.

* * *

In the house they shared at University, Gina and Clarissa had forced themselves to make sure they were up early, ready to watch Charlie and Joey's interview. The couple had, after all, been instrumental in getting them together in the first place. Now, cuddled up on the sofa, they couldn't have felt prouder.

"Your Mum is awesome," Clarissa agreed with Charlie.

Ruby had been unsurprised and very accepting of their relationship when they had come out as a couple. In fact, very few people had been surprised. But they were glad that their parents had supported them. And they found it amusing to think of Gina's Mum as a twelve year old, although they knew she must have been.

* * *

"So, Joey," Kay ventured. "You mentioned that you knew you were gay when you were still very young. How did you feel about that?"

"I didn't mind," Joey said. "I mean, for a while I was desperate to be 'normal' as it were. I didn't particularly want to be different. But it was never a big deal to me."

"But it was to you, Charlie?"

The retired Detective nodded.

"I totally freaked out the first time Joey and I kissed. I even went as far as forcing myself to date her brother because he'd liked me for a long time. But even then, as much as I tried to deny it, I knew Joey was the only person I'd ever love."

She smiled affectionately at her partner, squeezing her hand.

"But you both dated other people during this time?" Kay asked, hoping her question didn't sound too blunt.

"We did," Joey said, unfazed. "Before anything actually happened with Charlie, I tried to date a boy. He's now my best friend in the whole wide world and really, the whole thing was only ever platonic."

* * *

At home Aden beamed at Nicole for getting a mention. She snorted and rolled her eyes.

"I still can't even imagine the two of you together," she remarked.

"We were only kids," Aden said.

"So it was just hand holding and stuff?" Nicole asked.

"Well, we did make out pretty heavily once but actually, that was kind of what broke us up in the end."

"Were you that bad?" Nicole teased.

"No! She was that gay!" Aden protested. "And well, I had my own stuff to deal with."

Knowing what he was referring to, Nicole immediately stopped teasing and pulled him into a hug so they could continue watching the interview.

* * *

"And then I started dating a girl who turned out to be not so nice," Joey added more quietly.

Deciding not to push, Kay turned her attention to Charlie.

"And you had boyfriends?"

"Well, I tried and failed to date Joey's brother, Brett," Charlie explained, not feeling terribly proud of herself. "And then when I was seventeen, I met an older guy and tried to convince myself that he was perfect. But it wasn't really real. I lost my virginity to him and it was awful. I knew even then that Joey was the person I wanted to be with."

* * *

In Martha's living room, Roman looked and felt offended. Martha guffawed at Charlie's insult, although she did take the time to gently point out that it was probably only awful because Charlie was a lesbian.

"Better be the reason," the seventy one year old grumbled.

Martha put her arm around him.

"From my one time experience, I can assure you that back in the day, you were nothing short of fantastic!"

"Back in the day?" Roman asked in mock horror.

* * *

"But she was dating someone else by that point and they were getting pretty serious so while I was living away from home, training to be a police officer, I met a guy and dated him for a little while," Charlie continued. "He also turned out not to be the nicest guy on earth but he was sweet enough at the time."

"Why did you break up?" Kay wondered.

"Well, Joey and her girlfriend split one Valentine's Day and when I chose to support Joey instead of being with my boyfriend, he dumped me," Charlie said with the hint of a smile. "Not that I minded."

"And is that when the pair of you got together?"

"Not exactly!" Charlie and Joey laughed in unison.

"We uh... stalled for a while. We were an item without being an item," Charlie explained. "We lived together, we loved each other, we even made out when we could find the excuse but I was convinced that Joey didn't love me like that."

"And I didn't realise that Charlie loved me either," Joey added. "But with a little help, we figured it out and we've been in love ever since."

* * *

"They were an absolute bloody nightmare!" Watson remarked.

Sarah laughed as her wife launched into complaints about the time that their foolhardy flirting had broken the bathroom door and how both of them had been so stubborn and so blind about their feelings for each other.

* * *

"So, you're a police officer, are you, Charlie?" Kay asked.

"I was a Detective," Charlie revealed. "Like my Dad. I retired a few years ago."

"And what did you do, Joey?"

"I ran a fishing trawler business," Joey replied. "I inherited it from my father when I was twenty two. It meant the world to me. And I've passed the management on to our eldest son."

"You have children?" Kay asked, deciding that their story was becoming more and more interesting.

"We fostered and adopted five kids in all," Charlie said. "And we unofficially looked after another boy who unfortunately passed away several years ago."

"Oh, I'm very sorry to hear that," Kay said sympathetically. "But it's wonderful that you've been so willing to offer you home out to children who need a loving family."

"I loved my trawler business and Charlie loved being a cop but our main job was and still is being parents," Joey said. "They're all still our babies!"

"And how old are they?" Kay asked, certain that they would all be adults by now.

"The twins are fifty!" Charlie chuckled. "And we have a thirty nine year old, a thirty two year old and a twenty four year old. They're all pretty amazing."

"And they never had problems being raised by two women?"

"No," Joey said. "We have a wonderful relationship with all of them."

* * *

Max had gone round to watch the interview with Christine and both beamed at getting a mention. And they were very proud of their parents for getting onto the television.

* * *

After the interview, Joey drove herself and Charlie home. They were pleased with how things had gone and Kay had indeed resisted asking any difficult questions. Privately, Joey had been worrying about someone researching and therefore asking about her spell in prison and about what Zoe and Brett had done to them, causing Romeo's death.

"That went well, I think," she mused.

"Yeah, I think so," Charlie agreed. "It was scary though!"

"Super scary!" Joey laughed.

"But kind of fun."

"Definitely fun."

* * *

_Next time... Charlie and Joey end up on TV again as they prepare for their wedding..._


	166. Chapter 166

**Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Six**

**February 2050**

The last few months had been hectic to say the least. After their appearance on the news, a television company had phoned and asked to film a documentary about their lives. Apparently, they were the longest standing same sex couple who had registered to get married and their story had struck a chord with a lot of viewers who had been eager to learn more about them. Charlie and Joey had both been hesitant at first, not wanting to draw attention to themselves and not entirely sure that they had much of a story to tell. But through the encouragement of their family and friends, they had gone for it and now, on the eve of their wedding, they, along with the rest of the town, were all crammed into an aptly decorated Jukebox to watch the documentary about their lives.

"This is so exciting!" Ruby giggled, linking arms with Charlie as she sat down beside her.

"You think?" Charlie asked, still feeling anxious.

Joey appeared beside her with two strawberry daiquiris, courtesy of Xavier. Martha had closed the bar up for the night to anyone who didn't want to celebrate the film and she had also declared that the drinks were free.

"It's starting!" Aden yelled, grabbing the remote for the big screen TV that was attached to the wall.

He turned up the volume and then took his seat between Joey and Nicole in the front row. Xavier finished serving Leah her rum and coke and then hurried to sit down beside his wife. Everyone began to watch the screen.

* * *

An hour later, applause rang out through the Jukebox. Charlie and Joey had half cringed and half thoroughly enjoyed themselves while they watched a programme all about them. Most of the locals had enjoyed some screen time, telling all about Charlie and Joey's solid, long standing relationship.

The documentary had been both funny and touching as they'd discussed all their near misses before they finally got together, as well as the tragedy that had struck their lives including losing their parents, losing Romeo and the ordeal that Robbo had put Joey through for so many years. They'd admitted to their temporary break up, both fighting to take responsibility for what had happened.

Overall, the people in charge had represented them as the couple everyone believed them to be – strong, loving and committed. Although they were a little shy about it, Charlie and Joey couldn't help but feel pleased.

* * *

"Can I get your autograph?" Aden teased, sitting beside Joey at a table.

She laughed and pointed out that he hadn't exactly been camera shy himself.

"Well, everyone wants their fifteen minutes of fame," he said. "I just wished you'd done all this when I was young and hot."

"You can tell the law off, not me," Joey replied. "I would certainly like to look like I used to look for all this attention!"

"Why?" Charlie asked, sitting down beside her partner and kissing her cheek. "I mean, you were hot then but I still think you're amazing now."

Joey beamed at her.

"I wish Nic said things like that to me!" Aden said. "She just pokes my belly and points out my bald patch!"

Charlie snorted with laughter.

"I hope a day hasn't gone by when I haven't told my Joey how beautiful she is," she said.

"I don't think it has," Joey said.

She gazed into Charlie's eyes, feeling like she could reach out and touch her very soul.

"You make me feel beautiful," she said. "And that is quite a feat."

"You're the most beautiful woman in the world," Charlie said sincerely.

Joey leant in and kissed her.

"I think that title goes to you," she said.

* * *

At eleven o'clock, not wanting to be too tired for the wedding, Charlie and Joey bid their friends and family goodbye. It had been a wonderful evening and the day ahead was set to be even more special.

"You know," Joey remarked, sitting in front of the dressing table to remove her make up. "It's bad luck for the bride and bride to spend the night together before the wedding."

Charlie laughed, stepping up behind her and wrapping her arms around her waist.

"Well, technically we're already married," she said. "So I don't think that rule applies."

Joey turned around in her arms. She kissed her tenderly, wrapping her arms around her shoulders.

"I love you," she said. "I'm so excited about tomorrow."

"Me too," Charlie said. "I'm excited about everything we've done and everything we're going to do. I can't even tell you how proud I am to be able to say that I've spent my whole life with someone as special as you are."

* * *

Valentine's Day arrived and Charlie and Joey were up early. In the same way as their Civil Partnership, they had chosen a select few people to be their 'best men' and bridesmaids, with the idea that they would follow them down the aisle. They had asked Aden, Nicole, Ruby, Xavier, Watson, Sarah, David, Daria, James, Leanne, Christine and Max to be involved. Leah and her team were in charge of the catering and Martha had offered up the venue for their reception. Elijah was proud to be marrying them and Clarissa and Gina were both doing readings.

"Wakey, wakey!" Ruby hollered when she, Sarah and Watson all arrived at the house.

They were taking a bride each and getting her ready – with Martha teaming up with Ruby and Watson helping Sarah, although neither Charlie nor Joey was entirely convinced that she would be very helpful.

"We're up!" Charlie said. "And getting caffeinated."

"Well, we have lots of work to do," Ruby said.

"Are you calling me ugly?" Charlie teased.

"As if," Ruby replied. "But hurry up anyway. Everything has to be absolutely perfect, okay?"

* * *

Charlie and Joey were just about ready. Having decided against big dresses, they had opted for matching, cream coloured suit with pink blouses and, regardless of their own opinions on themselves, they thought they looked pretty good.

"This is so exciting!" Ruby said, hopping from one foot to the other as they waited for the car, courtesy of the television company filming the wedding, to show up.

The camera crew had arrived just after Ruby, Sarah and Watson had shown up, before Martha had eventually arrived.

"Are you excited?" the news reporter asked Charlie.

She smiled into the camera.

"I'm beyond excited," she confirmed.

Reaching out, she pulled Joey into her arms.

"I'm ecstatic," she whispered.

"Me too," Joey replied.

A car beeped outside. Everyone hurried out to see a stretched limousine pull up.

"Is that for us?" Joey asked in shock.

"It is," the news reporter said. "Are you ready?"

"We've been ready for years," Joey replied, taking hold of Charlie's hand and leading her out of the house.

* * *

_Next time... Charlie and Joey get married (again!), another couple get engaged and Max and Ollie make amends at last..._


	167. Chapter 167

_Okay, we're gearing up for the end of this story now. It's been a long, long fic but after this there will only be three more chapters. They might be a bit sad but I hope you will stick with them until the end. This is definitely a happy chapter though! And in very exciting news, I have self published on Amazon Kindle so if anyone is interested in reading my novel, please check it out. It's on the Amazon e-book section and it's called 'Shards of Glass' by Tessa Jane Lee. It costs 93p (UK currency) and if you don't have a Kindle, you do can download various applications to make it work on computers and phones etc. So, if anyone would like to buy it, you would literally make my day! It went on sale yesterday and I have sold seven copies so far so it's all very exciting! But for now, on with Interwoven... Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Seven**

**February 2050**

As Charlie and Joey's song, an old favourite began to play, the couple held hands and walked down the aisle together. They were followed by David and Daria, James and Leanne, Max and Christine, Xavier and Ruby, Aden and Nicole and then Watson and Sarah.

Approaching Elijah at the front of the church, Charlie and Joey smiled a little nervously at him and then each other. Their 'best people' took their seats and Elijah welcomed the whole congregation, including the film crew to the wedding.

"Well, I think I can safely say that this is a day that we have all been waiting for," Elijah said. "I may be seventy three years old but I am thrilled that this event has happened in my lifetime. Today, the church proudly says that it accepts love in all forms. It understands that God is happy to join two people – _any _two people – in Holy matrimony, regardless of their gender. It recognises that so long as the love shared between the two people wanting to commit their lives to each other in this place, is healthy and happy and whole hearted, then it is not the prerogative of anyone to deny it to them."

In the second row, Leah smiled, proud of her husband for being so happy to celebrate Charlie and Joey's marriage. In the front row, Ruby dabbed at her eyes, already becoming a little emotional. Xavier grinned and put his arm around her.

"This is the millionth wedding they've had," he pointed out quietly. "It's nothing you haven't seen before!"

She elbowed him in protest and Gina offered her father a short, sharp glare.

"Dearly beloved," Elijah continued. "We are gathered here today to celebrate the marriage of Charlie Buckton and Joey Collins. I think we can all agree that this couple are pivotal members of our community."

He stopped when there was a round of applause, signalling the congregation's agreement.

"Born and raised in this very town as best friends, the daughters of their mothers who were also best friends," Elijah said, "they have lived and loved and worked here for their entire lives. Charlie has served our community as a police officer and Joey has helped to put our small town on the map as a place famous for it's quality fishing industry."

Charlie squeezed Joey's hand.

"They have also been beloved children, loving parents, loyal sisters and cherished friends," Elijah said.

He turned directly to Charlie and Joey.

"And we are honoured to be here today to celebrate the love that you share," he said. "Now, I believed Clarissa Smith and Gina Austin have some words to share."

Nervously and holding hands, Gina and Clarissa made their way up to the front.

"We know it's probably clichéd but we chose to read from 1 Corinthians 13 verses 4 to 8 because we feel that Charlie and Joey do exactly as it says," Clarissa began.

Her voice wobbled a little. She held her girlfriend's hand tightly as Gina began.

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud," she read. "It does not dishonour others, it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record or wrongs."

"Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth," Clarissa took over. "It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails."

They hurried back to their seats.

"Charlie and Joey have both prepared their vows," Elijah told the congregation.

Charlie went first.

"This is the fourth time we've stood in front of our family and friends and declared our love for each other," she said with an amused smile. "I think it could count as a hobby by now! I've never known two people to get married so many times!"

Gentle laughter rippled through the congregation.

"But I can honestly say that every time we've done this, I have believed it's not possible to love you more," Charlie said more seriously. "When we stood in that park the first time and had a blessing on our relationship after only a few years, I loved you so completely. Then when we had our civil partnership far too many years ago to count, I knew I loved you more. When we renewed our vows, I loved you even more than that. And now, here, today I know I love you as deeply and as far as my soul can reach. I know I will love you even more tomorrow. And for the rest of my life, my devotion, my commitment and my passion for you will only grow."

She chewed her lip, not wanting to get over emotional and not be able to finish. The way Joey looked at her melted her heart.

"You are the best thing that has ever happened to me," she continued, holding Joey's hands tightly. "I have a very distinct memory of being a toddler and chattering away to your mother's pregnant belly. I knew that you were going to be important to me, although maybe not quite how essential. I've been so proud to call you my own, to share my life with you, to raise our family. Not a single morning has gone past when I haven't been so honoured to wake up beside you."

She swallowed, a lump aching in her throat.

"You're the most beautiful, wonderful, amazing person I have ever been blessed to know," she said. "Thank you for loving me so completely. Thank you for everything you bring to my life. Thank you for being exactly who you are."

Joey broke away to wipe her eyes. Elijah waited for her to speak.

"How am I supposed to say anything after that?" Joey squeaked.

Charlie and the rest of the congregation giggled. Joey flung herself into her partner's arms and held on tight. Gathering herself together, she pulled back and took a deep breath.

"I love you with everything I am and everything I have," she began. "I feel like I have loved you all my life. I was just a kid when I realised how deeply I felt for you and I'm overwhelmed with how much that feeling has grown. I love you with my heart, with my soul, with my mind, with every part of me."

Charlie continued to will herself not to cry as Joey continued to speak.

"I can't say our life has been easy," she said. "But I remember once talking to you about all the bad things and we came up with a theory that I still believe in. If two people have the kind of love that we share, if they're lucky enough to have found their soul mate and held onto them for as long as we have, then it's really only fair that bad things have happened too. Life has to even itself out somehow. And if it meant that I could stand here with you now, it if meant that we'd face everything together, then I'd go through anything necessary."

She swallowed, worrying that she wasn't saying things right.

"I love you so much, Charlie. You're my sun, my moon, my stars and everything in between. You're my reason for living. I'm proud of the way that we've stuck together through thick and thin. I'm proud of the way we've raised our beautiful family. I'm proud that nothing has beaten us down or torn us apart. But most of all, I'm proud of you. You're the bravest, most loving, gentle, beautiful, kind person I have ever known. And I consider myself to be the luckiest person in the world to have been able to connect my heart with yours."

This time, Charlie broke away to dab her eyes.

"Make me cry, why don't you?" she giggled shyly.

Joey grinned at her. They squeezed each other's hands.

"Forget making yourselves cry, you've set everyone off!" Elijah remarked.

Everyone giggled. Several people, including Ruby, Nicole and Daria wiped their eyes discreetly.

"Now, I gather that these are your fourth wedding rings!" the Reverend said.

"Not that we make a habit of this," Charlie said.

"Of course not!" Elijah laughed. "Now, Charlie, please repeat after me. I, Charlotte Buckton-Collins..."

"I, Charlotte Buckton-Collins..."

"Take you, Joanne..."

"Take you, Joanne..."

"To be my lawful, wedded wife."

"To be my lawful, wedded wife."

The vows continued without problem and Joey started her own, familiar repetition of promises.

"To have and to hold from this day forward..."

"To have and to hold from this day forward..."

"For better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health..."

"For better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health..."

"To love and to cherish 'till death us do part..."

"To love and to cherish 'till death us do part..."

"I hereby pledge my faithfulness."

Joey gazed once more into Charlie's eyes.

"I hereby pledge my faithfulness," she said.

"I now pronounce you wife and wife," Elijah declared. "And you must know what comes next."

He smiled. The congregation applauded as Charlie and Joey kissed, live on international television.

* * *

The reception was well underway and everyone was having a nice time. They'd organised a buffet courtesy of Leah and her team. Their friend hadn't quite got her head around the idea of giving up the reigns of her business.

"Is everything okay with the food?" she asked, approaching Charlie and Joey.

"It's perfect," Charlie said. "Thank you so much for all the work you've put in. You _and _Elijah."

Leah reached out and hugged her.

"It was our pleasure," she said. "It's been such an amazing day."

Charlie and Joey both grinned at her and then each other.

"It's been perfect," they agreed.

Leah giggled at the way they spoke in unison.

"If ever there were two people suited to each other..." she remarked, heading towards the kitchen.

* * *

Ruby and Xavier brought paper plates of food to Alf, Morag, Irene and Colleen who were settled in the corner.

"Did I get everything you wanted?" the fifty six year old woman asked, taking a seat beside them.

"That's great, love," Alf said. "Thank you."

"Thank you," Morag added.

"They look so happy, don't they?" Irene remarked, nodding towards Charlie and Joey who were chatting to David, Andy, Daria and Jason.

"They really do," Ruby agreed, smiling. "It's been such a wonderful day so far."

"We're so happy that we can all be a part of it," Colleen said. "It's definitely very special."

* * *

"When do we get to have cake?" Daria asked, hopping from one foot to the other.

"After the speeches," Charlie said, amused that her fifty year old daughter was behaving like such a child.

Thirty two year old Jason was proving to be the more mature of the pair of them.

"When are those?" Daria asked. "Leah showed me what she'd done with the cake and I really, really want some!"

David laughed.

"Grow up, Dar!" he teased. "Charlotte's more patient than you are!"

Daria pouted and glanced over at her daughter. Charlie and Joey had kindly allowed her to invite a school friend to the reception so that she wasn't the only child. But even she, at twelve, seemed to be growing up far too fast.

"Don't worry," Joey giggled. "We're used to it by now."

Daria grinned.

"I should think so too," she said.

"I'm going to get more drinks," Andy decided.

David hugged both his parents and followed him up to the bar.

"Seriously though," Daria said. "Congratulations. We really are so happy for you."

* * *

Gina and Clarissa sat around a table with Zac, Matt and Todd.

"So many hot women," Zac commented, scanning the round.

"And so many unobtainable," Matt added.

"Because so many are gay," Todd sighed.

The boys all shared a house in the city now that they were at University. Clarissa and Gina had graduated and moved back to their home town, into a flat of their own. They blocked the boys out and held hands under the table.

"Do you think that might be us one day?" Gina ventured a little shyly.

Clarissa smirked at her.

"Are you asking?" she teased.

"What if I was?"

Clarissa looked a little stunned. She studied her girlfriend's face, trying to figure out if she was being serious.

"Are you?"

Gina dug into her pocket and presented Clarissa with a small box. Clarissa just stared.

"Are you freaking out?" Gina asked worriedly. "Because if you are, I can put it back in my pocket and forget the whole thing..."

She moved to do just that but Clarissa seized the box quickly and opened it. Her heart thudded in her chest and she saw a beautiful engagement ring sitting on the cushion.

"What do you think?" Gina asked nervously.

"It's beautiful," Clarissa said.

"So... will you, um...?"

Spontaneously, she took the ring and offered it out to her, slipping down onto one knee. She cringed when everyone turned to look at her and hoped even more desperately that she would say yes.

"Will you marry me?" she asked.

"Of course I will!" Clarissa said.

Everyone cheered as Gina slipped the ring on her partner's finger. The girls hugged. Standing beside each other, their mothers, Ruby and Nicole tried not to cry with joy.

* * *

Half an hour later, the crowd gathered to listen to the speeches. Once he had everyone's attention, Aden took a deep breath.

"Firstly, I'd like to extend formal congratulations to the beautiful Clarissa and Gina," he said. "We're all so thrilled about your engagement and Clarissa, as your step-father, I personally couldn't be more thrilled to see you so happy with the love of your life."

Clarissa beamed at him and leant her head on Gina's shoulder. Both girls felt like they were on cloud nine. Everyone offered a round of applause again.

"But back to the bride and bride," Aden said when everyone had gone quiet again. "I have known the beautiful Joey Buckton-Collins since we were children. We were ten years old and on the beach. I'd just moved here and Joey was the first friend I made. We even dated for a while, although I can't say we really got anywhere – for obvious reasons!"

Joey blushed and Charlie giggled.

"I saw the love between these two from the first day I ever saw them together and I'm proud to be the first person Joey confided in. They took such a long time to actually get together and there were so many points that I wish I could have knocked their heads together!"

"You and me both!" Watson called out.

Charlie sshhed her playfully.

"You wait," Watson said. "I'm next."

Charlie shuddered and cuddled up to Joey as Aden continued to speak.

"I can honestly say that these two have stuck together through thick and thin," he said. "I've seen them go to hell and back and they've always done it together. Even when they weren't actually an item, even when they were desperately trying to fall in love with other people, I think we all knew that they belonged together."

He smiled.

"I consider Joey to be my best friend in the whole world," he said. "I've loved her for as long as I've known her and I feel pretty smug to be the only guy in the world that she's ever made out with!"

Everyone laughed again. Joey turned pink.

"And I promised not to share any embarrassing stories so I'll take my seat again now and wish both of you the continued happiness that you've always had with each other."

He lifted his glass.

"To Charlie and Joey," he said. "In love for their whole lives."

Everyone repeated his toast, sipped and clapped. With a smirk at Charlie, Watson stood up and addressed the room.

"I didn't make any promises not to share anything embarrassing," she began.

Charlie and Joey both cringed.

"I figured out that Charlie was in love with her 'friend' Joey after a few days of sharing a room with her at police training," Watson said. "I think it was after the third night of her wishing goodnight to Joey's photo that I cottoned on."

"I hate you," Charlie murmured as everyone else laughed.

"Nah, you love me," Watson replied without losing her stride. "I think Charlie missed Joey more than anything else in the world while we were training together. Even when she tried to distract herself by dating someone else and even with Joey in a relationship, our Charlie was hooked on her. And I finally plucked up the courage to discuss it with her at a party. So, like Aden, I'm also quite proud to be the first person that the other half of this lovely couple opened up to about her feelings."

She smiled affectionately at them both.

"We got drunk, I asked if she was gay, she got all high pitched and screechy and denied it, so I kissed her and proved it," she smirked.

A few people looked shocked. Fortunately, Sarah and Joey already knew the story.

"It took a little bit longer for Charlie to deal with her issues," Watson said. "Even though the feelings between her and Joey couldn't have been more obvious. For a while, after we finished training, we three shared an apartment and I can honestly tell you all that hormones were on display every single day!"

Several people laughed. Charlie and Joey continued to cringe.

"They even broke the bathroom door during an afternoon of playing about with each other's feelings," Watson said. "And I can laugh about it now but having spent _all day _fixing it, I wasn't too pleased at the time! But anyway, finally, thanks to Charlie's Mum, Elise – God rest her soul – these two finally stopped giving me a headache and made a go of things. And I can honestly say, that they're an inspiration to me. I've never been so good at relationships but I firmly believe that it was their example that gave me hope that I could find my own soul mate and live a happy life. Now I'm married to my beautiful partner, Sarah and we have our amazing boy, Matthew, who is technically a man now, I grudgingly suppose."

Matt looked embarrassed. Watson turned to Charlie and Joey.

"You two are the beacon of light for all relationships," she said. "You two of the most incredible people in this planet and together, I believe you make the perfect couple. I'm so happy to be sharing this day with you. I love you both."

Everyone else applauded as Watson hugged each of them in turn.

* * *

An hour after the speeches and cake, which had finally satisfied Daria, the DJ invited Charlie and Joey to take to the dance floor for their first dance. They obeyed, holding each other close and gazing into each other's eyes. Without her walking stick, Charlie always felt a little vulnerable but when she was in her wife's arms, the feeling faded away.

"I love you so much," she whispered, placing a gentle kiss on Joey's lips.

"I love you too," Joey replied.

They gestured for everyone else to join them on the dance floor. James took Leanne's hand and led her to the floor. They were followed by Jake and Christine, Miles and Kirsty and most other couples.

* * *

"Hey," Max said when he found himself standing beside Ollie at the bar.

The boys had never made friends after their rather violent fall out after Ollie had admitted to having feelings for his friend.

"Hey," Ollie replied.

He wasn't living in town anymore, having met a nice guy and moved away to be with him.

"How are things?" Max asked anxiously.

"Pretty good," Ollie replied.

Xavier approached and took his drinks order.

"How are things with you?" Ollie finally asked, turning to face his friend.

"They're okay," he said. "They're good. It's... it's nice to see you again."

"I'd say the same but..."

Ollie shook his head. Max nodded and sighed.

"I know we're never going to be friends and I know I've said it about a thousand times now but I am sorry for what happened," he said. "And I hope that one day, you'll be able to forgive me."

"I do forgive you," Ollie said, accepting his drink from Xavier. "I don't really care about you enough to hold onto past hurts."

Max nodded. Ollie turned in the direction of his mother and step-father. Turning back, he looked Max up and down.

"But if you wanted to go for a drink or something next week," he said. "Make amends or something... that'd be cool."

Max nodded, elated.

"I'd like that," he said.

* * *

Martha and Roman danced slowly together. They made happy companions these days, not quite together and not quite single. But they were comfortable with each other. They enjoyed spending time together and having a laugh. Roman had needed support when he'd first left prison and Martha appreciated the companionship after so many years without Jack. Even Leanne had relented and accepted that Roman, her biological father, was now part of their lives.

* * *

It had been a long but lovely day and Charlie and Joey were pleased to get home. Undressing, they climbed into bed, meeting in the middle and snuggling up close.  
"This was one of the most perfect days of my life," Joey said. "With the others being the day we first got together and... well, pretty much every day I've been blessed enough to spend with you."

Charlie smiled and kissed her tenderly.

"You will always be the best thing that's ever happened to me," she said. "Always."

* * *

_Next time... Charlie is taken seriously ill..._


	168. Chapter 168

_Sorry if this chapter is sad! When you write the story of someone's lifetime, I suppose it always has to end this way but I hope you will go with it for the last three chapters and enjoy it to the very end. Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Eight**

**July 2054**

It had been an interesting few years to say the least. On the back of their wedding live on television and having had the documentary aired to the world, Charlie and Joey were surprised to find themselves rather popular. They had turned down several requests for reality style television invading their home, although they were the first people to be asked whenever there was some sort of news about gay marriage. They'd visited a fair few television studios in their time and it had been a lot of fun. Now they found themselves at a party for the launch of their book. After much persistence from various publishers and agents, they'd put their heads together and written the story of their shared lives. It had been wonderful, although sometimes tragic to revisit their past but on the whole, they had enjoyed it. And it had been a lot of fun to spend a portion of their retirement on a joint project.

"This is so cool!" Daria enthused, approaching her parents with more champagne.

"It is, isn't it?" Joey grinned.

"Who'd have thought that I, of all people, would end up with famous parents?" the police officer smirked.

Joey chuckled and hugged her.

She and Charlie both tried to be modest about it but they couldn't help but quite enjoy how things were going. They'd feared getting bored without work, especially with all the kids grown up. Max was their youngest and he was almost thirty now. He had taken over ownership of the local gym and seemed determined to live his life as an eternal bachelor. Christine and Jake were married and settled. Christine still struggled with her health but she had succeeded and gaining some semblance of a normal life. James and Leanne were still together and Daria had settled down with Jason. Charlotte had one year left at school and had already been approached with several scholarship offers to some of the top Universities in the country. David had continued to make a success of the business Joey still owned but left him in charge of.

Morag and Alf had both passed away and Ruby and Xavier had recently retired. They were pondering following Charlie and Joey's example of going travelling. Gina and Clarissa had had a big wedding a couple of years ago and were looking into having a baby.

Roman had died six months earlier, which had hit Martha particularly hard and Elijah seemed to be in an out of hospital all the time these days. VJ and Jennifer had returned home in order to support Leah while she cared for her husband. And in more shocking news, Cathy, having returned to her life of glamour and excitement, had died under suspicious circumstances that nobody could quite figure out. It had been all over the news for a long time, which had only made things harder for Nicole, Aden, Clarissa and Todd. There was constant debate in the media about the 'tragic model' as she had been dubbed and questions arose over substance abuse and foul play. Nobody was quite sure yet what had happened.

Watson and Sarah had won the lottery and bought a mansion in the city, to which Charlie and Joey were regularly invited to spend their summers. They often brought Nicole and Aden with them and it was wonderful to relax and have fun in the sun with no responsibilities. Ollie had moved abroad with his boyfriend and they looked to be pretty settled there.

Both Angelo and Hugo had been released from prison only a couple of weeks ago. Nobody had heard anything from Angelo and nobody wanted to. Hugo had been shot and killed by one of the many people he had harmed during his criminal past. Charlie had gathered from her contacts in the city that the police were looking into it as a matter of course but it was unlikely that anybody would care for justice. Brendan and Xavier had been shaken by the news of their brother's death but neither had been terribly inclined to pursue the matter. They had lost their brother a long time ago.

"I'm exhausted," Charlie whispered to Joey. "Can we go home now?"

"We can go home whenever you like," Joey assured her. "Come on, let's go and say our goodbyes."

* * *

**November 2064**

"Charlie?" Joey said gently but urgently. "Charlie, are you okay?"

Her wife nodded but remained pale and unwell looking. Joey inched closer to her on the sofa where they had been enjoying a lazy afternoon watching television.

"Charlie?"

"I think... I think I need some air," the retired police officer finally admitted.

She pulled herself up, grabbed her walking stick and hobbled a little breathlessly towards the back garden. Worried, Joey followed her. She stood in the doorway and watched her partner desperately try to catch her breath.

"Charlie?" Joey said, becoming a little desperate herself. "Charlie?"

The eighty one year old didn't seem to hear her. She felt dizzy and like there was no air left in the world.

"Charlie, I'm calling an ambulance," Joey said, hurrying to pull her mobile phone from her pocket.

Ringing for an ambulance, she guided Charlie onto the bench. Unsure of what to do, Joey rubbed her back and held her carefully close. She tried not to panic.

* * *

Daria, David, James, Christine and Max all hurried to the hospital as soon as a tearful Joey got through to them on the phone. They found their mother sitting, pale and shaken in the waiting room, fighting tears.

"Mum?" Christine asked worriedly.

"Is she okay?"Max asked.

His heart thumped in his chest and panic threatened to take over.

"I don't know anything," Joey said weakly.

She was seventy nine years old now. So many of their friends had already passed away, including Elijah, Martha, Sarah, Miles, Irene and Colleen. But somehow, the threat of something happening to Charlie had not so much as crossed her mind. Now she was terrified. As soon as she spotted the Doctor, Daria, now sixty five hurried forward to get his attention.

"Is there any news on Charlie Buckton-Collins?" she asked, fighting not to lose control of her emotions.

"Are you the family?" he asked.

"Yes," Daria said. "We're her kids and this is her wife."

She led him over to the group.

"How is she?" David asked.

Joey couldn't speak.

"She's not well," the Doctor admitted. "We have to do some more tests but there's a problem with her lungs. That's why she couldn't breathe."

Tears stung Joey's eyes as a million horrific scenarios charged through her brain.

"When will you know what's wrong?" Christine asked.

"By the end of the day," the Doctor said.

"Does she have to stay in overnight?" James wanted to know.

"She'll probably be here for several days," the Doctor said. "Maybe weeks."

"Can I see her?" Joey asked very quietly.

"Yes," the Doctor said. "Follow me."

Joey pushed quietly into Charlie's hospital room. Her breathe caught when she saw the love of her life looking so small and fragile in the bed. For the first time, she looked her age.

"Charlie?" she said quietly.

Her wife turned her head slowly and gazed at her. She had an oxygen mask over her nose and mouth and her face was drained of colour. Joey approached and caught hold of her hand. Charlie managed to pull the mask off. Joey kissed her tenderly. The machine began to beep, telling them that Charlie's oxygen levels had dropped again.

"You need to put that back on, sweetheart," Joey told her.

Charlie looked tearful.

"But I want to talk to you," she said sadly.

"I know," Joey said. "But we've got plenty of time to talk, okay? You need to get your rest now, get your oxygen levels back up."

She turned to look for a chair. Charlie pulled the mask off again in panic.

"Don't leave me!" she begged.

"I'm not," Joey assured her. "I'm just getting comfortable. We might be here for days!"

She grinned. Charlie managed a smile and put her mask back on. Joey struggled to move a chair across the room so that she could remain by her wife's bedside through whatever hurdle they had to deal with next.

* * *

It was the next day when Charlie and Joey came face to face with the Doctor's diagnosis. Joey had point blank refused to leave the hospital and hadn't admitted the truth about how much pain the awkward night was causing her. As far as she was concerned, it wasn't important. All that mattered was Charlie.

"We've done the biopsy and tests, as you know," the Doctor ventured. "And... the diagnosis isn't good I'm afraid. You've got lung cancer."

Charlie closed her eyes. Joey tried not to fall apart.

"What... what can you do?" she asked weakly.

"I'm afraid there's very little," the Doctor said. "We can offer chemotherapy and radiation to try and extend life expectancy but..."

"She's not going to die," Joey said desperately.

Charlie reached for her partner's hand. After a lot of complaint, they had swapped her oxygen mask for a tube into her nose. It wasn't very comfortable but at least she could communicate.

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said gravely. "I truly am."

Joey dissolved into tears. She felt guilty for not staying strong for her partner who had barely reacted but she couldn't help it. She felt like her whole world was falling apart.

"How long?" Charlie asked.

"Nine months to a year," her consultant replied.

"With or without treatment?"

"Without," he said. "With it, maybe another couple of months. Maybe not. It's hard to say."

"When can treatment start?" Joey asked.

"As soon as Charlie gives us the go ahead," the Doctor said. "I'll um... I'll give you both some time. I'll come back in ten minutes, okay?"

Joey barely registered him as he left.

* * *

_Next time... Charlie and Joey celebrate Christmas with their family and Charlie makes a decision about treatment..._


	169. Chapter 169

_Hi, everyone. This is the penultimate chapter. I can't quite believe that in a few days, this will be over. I hope you have enjoyed the journey! Love, IJKS xxx_

**Chapter One Hundred and Sixty Nine**

**December 2064**

It was Christmas Day and Daria, Jason and Charlotte arrived to take Charlie and Joey over to David and Andy's house. With Charlie's diagnosis having changed all their lives, the couple had taken over hosting Christmas, which was usually organised by the twins' parents. Ruby and Xavier had cut their travels short in order to be with their family. They had all considered a very quiet Christmas this year but Charlie had remained adamant that it was a day to be celebrated. She was painfully aware that this could be her last and she wanted to enjoy it. So, rather than a small affair, the Christmas guests consisted of Charlie, Joey, Ruby, Xavier, Gina, Clarissa, Nicole, Aden, Todd, David, Andy, Daria, Jason, Charlotte, James, Leanne, Zac, Christine, Jake, Max, Watson and Matthew.

It had been a difficult few weeks to say the least. Neither Charlie nor Joey were entirely sure how they had got through it thus far, although their family and friends had offered never ending love and concern. It had been a particularly tearful discussion when Charlie had told Joey that she didn't want to try for treatment. There were no promises that it would add much onto her life expectancy and she would rather enjoy the time she had left than have to go through the pain and trauma of chemotherapy. It had been different when Belle had first been diagnosed all those years ago. Chemotherapy and radiation had promised and succeeded in a cure, at least temporarily. For Charlie, it was not the case and she didn't want to put herself or her family through it. Joey had cried and begged her to reconsider but deep down, she understood where she was coming from. Unhappily, she had accepted the decision and supported her when she'd broken the news to the children.

"How are you feeling?" Daria asked, helping her mother out of the car.

"Fine," Charlie promised, accepting her hand. "I'm looking forward to spending a happy day with my family."

Daria smiled, although it didn't meet her eyes. She couldn't help regretting now every argument they had ever had, every time she'd flown off the handle and made life difficult for her parents. In all honesty, Charlie was her hero. She was proud to have followed in her footsteps at work and managed to retire as a Detective, just as Charlie had done. She had named her daughter after her because she couldn't think of a better person for someone to aspire to be like. The thought of losing her was more painful than she could ever express.

* * *

So far, it had been a nice day. Presents had been exchanged and there was a merry atmosphere amongst the group. David and Andy were slaving away in the kitchen and had sent Joey back into the lounge, pointing out that she was meant to be having a relaxing Christmas, not a busy, stressful one. Accepting their dismissal, Joey headed back into the other room. Standing in the doorway, she surveyed her family. She watched Aden chatting animatedly with Charlie. It was nice to see her laugh and she seemed to be enjoying herself. It was hard not to cry every time she saw her beautiful face. Taking a deep breath and plastering a smile on her own face, she headed on over to her wife and her best friend.

"What's the joke?" she wondered.

"We were just talking about how you and I used to drive her mad in horror films," Aden said.

Joey laughed. Both she and Aden had an annoying habit of yelling at the screen for the whole film, telling the tragic heroines what they ought to be doing and that if they were dumb enough to lock themselves in the bathroom or break any of the other classic rules then really, they deserved whatever they got.

"We haven't had a horror fest for ages," Charlie said, smiling. "Maybe you and Nic should come round one night. We could recall the old days."

"Sounds good to me," Aden said. "A bunch of geriatrics watching teenage girls get hacked to bits! What could be more fun?"

Charlie snorted. Joey laughed and reached for her hand. She marvelled at Charlie's strength and ability to carry on and stay strong. Personally, she hadn't gone a night since the diagnosis without crying herself ever so quietly to sleep. Charlie seemed to be handling her mortality better than her wife was.

* * *

Charlie and Joey sat side by side at the large table that David and Andy had set up in the lounge. Everyone had been served and were about to tuck in when Charlie quietly asked if she could speak. Everyone offer her their rapt attention.

"I just wanted to thank you all for being in my life," she said. "Every single one of you means the world to me. I just... I just wanted to say that."

She chewed her lip a little hesitantly and glanced at Nicole.

"And I wanted to propose a toast to Romeo and also to Cathy," she said. "This is her family's first Christmas without her and I think it's important to remember what she meant to everyone."

Nicole smiled at her with an expression mixed between grief and gratitude. Aden held her hand. Joey gazed into her partner's eyes. Charlie lifted her glass.

"To Romeo and Cathy," she said.

Everyone joined in with the toast. Nicole wiped her eyes and the meal began.

"You're a beautiful person, Charlie," Joey said quietly.

Charlie smiled and squeezed her hand. She couldn't help but think that next year, someone might be toasting her absence, marking respect for a life lived and lost. It was hard to contemplate but the thought was never far from her mind. Reading her expression, Joey looked down. She hurriedly began to eat her meal, choking back the tears.

* * *

That night, when Daria, Jason and Charlotte had dropped them both home and settled them in, Joey helped Charlie up the stairs. Between the cancer and her ever painful hip, the retired Detective struggled with stairs and her energy levels were particularly low after a long day. Taking things slowly, step by step, she couldn't help but remember the horrible night when her mother had fallen down these very stairs. She'd been dying of thyroid cancer at the time. Everything suddenly felt too close to home.

Getting changed, Charlie and Joey slipped into bed. The room was illuminated by a bedside lamp as they snuggled together and talked about the day, a habit that had developed a lifetime ago.

"Did you have a nice day?" Joey asked.

"It was lovely to spend time with everyone," Charlie said. "How about you? Did you have a nice day too?"

"I did," Joey said.

It was mostly true. There had been nothing wrong with the day itself. But every moment felt so tinged with sadness now. Joey had loved Charlie for seventy nine years. They had faced so many hurdles and they'd faced them together. Although they were still united in every respect, Joey couldn't help but feel hollow at the thought of them taking the last steps of their journey alone. She didn't want Charlie to die. She was comforted by her belief that she would be happy and pain free up in Heaven with their parents and other loved ones who had fallen before them. But she was afraid of her doing it alone. And although she felt selfish for it, she was terrified of living her own life without Charlie in it. She suddenly had even more respect for people like Aden and Nicole who had loved and lost their partners and had no choice but to live without them. She honestly had no idea if it was even possible for her to do the same. And she certainly didn't want to. The thought of everything that was to come shattered her heart into pieces.

"Joey?" Charlie said quietly.

Realising that through her inner ramblings, tears had crept from her eyes, Joey hurried to wipe them away. She apologised. Charlie leant in a little closer, holding her tight and kissing the top of her head.

"You never have to apologise to me," she said softly.

"I'm being so selfish," Joey said into her wife's chest.

"You can't help it if you feel sad," Charlie said. "I'd be offended if you were celebrating!"

They both tried to laugh. Pulling back a little, Charlie gazed into Joey's eyes.

"I'm sorry," she said.

Joey just looked bewildered.

"I promised that you'd never have to live without me," Charlie ventured. "And I... I feel like I'm about to abandon you. I'm sorry. I should never have promised anything I couldn't control. I'm sorry."

"Please don't apologise," Joey replied. "As if any of this is your fault..."

"If you want me to go through chemo, I will," Charlie said.

"What?" Joey said, startled.

Charlie had been so adamantly against it.

"If you want me to go through it, I will," Charlie repeated. "I'll do anything you want me to, if I can."

Joey reached out and stroked her face.

"Part of me does want you to," she said. "The thought of even getting a few more days with you but... but I know you don't want it. We saw Belle go through hell with treatment. It was painful and invasive and... and if it won't save your life then..."

She shook her head and closed her eyes.

"Thank you," Charlie said honestly.

Joey rested against her, holding her hand beneath the blankets.

"You would have done that for me against your own wishes, wouldn't you?" she realised.

"I'd do anything for you," Charlie told her. "Surely you know that by now?"

"I do," Joey said quietly, closing her eyes and concentrating on Charlie's warmth.

"You're the most important thing in my life," Charlie said. "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me. And I wish to God that I wasn't being forced to leave you. I love you so much and even though I'm excited at the idea of seeing my Mum and Dad and Aunt Clara and everyone again, I... I don't want to leave you behind. I don't know how to even begin saying goodbye."

Joey closed her eyes tighter. She felt like she was going to combust from the pain in her soul.

"But if it had to be one of us, I'm glad it's me," Charlie admitted. "I couldn't bear to see you in this pain. I couldn't bear to watch you fade away. I just wish I could save you from the pain you're already in."

"How is it that you're the one with cancer and you're _still _trying to look after me?" Joey wondered.

She lifted her head and gazed into Charlie's eyes.

"Because I love you," Charlie replied.

* * *

_Next time... it's the final chapter._


	170. Chapter 170

_When I read this through, even I cried so I hope you all do too so a) I don't feel so silly and b) I'll know I have done my job! So, with no further ado... here is the final chapter..._

**Chapter One Hundred and Seventy**

**September 2065**

"I don't want to go in," Daria admitted.

She clutched her twin brother's hand.

"It'll be fine," he reassured her, although he was just as uncertain.

"But..."

"We need to do this," David said.

Squeezing her hand, he pushed open the bedroom door, trying not to visibly react when he saw his mother, his beloved Charlie lying in bed, looking as white as death. Joey sat, propped up on the bed beside her and had apparently been reading her a story. She put her book down and smiled.

"Hi," she said warmly.

The twins continued holding hands. Charlie looked up at the door and smiled too.

"Hello, my twins," she greeted softly. "Thank you for coming to see me."

David nodded and moved to perch on the edge of the bed, pulling Daria with him.

"I'm going to go and make some lunch," Joey said, pulling herself with some effort off the bed.

She leant back and kissed Charlie's cheek, asking what soup she wanted.

"Tomato please," Charlie said.

Joey nodded and kissed her again. It was a lot of effort to eat so they had settled on soup being a lesser of evils. With her appetite almost completely dwindled, it was still a struggle but Charlie tried her best.

"Come," Charlie said to the twins when Joey had left the room. "Sit."

David nodded at Daria but she seemed frozen to the spot.

"Daria?" Charlie said. "What's on your mind?"

"I'm scared," she admitted.

"Dar, stop being silly," David warned.

"What are you scared of?" Charlie asked.

"I'm scared that you're saying goodbye."

Charlie nodded slowly and sighed.

"I am," she said. "I'm sorry. But... I know it's going to be soon. The only grace of knowing you're going to die is that you get time to say goodbye. And I don't want to waste it."

Daria looked even more stricken.

"Daria, sit down," David urged. "Let our Mum say what she needs to say."

Daria remained rooted to the spot.

"I just want to tell you that I love you both," Charlie said, hoping to make it easier. "I wanted to tell you that I'm proud of you and that it was a wonderful day when you walked into our lives."

David smiled. He reached for his mother's hand.

"Thank you," he said. "You changed our lives. I dread to think where we'd be now if you and Joey hadn't..."

He trailed off and looked down, studying Charlie's hand and wondering when she had become old. It seemed so sudden somehow. One minute, they had all been cringing about her and Joey getting up to no good at inappropriate moments and the next, she was fading away.

"I love you!" Daria blustered out.

Both David and Charlie looked at her. Struggling with the confrontation of emotion, Daria's heart pounded as she struggled to contain her feelings.

"I love you," she said more quietly. "You're my hero. You saved my life. You gave me and David a chance when nobody else would. I only became a police officer because I wanted to be like you. I wanted to make you proud of me."

"I am proud of you," Charlie promised. "I'm proud of both of you, of everything you've both become. You're both so brave to have overcome all the things life has thrown at you. David, you had much more courage than I ever did about coming out and being true to yourself. And it's so amazing that you found your soul mate and made it work no matter what."

Her son blushed shyly.

"And Daria, you are the best police officer I have ever known," Charlie continued. "Better than me. You've been so committed, so good. You saved my life when Hugo shot me. You've made me so proud. And now you have your beautiful daughter. I'm so thrilled to have Charlotte as my granddaughter. And I don't think I told you enough how touched I am that you would name her after me."

"I love you," Daria said, as if the phrase were addictive. "You mean more to me than I could ever say."

* * *

It had been an emotional few days. Charlie seldom came downstairs anymore. Her body was weak and her breathing was so laboured. She had nurses coming in each and every day, although Joey adamantly took the lead in practical care. There had been discussion over the last few weeks about a catheter so that Charlie didn't have to get up to use the bathroom but so far she had refused. If she could get up, she wanted to. And at least for now, even though it was difficult, she retained at least that level of independence.

After saying what she needed to say to the twins, Charlie had spoken to James and Leanne, Christine, Max, Clarissa and Gina, Zac, Ruby and Xavier. She'd also spoken to Watson and to Leah as well as Nicole and Aden and Todd. She couldn't bear to waste time and not say the things that were on her heart. She seemed to spend her time sleeping, receiving visits from her family and spending time with Joey. Her wife rarely left her side. She slept beside her at night, she helped her to the toilet and to get washed. She prepared food whenever Charlie felt able to eat and read her stories. They talked incessantly, never seeming to run out of things to say. And she held her and kept her safe. For her part, Charlie tried her best to protect Joey from the pain she was in. She tried to keep her brave face on and she never tired of telling her how loved she was.

"I'm going to try and get downstairs tomorrow," Charlie said.

The couple were lying in bed, ready to settle down for the night. They held hands.

"What?" Joey asked. "No, you're not strong enough. Everyone's coming in here. It's arranged."

"Nobody wants to cram into a dying woman's bedroom," Charlie sighed.

Tears immediately stung Joey's eyes at the description.

"Charlie..."

"If I can get downstairs then we can celebrate better, okay?" Charlie said firmly. "It's your eightieth birthday, Joey. And it's the last time I get to do this with you. Please?"

"But..."

"I want to be downstairs," she said.

"What about getting to the bathroom?" Joey asked. "It's up here. You can't..."

"I've spoken to the nurse," Charlie explained. "I can have a catheter temporarily. I don't want to keep it but I'd rather have it for a day and celebrate with you properly than have to have everyone in here."

"If you're sure," Joey said weakly. "I..."

Charlie squeezed her hand gently.

"I want to do this for you," she said. "It's important."

"Okay," Joey agreed. "We can do that."

She leant over and pressed her lips softly against Charlie's.

"We can do anything you want to."

* * *

"Blow out the candles, sweetheart," Charlie said, happily but quietly.

Nodding, Joey took a deep breath and blew out as many candles as she could. It was a big cake and the twins had seen fit to cram all eighty candles on it.

"I'll help!" Charlotte said cheerfully.

Both she and her mother leant forward and assisted Joey in extinguishing all the flames. Everyone else began a round of 'happy birthday'. Charlie sang quietly, holding onto her partner's hand and feeling grateful to have lasted long enough to see Joey turn eighty. She was certain that it was going to be the last birthday of a loved one that she would celebraete. Every day she felt weaker and weaker. It was growing harder to catch her breath. She had regular care and had her own oxygen tank at home now. She barely left the bedroom and her body hurt all over. Today, it had taken every effort and a lot of physical support to get dressed and down the stairs in order to spend time with her family. Joey wasn't exactly in the best health in the world but she had given everything to take care of the woman she loved so much. Charlie felt guilty for being such a burden, although Joey never seemed to mind.

"Did you make a wish?" James asked.

Joey nodded and couldn't help a flicker of hope that it might actually come true. The look on her face told Charlie exactly what she had wished for and it broke her heart to know that it was already too late. Shaking the pain off, Charlie put her arm around her and kissed her cheek.

"Happy birthday my darling," she whispered.

* * *

That night, Max and Zac helped Charlie up to the bedroom and settled her in.

"Goodnight, Mum," Max said, kissing her on the cheek.

"Did I do okay?" she asked.

He was surprised by the recurrent vulnerability in the voice of a woman who had always been so strong.

"You did great," he promised.

"Nan was thrilled with her party," Zac put in. "You were amazing."

Charlie thanked them and shifted somewhat awkwardly to lie back against the pillows. They wished her goodbye and headed downstairs, where Joey saw them and the rest of the family out. Locking up for the night, Joey sighed heavily and closed her eyes. Then she made her way up the stairs in order to get herself and Charlie ready for bed. The nurse would be coming in first thing in the morning and she knew Charlie was looking forward to having the catheter removed again.

"Hey, beautiful," she said softly, standing in the doorway.

Charlie looked up at her with wide eyes full of wonder.

"How on earth can you call me beautiful?" she asked with a hint of amusement.

"Because from the first moment I met you, you were the most beautiful girl in the world," Joey said sincerely.

Charlie smiled lovingly at her.

"Now, let's get you into bed," Joey said, moving forward.

"I do like it when you're bossy," Charlie joked.

Joey laughed and began to help her undress.

* * *

Half an hour later, with the room illuminated by a single lamp, Charlie and Joey lay on the bed together, holding each other close. Charlie closed her eyes, trying not to feel too alarmed by the tightening of her chest. She could feel her lungs physically aching, worse than they had for a long time. Tears crept from her eyes.

"Charlie?" Joey asked worriedly.

"I love you so much, Joey," Charlie told her, staring up at the ceiling. "And I'm sorry for breaking my promise."

"Your promise?"

"That you wouldn't have to live without me," Charlie said weakly.

She closed her eyes. Joey moved a little closer, unnerved by just how laboured her breathing was becoming.

"And for not being... for not being..." Charlie struggled. "For not being... that... that sorry about it."

Joey looked confused.

"I know I promised but I... I don't think I could ever live without you," Charlie admitted. "I wanted to protect you from being alone but I always worried about how I'd cope. I knew I'd never be able to live without you. I never have. Even when... when I couldn't admit how I felt, the thought of..."

She shook her head and closed her eyes tighter. Joey gazed at her ashen face. She held onto her hand, suddenly struck with the realisation that her partner was fading away right in front of her. Tears overwhelmed her.

"Please don't cry," Charlie begged. "I'm going to a good place. I hope."

"You are," Joey assured her, although she couldn't stop the tears.

"I'll get to be with my parents," Charlie said.

She opened her eyes and gazed into Joey's soul.

"And Aunt Clara and your Dad and Romeo and... and everyone we've lost."

"I know," Joey said softly.

"And I've had a good life," Charlie added. "I've had the most amazing life. I got to spend almost every single day with you. I got to be loved by you. That's... that's special. If I never achieved anything else, then I consider you to be my success. You've always... always been the best thing about me."

"That's not true," Joey insisted quietly. "You're the most amazing person, Charlie. It's been my honour to be in love with you. I've always been surprised that the whole world wasn't in love with you too. You're my everything."

"And you're mine," Charlie confirmed. "I have loved you all my life and I always will. I hope... I hope you'll be okay without me."

"I..."

She wanted to reassure her but in her heart of hearts she didn't think she would cope. And she couldn't bring herself to lie after a beautiful lifetime of truth.

"I'll always be with you though," Charlie said. "Whenever you feel lost or alone... I'll never be far away. I'll take care of you as best I can, even... even if it's from a distance."

Joey apologised when her tears dripped onto Charlie's face.

"It's okay," Charlie said.

Their tears mingled in silence for a moment. The only noise in the room was Charlie's struggle for breath.

"And when it's your turn," she ventured. "I'll be right there. I'll be waiting for you."

"That had better be a promise," Joey warned gently.

They both managed a gentle laugh. Charlie grimaced in pain. Joey felt her heart begin to break.

"Please don't forget me," Charlie said.

"As if I could," Joey said. "I'll carry you with me every second of the day... like I always have."

Charlie smiled weakly and closed her eyes again. Joey bent to kiss her tenderly on the lips. Snuggling up against her, Joey held her partner's hand. She couldn't say how many minutes passed until she felt the love of her life breathe her last. But she knew when it happened. She squeezed her eyes shut. A sob escaped her body. Her heart continued to ache. Shifting, she gazed into Charlie's lifeless face. Tenderly, she reached out and stroked her cheek. She was gone and yet she was still Charlie. She was still the woman that Joey had loved for an entire lifetime. Staring at her, she knew she ought to do something. Phone calls had to be made. Life was meant to go on. And yet she remained rooted to the spot. Lying back down, she rested against Charlie's body. She listened to herself breathe in and out as sorrow began to take over. Her heart began to constrict. A sharp pain suddenly surged within her chest. In a moment of clarity, she knew she couldn't live without her. And she knew she didn't have to. Closing her own eyes, Joey gave in to every ounce of pain, relieved to know that she could be with Charlie sooner than anyone had realised.

* * *

_Well, that's the end of this particularly story. I hope those of you have that have stayed reading it from the start, have enjoyed the long journey we have taken our girls on – from the frustration of them pretending they weren't in love, to the certainty of them staying together through thick and thin, no matter what._

_Thank you so much for reading Interwoven. I remember the first day I posted this. It was the first 'start them off as children' fic and I was so nervous! I thought everyone would hate it but I was so relieved when people took it into their hearts. Still people write to me and say that it's their favourite and that really means so much._

_So, thank you again. I will be posting a new fic called 'Forget Me Not' shortly, which is based more around the current storylines in the show. So, I hope you have enjoyed this one and I hope that I managed to end it in the right way. It was always the plan to do 'birth to death' and although it took me a while to figure out who was going to go first, I hope it turned out right._

_Love IJKS xxx_


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